AI article writing tools are becoming increasingly popular as a way to generate high-quality content quickly and easily. These tools use artificial intelligence to learn from large amounts of text data, and then use this knowledge to generate new content that is both informative and engaging.
Composing professional, engaging, grammatically correct content is a chore. Hiring a content company is the usual go-to solution for companies not up to the challenge. However, human content writers are getting a run for their money. The new competition? AI content platforms.
AI content-writing software generates text based on user criteria such as topics, information, and keywords. Then, the AI searches for information that meets the criteria and uses it to compose and format content. Other AI writing tools can rewrite existing content, add information based on requested criteria, or edit human-written content. These tools save time researching and composing content for blogs and social media. They also make it easier to repurpose content, whether it is emails, blogs, social media, product descriptions, etc.
Despite the popularity of AI increasing in leaps and bounds, there is still some hesitancy in trusting AI content. Although these AI writers can generate “human-like” text, the question remains, can AI replace human writers?
While it’s hard to overlook that in 2020, marketer AI use rose 186% from 2018, using AI-generated content as the final, publishable text version is still dicey. If you don’t fancy yourself a blog writer, AI offers its fair share of benefits, but you can’t lose sight of its limitations. Here’s what content writers can and can’t do for you.
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Benefits of AI Article Writing
There are undeniable benefits to AI article writing, especially for small business owners with limited resources. The software is quite affordable and, in some cases, even free. This allows entrepreneurs to leverage the advantages of AI-generated content, including:
Improved Efficiency and Content Scalability
Researching topics, putting the information into a logical order, applying brand tone, and creating engaging text is a time-consuming process. Marketers see the most significant benefit in AI efficiency compared to human writers. The average 1000-page article takes a human about an hour to write an informative, unique, and engaging article. AI can do the research and original draft of an article in minutes. As a result, companies with limited resources can produce and post more articles to improve their online presence and authority.
AI can produce English content and translate content to increase reach across geographic regions. Expanding reach is especially beneficial for companies selling products online via international marketplace platforms.
Through improved efficiency, companies can:
- Keep up with larger companies with better resources to become more competitive.
- Increase speed to market when launching products requiring new landing pages, content, product descriptions, etc.
- Be the first to post information on trending topics.
- Improve localization efforts and speak to different regions in a common language.
- Repurpose content that is unique but topically similar and suited to different channels.
- Meet the different formatting needs of various social channels and marketplaces effortlessly.
Possible Cost-effectiveness
High-quality content is expensive. Using AI, companies can reduce the cost of producing content. However, it might not meet the standard of an experienced, talented human writer. AI accesses the required information quickly and composes a ready-to-edit article that human writers can edit to bring it up to snuff. As a result, marketers can produce free, technically correct articles and have their writer/editor polish them up.
A high-quality AI content writer platform, costs about $100 per month, compared to a minimum of $100 per article written by a professional writer with industry expertise. Although most people agree that AI can’t create high-quality long-form pieces, the technology is an excellent option for shorter, simplified artificial intelligence blog writing, social posts, product descriptions, etc.
A Jumping Off Point
As mentioned above, although AI-generated content lacks the unique “fingerprint” of a human writer, it is a jumping-off point. Writers can use AI for research and laying out compositions before adding their creative touch to make it brand-unique and engaging. As inspiration, it clears out the cobwebs of writer’s block. AI also repurposes content for use across multiple channels.
Increased Content Production
Simply put, AI tools produce detailed outlines to improve writing efficiency. As a result, content companies can produce more for less and increase their earning potential.
Version Recreation
Today, ecomm marketplaces/vendors and content channels demand “unique” content. This applies even when a single company provides the content for its messages. Producing multiple versions is an enormous waste of time and money. However, version recreation is the perfect task for AI content writers. The original content can be fed into the software with new criteria for formatting, word count, etc. As a result, writers and marketers save time, can focus on original content creation, and increase content marketing ROI.
SEO Improvement
AI content writers suggest keywords to improve SEO. It also strings the keywords throughout the content to help improve rankings and authority for the “author.”
Limitations of AI Article Writing
We’ve touched on some of the limitations of AI article writing above. In a nutshell, AI lacks the level of creativity and human touch that readers find engaging. Other limitations include the following:
Quality
Engaging content is not something AI can compose yet. It currently relies on analysis and algorithms that lack human logic. As a result, despite being quicker at generating the content, ready-to-publish content is another story. First, search engines are all about high-quality, unique content. AI content may fail to be unique enough to pass muster with search engines. Second, it won’t have the quality a talented human writer produces. AI content again fails to pass muster for search engines. Third, companies also don’t like the lack of tone and manner that fails to reflect the right brand personality. Most people think AI-generated content is boring.
However, content quality goes beyond a sense of style. Human researchers review more than one source and look for discrepancies only a human can recognize as a potential fact issue. AI writing tools can misuse and misread stats, which are then misrepresented in articles. This can put a company’s authority and credibility at risk.
Plagiarism
Plagiarized content is an AI risk. AI can take information verbatim and plunk it into a sentence without the editors realizing this. A human writer managing their research knows where the content comes from and ensures the content they create is 100% original. This process avoids triggering search engine radars. Plagiarism readers are tricky.
For example, changing a sentence reading: “Eighty-four percent of marketing leaders now say they use AI — up 186% from 2018 when the rate was 29%.” to “84% of marketing leaders say they use AI, which is up 186% from 29% in 2018.” might not be enough. When search engines detect hundreds of sentences with similar content in one article, chances are the article won’t pass the test.
