For decades, AI was nothing more than a sci-fi novel concept. The thought of a computer so advanced that it could think, act, and create like a human being seemed impossible. But while we have yet to create our own Hal-9000 (which is probably a good thing) we’ve still made leaps and bounds in other fields of AI research — specifically, in AI-generated content.
AI-generated content, as the name implies, is any content created by artificial intelligence: web copy, articles, even images and videos. AI implements machine learning, a program training method meant to mimic how humans learn, to gradually improve their output by studying real data. Current AI programs have progressed to the point where they can use what they’ve learned to create content — including the kind you put on your web pages. But has this technology progressed far enough to replace manmade copy?
The Rise of AI
While content-generating AI is a recent invention, AI tools have been in use since the early 1980s. Spell checkers and writing assistants such as Grammarly utilize AI to find incorrectly spelled words and make writing suggestions. In fact, while writing this blog, a predictive text AI tried to finish some of our sentences!
It doesn’t end with text AIs, however. Image-generating AI has its roots in a 2014 generative AI project that was capable of generating human faces. From there, AI-image generators developed at a rapid pace, until they were capable of generating everything from photorealistic images to surrealist art pieces.
AI-Generated Content
Modern AI tools, while far from perfect, are leagues more sophisticated than the spell checkers of the 1980s. Companies like OpenAI are constantly improving text, image, audio, and video-generating AI. AI are now capable of generating outlines, paragraphs, and even entire pieces of longform content, all based on user prompts and keywords. In 2018, we even saw the debut of the first AI-generated novel: Ross Goodwin’s 1 the Road.
With such advanced technology, it’s understandable that businesses would begin exploring AI as a means to produce website content. But has the technology truly progressed enough for that to be possible?
Pros and Cons
As with any software, AI comes with benefits and drawbacks. Before you decide to implement AI-generated content, consider the following pros and cons:
Pros
AI-generated content’s greatest benefit is how quick and cost-effective it is to produce. An AI can create content in a fraction of the time a person can, without getting distracted or slowed down by writer’s block. Because it’s a tool, it doesn’t need to be paid for its work, either. AI are also highly efficient at targeting keywords and including them in the text, making them a valuable SEO tool.
Cons
While there are several benefits to AI-generated content, there are just as many downsides. Because AI relies on preexisting data, it can’t create completely original content — it can only stitch together content pieces from other sources. This resulting stitched content often misses the nuance of the original topic or is factually incorrect. If the content focuses too heavily on keywords, it can also trigger Google’s spam filters, which hurts your rankings.
AI content’s downsides don’t end with the technical issues, either. One of mankind’s greatest features is our creativity, something that even the most highly trained AI lacks. Human writers can bring a realistic voice and humor to their work that an AI just can’t match. And because AI content is often incorrectly or oddly structured, it needs to be reviewed by a human before it can be published anyway.
Should I Start Using AI Content for My Website?
While AI-generated content comes with several benefits, the risks of plagiarism, incorrect information, or overly keyword-focused writing are too high for many website developers to ignore. However, its ability to target keywords has proven valuable in SEO, serving as an aid for manmade content. So even if you don’t have AI writing for you, that doesn’t mean you should rule it out entirely. Ultimately, whether or not you use AI in your content development is up to you.
High-Quality Content at Epic Web Studios
At Epic Web, we don’t believe in taking shortcuts at the cost of quality. Our team of experts produce the high-quality content your business needs to draw eyes and boost your web ranking. We focus on both the technical and creative aspects, meaning you won’t just get content that does well in the algorithm — you’ll get content people enjoy reading.
Contact us today to learn more about getting quality content for your website.