Content creation is an integral part of the digital ecosystem, feeding everything from marketing strategies to information dissemination. AI content writers like Surfer or ChatGPT have emerged as a key innovation, promising to revolutionise the way content is created, distributed and consumed. These sophisticated tools, driven by advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, offer a wide range of capabilities and are designed to understand context, mimic human writing styles and produce content at a speed and volume that (in principle) far exceeds human competencies. But are these AI tools worth it? It is difficult to answer such a question, as each case is different. In this post we will try to delve deeper into the value of AI content writers, exploring their advantages and limitations to offer a balanced view.
The rise of AI Content Writers
The content creation industry has undergone a transformative change with the advent of artificial intelligence, marking a new era in the way content is produced, distributed and consumed. The journey began with simple automation tools designed to help writers check spelling and grammar. However, it quickly progressed to more sophisticated AI algorithms capable of generating full articles, blog posts or reports. This evolution was significantly boosted by advances in natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, which enabled AI to understand and mimic human language more accurately than ever before.
Today, AI content writers have extraordinary capabilities that once belonged to the realm of science fiction. We will discuss the most significant pros and cons below. What is a fact is that the adoption of AI content writers has been steadily increasing among businesses and individual creators, attracted by the promise of reduced costs and improved productivity.
According to a Gartner survey, 37% of organisations have implemented AI in some form, an increase of 270% over the past four years, and content authoring tools are a significant part of this adoption. Companies both large and small are integrating AI content writers into their content strategy, using them to generate everything from social media posts to full articles. This trend is not limited to the Digital Marketing sphere, but extends to all sectors, including journalism, where AI is being used to produce reports on finance, sports, etc., demonstrating its versatility and growing acceptance in the sector of content creation.
AI Content Writers vs. human content creators
According to an experiment conducted by Neil Patel, the renowned SEO expert, human-written articles generate on average 500% more organic traffic than AI-generated articles. In the experiment, he and his employees took 68 websites and created 744 articles; half generated with AI and half written by humans. They monitored keywords with similar difficulty, and similar lengths of content to balance the scales. You could argue that more traffic doesn’t necessarily mean more sales… and that’s true, but usually, such a difference in interest and engagement is associated with a target audience ready to buy your products or services.
So why is human-created content better? According to Neil Patel, it’s because AI tools recycle old content from the internet, while professional copywriters can generate fresh, new content. Neil Patel’s experiment offers a fascinating insight into the impact of AI versus human-created content in the realm of SEO. The significant difference in traffic generation highlights a crucial aspect of content creation that favours the human touch.
This experiment is closely aligned with the evolution of Google’s algorithms, in particular the emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness). Google’s algorithms are increasingly designed to prioritise content that not only provides value but also demonstrates deep knowledge of the subject matter, coming from a place of genuine experience and expertise. AI-generated content, while efficient and scalable, often lacks the nuances that signal experience and expertise to both readers and search algorithms. It may recycle information without adding new points of view or fail to convey the authenticity that comes from personal experience. As Google’s algorithms continue to evolve, the ability to discern between content that truly meets the E-E-A-T criteria and content that does not is likely to improve, further influencing the performance of different types of content in search results.
AI Content Writers: pros and cons
The adoption of AI in content creation offers many undeniable advantages, ranging from better use of time to the ability to analyse huge amounts of data. But there are two sides to every coin, and these tools also present challenges. In order for you to answer the question of whether AI content writers are worth it or not, it is crucial to carefully weigh some pros and cons. This balanced perspective will help you take into account the current capabilities and limitations of AI in content creation.
5 advantages of AI-powered writers ✅
+ Efficiency and speed
AI content writers redefine productivity in content creation by generating text at a speed unthinkable for humans. This rapid production capability is not just about producing content but enabling your business to keep up with the relentless pace of digital media consumption. In today’s online environment, where audience engagement can significantly decrease without regular updates, AI’s ability to deliver content quickly ensures that you remain visible and relevant. In addition, this efficiency supports SEO strategies by facilitating the constant publication of content, a key factor in improving search engine rankings.
+ Cost-effectiveness
Better use of your employees’ time leads to increased profitability. By automating routine or massive content creation tasks, companies can allocate their resources to more strategic, creative or complex projects that add greater value. This optimisation of human talent improves the quality of output and also the job satisfaction of content creators, who can focus on more rewarding tasks. If you are a start-up or smaller business, cost savings can be a game-changer, allowing you to compete more effectively in the marketplace without severely compromising the quality or volume of your content.
+ Scalability
The scalability of AI content writers addresses one of the most important challenges of content strategy: maintaining quality at scale. As your business grows or content needs fluctuate seasonally, AI tools can effortlessly adjust their output to match demand. This adaptability ensures that your business can launch large-scale campaigns, expand into new markets or grow its content offering without the delays associated with expanding a large editorial team. The result is a more agile and responsive content strategy, able to seize opportunities as they arise.
