By now, we’ve all noticed how ‘helpful’ & ‘supportive’ AI can be, and yes, we’re using those words a little ironically. It might look great from the outside, particularly when it enables you to do tasks in seconds that used to take hours. You can get AI to come up with a content strategy, write your content and research your audience, but at what point does it become risky?
All these things sound handy and harmless enough, but there are serious implications to consider. Here’s some food for thought.
– We need to protect and cherish creative skills.
– Do we really want to lose the ability to think independently and come up with our own ideas?
– What does AI use say about our values?
– We need to consider the environmental impact.
These are all wider questions we need to ask, but what I want to look at specifically is how using AI can impact content and SEO. So, let’s examine some of the key things to think about.
AI Disclosure is a must
One main issue with AI is also linked to HOW it’s being used and the lack of disclosure around it. Is it useful for bouncing off ideas? Absolutely. Can it help you find grammatical errors in text? Of course. But you shouldn’t create content using AI and not declare you’ve used it. It’s unethical and it won’t help build trust with your customers.
AI content doesn’t rank well
You definitely shouldn’t use AI to write all your website content. It has gotten some initial results for some people, only for their rankings to suddenly drop off a cliff. There’s also some research on the search results, which shows the top spots are mostly human-written content. In fact, human content is 8* more likely than AI to rank number 1. If that doesn’t say it all, I don’t know what does.
Have you ever thought about this? Google doesn’t actually want its search engine results clogged up with AI content. It means they’re not providing useful information for people, they’re just churning out the same old crap. Despite their investment in AI, they do want the search engine results to be high quality. So, they penalise content that’s created solely using AI.
And what’s more interesting is their stance on indexing. I’ve spoken to some SEOs who have said that Google doesn’t bother indexing AI slop. So if you overuse it, your website pages won’t even get indexed in the first place, let alone have the opportunity to rank.
It’s not worth risking your brand reputation
It’s also worth considering the risk to your reputation. If you look on LinkedIn, you’ll see more and more people saying stuff like “If you post AI crap, I’m going to unfollow you instantly.” It’s not a good look, folks.
Does AI need limitations?
Absolutely, there should be limitations. We need to be mindful of the control we pass over to AI.
Warnings should be put in place when AI has been used. We all want to be able to decipher whether or not something is real, right? Companies are requesting this, but more needs to be done generally.
It might take you longer to write an article yourself, but you’re in control. Here at The Content Wolves, we guarantee our clients that we won’t use AI for writing. It’s why I’ve got an AI policy.
When it’s used responsibly, AI can be useful for content marketing purposes, but as a supporter, not as the starring role. If we are not the masterminds behind our own work, then what are we? And at the very least, if AI has helped you with your written work, at least say so.
Why should we be honest about using AI in Content Marketing?
We should always be honest about how we are using AI; it’s all about trust and transparency! How can you get consumers on board if your content feels like a ChatGPT rinse-and-repeat? They are not going to be very receptive.
It’s affecting consumer trust
Content needs to be trustworthy, even if its purpose is purely for entertainment. Just like promotional and informative copy, if consumers can trust that what they’re reading is honest and relatable in some way, then they do not question how trustworthy it is.
People are picking up on AI-isms, including consumers, and they feel duped. Consumers are fed up with the lack of authenticity in the content they are seeing. If companies are using AI in their marketing and not being honest about it, of course it’s going to rile people up. People can’t trust that what they are reading is not biased or just another form of manipulative marketing.
It’s good to stay in the know and research what’s going on with AI and how it is being received, before you bombard your audience with AI content. Consider how it will make your audience feel. Articles such as Exploring ethical frontiers of artificial intelligence in marketing are a good place to start. EVERYONE needs to explore the ethical and environmental impacts of AI in depth before using it blindly.
AI is replacing marketing professionals
Unfortunately, one of the biggest downsides to the increasing use of AI is the very real fear of losing work to it. We know many professionals within the marketing space who have been stepped over and feel replaced by AI; it’s definitely going too far when people’s jobs are at stake.
The quality of AI-generated marketing is declining
It’s not just marketing professionals who are feeling the impact; the quality of what’s being produced has suffered too. Every day seems to be another news story where AI is affecting the trust of consumers, all with similar concerns about a lack of transparency and questionable quality.
When AI content stops working, it needs rewriting
Many marketing agencies are finding themselves having awkward conversations with prospective clients who need help bringing their content back to life after they, too, relied heavily on AI. What might have seemed like a quick solution at the time has cost them a lot. It failed to engage their audiences, so now they need to regain that trust with authentic marketing that connects with people.
What if AI is used responsibly in Content Marketing?
The problem is not all on AI; it’s how we choose to use it. When it’s used responsibly, it can be a very efficient tool for speeding up repetitive tasks, checking for grammatical errors and streamlining our workflow. It should not replace human expertise or take work away from them. It should be used as a support for marketers, to allow them more time to focus on creativity so they can produce high-quality content for audiences to enjoy.
