Dangers of AI Written Content for Small Business
The Importance of Human Oversight
While AI is a new and powerful tool, it is not yet an employee nor an experienced writer. While AI can quickly generate a 1,000-word article on “Is Electronics Recycling Worth It?”, the result won’t match the quality of a professionally crafted piece. This isn’t just a bias from a career wordsmith—there are concrete examples and strategies to avoid common pitfalls.
AI can save significant time in creating content like blogs, videos, eblasts, and eBooks. However, relying solely on AI can be as misguided as a homeowner believing they no longer need a landscaper because they bought a fancy electric polesaw. What could go wrong? Quite a lot, actually.
Hallucinations
AI doesn’t research and verify content; it predicts the most likely sequence of words based on a vast training dataset. This can lead to what is known as “hallucinations,” where the AI generates plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical information. For instance, an AI-generated recipe that suggested using non-toxic glue to help cheese stick to pizza became a humorous example of this flaw.
Mistakes can also be subtle and require expertise to identify. As someone with years of experience in the HVAC industry, I can spot when AI attributes properties of rectangular ductwork to spiral ductwork incorrectly. Mistakes in other industries may get past me.
To mitigate this, prompt the AI to provide citations on key points, but be wary—AI can fabricate sources, offering URLs that lead nowhere. Always verify these references to ensure accuracy. And always vet AI-generated content with your own experience.
Fluffy Writing
AI-generated content often suffers from “fluffy” writing, characterized by excessive introductory phrases, pretentious adjectives, run-on sentences, and repetitive information. Think of AI’s output as a first draft that needs significant editing. Despite its flaws, having a draft generated in seconds is an enormous time saver.
Lack of Specifics
AI writing often lacks the specifics, narrative, and the emotional connection that resonates with readers. It can’t understand the unique examples that matter to your customers, community, or brand. For instance, AI won’t include the story of how your company sponsored a local little league team that won the championship or how you donated basement waterproofing services to an elderly couple after a flood. These personal touches add depth and heart to your content, something AI can’t replicate.
Lack of SEO
Experienced human writers understand how to structure content for search engine optimization (SEO). AI doesn’t conduct research to identify relevant keywords or understand regional search behaviors. It lacks the nuanced approach needed to optimize your content effectively for search engines.
Copyright and Proprietary Content
Courts have ruled that AI-created content cannot be copyrighted. While this might not be a concern for routine web content or emails, it becomes crucial for intellectual property. If AI plays a significant role in creating your proprietary content, you might not be able to secure copyright protection.
Additionally, avoid feeding proprietary business information into AI, as it may inadvertently become part of future training datasets, potentially exposing your confidential data.
Using AI as a Tool, not a Crutch
AI is a tool that requires proper usage. Here are some tips for integrating AI into your content creation process:
- Outline First: Ask AI to outline your project, then you refine the outline to suit your needs.
- Section-by-Section Drafting: Have AI draft the article one section at a time, starting with the introduction.
- Edit for Clarity: Remove “fluffy” language and tailor the content to your audience.
- Add Personal Touches: Incorporate your personal experiences and examples to bring the writing to life.
- Verify Citations: Request citations for factual claims and verify them for accuracy.
- Optimize for SEO: Review and adjust the content for SEO when writing for the web.
Both the Best We’ve Seen and Worst AI We’ll Ever Have
Learning to use AI effectively is part of staying relevant in content creation. AI today is both the best we’ve ever seen and the worst it will ever be. Future advancements promise even more powerful tools, allowing for true collaboration that combines human experience with AI’s rapid information processing capabilities.
By understanding and mitigating the current limitations of AI, you can harness its potential while maintaining the quality and integrity of your content.
What Your Web Agency Can Do for You
At Chroma-Marketing Essentials, we are keeping on top of cutting-edge trends like AI-Driven content development. These tools simply help us do more and do it more affordably for even our smallest business customers.
We see opportunities to help our clients compete with bigger enterprises online and find new and effective ways to reach their target market.
Call Chroma today at 724-523-3001 or visit Chroma Marketing Essentials to embark on a journey of digital excellence with a local touch. Let’s build a website and a marketing strategy that reflects your business’s unique story and propels it into a future of success.