+ Language capabilities
In an increasingly globalised marketplace, the multilingual capabilities of AI content writers are a key advantage. By producing content in multiple languages, your company can target diverse audiences in their native language, fostering a stronger connection and enhancing the user experience. This capability is especially for the travel industry or global brands that want to localise their content effectively across different regions. Not only does it extend audience reach, but it also improves SEO in non-English speaking markets, where competition may be less intense, but the appetite for quality content is just as important.
+ Data-driven content creation
AI’s ability to harness vast data sets for content creation is perhaps its most transformative advantage. Unlike humans, who may rely on intuition or limited research, AI can analyse extensive data on consumer behaviour, trends and preferences, tailoring content to meet the nuanced needs of different audience segments. This data-driven approach increases content relevance and engagement, as well as supporting sophisticated content marketing strategies such as personalisation and predictive analytics. By delivering content that resonates deeply with your audience, your business can improve customer loyalty, conversion rates and ultimately your bottom line.
5 downsides of AI content tools 🛑
– Potential inaccuracies
AI’s reliance on pre-existing online data sources to generate content introduces a significant risk of spreading inaccuracies, outdated information and misinterpretations. Unlike humans, who can critically assess the reliability of their sources and apply contextual knowledge to avoid errors, AI can perpetuate falsehoods or outdated facts. This undermines the credibility of the content and damages the trustworthiness of the brand or platform publishing it, which can lead to reputational damage and a loss of audience trust.
– Ethical and copyright concerns
The deployment of AI in content creation raises profound ethical dilemmas regarding the originality and authenticity of content. As AI-generated content often relies on the reassembly of existing online information, it blurs the lines between inspiration and outright plagiarism, challenging our notions of creativity and intellectual property rights. This not only has legal implications, with the possibility of copyright infringement litigation but also ethical ones, as it questions the value and ownership of creative works in the digital age.
– Potential damage to SEO
As mentioned above, Neil Patel’s experiment demonstrates that Google’s algorithms can distinguish in a very sophisticated way between high-quality content and content that lacks depth and originality. AI-generated content, by its very nature, may not meet these standards, as it often lacks the unique insights and authoritative perspectives that derive from human experience. Consequently, reliance on AI for content creation carries the risk of SEO penalties. It also carries the risk of long-term damage to a website’s reputation and trustworthiness, both in the eyes of search engines and users.
– Reduced engagement
AI-generated content often struggles to forge a genuine emotional connection with readers. Human writers can naturally infuse their content with empathy, passion, and a sense of shared experience. These elements are critical for building rapport with an audience. Emotional depth encourages reader engagement, loyalty, and action, such as sharing the content or making a purchase. In contrast, AI, no matter how advanced, operates without experiences or emotions, leading to content that may be informative but lacks the nuances that resonate on a human level. This gap can make it challenging for AI-generated content to truly captivate an audience, as it misses the subtle cues and emotional storytelling that often define the most memorable and impactful content.
– Dependency and skill degradation
The convenience and efficiency of AI content creation tools can lead to an over-reliance that stifles professional growth and skill development among copywriters and content creators. As professionals rely more on AI to generate content, there is a risk that critical skills – such as research, analysis and creative writing – will atrophy, leaving people less able to produce high-quality content independently. Moreover, this reliance creates a vulnerability; if AI tools become unavailable or fail, they could disrupt content production processes, highlighting the importance of maintaining and honing human skills alongside harnessing AI tools.
Finding the right balance
When it comes to content creation, the ultimate goal is not to choose between AI and human creativity… but to capitalise on the strengths of both in a balanced mix. This approach maximises the efficiency and data capabilities of AI while retaining the invaluable human touch that connects with audiences on a deeper level.
For example, AI can lay the groundwork by generating a data-driven content draft, which human writers can refine, infusing it with creative narratives, emotional appeal and nuanced perspectives. This partnership optimises productivity while elevating the content’s ability to engage and convert. A notable example of this hybrid model is the use of AI by major news outlets to write reports on financial earnings or sports results. AI rapidly processes raw data to create initial drafts, which are then reviewed and enhanced by human journalists to add analysis, commentary and human-interest angles. This approach has enabled these media outlets to cover a greater volume of events quickly and in-depth, significantly expanding their content offering without sacrificing quality.
But all of this requires a robust quality control process in which you or your human editors review and refine AI-generated content, ensuring it meets your brand’s quality standards and resonates with your target audience.
So… are these AI tools worthwhile for you?
While AI content writers bring obvious advantages, you cannot overlook the challenges they pose in terms of creativity, accuracy, ethical considerations, SEO impact and professional skills development. Acknowledging and addressing these pros and cons is essential if you want to successfully integrate AI into your content creation strategy. This ensures that these tools serve as an enhancement to, rather than a replacement for, human creativity and expertise.