Google Algorithms
Google’s algorithms aren’t big fans of AI-generated content. Google always prefers original content that is helpful, insightful, and well-written. Google can detect AI and always chooses human-written text over AI. Google intends to continue improving its AI detection capabilities to provide readers with human content.
Since one of the benefits of AI content is the ability to improve SEO, Google is also hell-bent on overcoming AI sneakiness. Its algorithms ensure it considers criteria based on human needs, not just keywords.
Let’s not forget Google’s quality rater based on expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Google doesn’t fall for AI because it uses EAT criteria to find original, well-written content. Combined with readers’ fear of misinformation, EAT helps ensure content is written by authorities in the industry, not machines. Both Google and readers mistrust this type of content. Using AI content puts your brand at risk of mistrust from the people who count – your customers and target audience.
No Personality or Creativity
Unless a human edits AI-generated content, it lacks the personality and creativity that engages readers. No one wants to share a flat article that lacks fun, insight, or opinions that add to their enjoyment and credibility. Without emotions, AI will always fall short in the creativity and personality requirements that create engaging information. Likewise, brands dependent on AI won’t have the human touch people trust to establish brand awareness. Therefore, human content will consistently outperform AI.
Missing the Point of User Intent
It is hard for AI to wrap its processors around the concept of intent. For example, when creating content to answer specific keyword queries, it won’t incorporate the kind of information specific to the stage of a user’s buyer journey.
No Strategy
AI can’t create an evergreen content strategy, at least not yet. As a result, you still need to develop an outline for your editorial schedule. Your schedule provides the types of content with staying power to build your online presence.
Intuit: Using AI Article Writing Successfully
Despite existing AI challenges, some high-profile companies are using AI successfully. For example, an accounting software company, Intuit, uses “Writer” to streamline its content writing process. Their original content creation process involved stakeholders across the entire company all sharing their hands-on expertise to create content related to:
- Technical documentation
- Customer support
- Marketing
- Product content
Groups involved in content development are from various departments aligned with the product. For example, the QuickBooks team alone consists of 40 people. These people are not professional writers, which contributes to ongoing content development issues. Intuit chose Writer to assist in content creation, improving quality, and scaling content quantity.
The writer addresses the following content creation tasks for Intuit:
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Readability
- Tone
- Inclusive language
- Customized Intuit rules
- Finance terminology and syntax
As the team provides more feedback on the content generated, Writer uses machine learning for content creation to improve. Today, Intuit views Writer as a companion technology that won’t replace the writer’s role.
Considerations When Implementing AI Article Writing
The main concern about using AI writing tools is that they lack human insights and judgment. As a result, users should beware of the following challenges when implementing AI article writing tools:
- Ethical issues: AI cannot create unbiased content. As a result, it might depend on biased data found during the research phase. The content might appear to discriminate against certain types of information, groups of people, levels of education, socio-economic status, etc. You can inadvertently perpetuate discrimination because of the way the AI presents the data, tarnishing your brand.
- Research: Although many people view AI-generated research and information as superior to human research, it has its issues. It can only access existing data sources and compose content based on that limited data. As a result, it is more likely to feel unoriginal and lack insight added by human logic and hands-on experience.
- Customer preferences: AI can be an excellent tool to help personalize content based on data such as customer preferences, behavior, and interests. This can improve your personalized marketing initiatives.
AI vs. Traditionally Written Content
Overall, AI lacks the creativity and insights captured with traditionally written content. Despite speeding up the research process, unfortunately, AI can misunderstand the meaning of the data collected. For example, its machine learning capabilities can’t detect sarcasm, which means it could use a sarcastic sentence as a trusted resource.
When looking at the advantages of AI, it’s essential to put its uses in perspective. Leveraging its time-saving functions to speed up the human research process, for example, can help improve the traditional writing process. On the other hand, using AI-generated content without careful editing and review can negatively impact your brand’s reputation and SEO ranking.
The Future of AI Article Writing Impact on the Content Industry
Although AI article writing can make the human writers’ job easier, it currently lacks the unique perspective a human writer brings to content. Whether it is ideas or personality, AI can’t compete with the human element needed to create and present unique points of view. So until programmers develop machine learning that replicates the human touch, anyone interested in unique, compelling, insightful, and entertaining articles will continue to depend on human writers for content development.
Best AI Writing Software/Tools
The top AI writing software includes:
- Grammarly: This AI writing tool provides alternative sentence structure to improve readability while checking grammar and spelling.
- GetGenie: A free WordPress tool with impressive capabilities, GetGenie can automatically create SEO-friendly articles up to 1500 words.
- Writesonic: This content assistant tool simplifies the writing process so you can leverage the AI without losing the human, creative touch. It can also generate SEO-friendly content in 25-plus languages.
- Jasper: If you generate content for different channels, Jasper produces text for social, blogs, and even scripts for video
- Writer: Perfect for creating content based on your business language, style guides, and data, you can create content suited for various channels and purposes.
- Rytr: An affordable AI content writer that is easy to use, Rytr generates first-rate copy based on brief instructions and criteria.
Although AI content software is still under scrutiny, they are blazing a trail to simplify the content creation process. If you want more information about easy content creation, click here to reach the experts at Digitally Grounded.
