Where It's Going
AI and I are still getting acquainted, but it's quickly becoming my handy sidekick.
I hate to be that person…
But let’s talk about AI.
If you’re like me, then you’re probably sick of hearing the fear-mongering around AI, how it’s going to take your job, and the criticism about using it.
The truth is, we have to get used to it because it’s here and will continue to develop.
Looking into a marketing crystal ball 🔮, I'd, of course, see a trend toward AI across the board. Think: machine learning, data analytics, and natural language processing. I’m in an information technology class, and we’ve been talking about how we can use predictive models to recommend products, adapt content, target consumer segments, and personalize customer experiences overall. It’s already been widely adopted, but there seems to be a shift from experimentation to strategic implementation.
For content writers like me:
It means being mindful about how we’re wielding this very powerful tool. I used to look at a blank page with the cursor blinking back at me, and once I started, it could take hours to figure out an angle and get into a groove. We took pride in our human-written content, but with the volume of content we needed to write for clients and our looming deadlines, ChatGPT looked very tempting.
We began using it responsibly, with the understanding that AI can hallucinate and that we need to tailor content and keep SEO practices in mind. It’s about giving it a detailed prompt and feeding it source content, then editing as needed to suit your brief. I’m sure writers are all rolling their eyes by now, but yes, I take out superfluous em dashes and rewrite overused phrases or restructure list-like sentences that appear too many times.
Sometimes it’s easier to write something myself, but sometimes ChatGPT takes care of the brunt work of a daunting task. This means we’re conserving a lot of mental energy and have more agility to move from one piece of content to another. The key is to maintain a human voice. Moving forward, we’ll continue to fine-tune our approach so we can appear in Answer Engine Optimized (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimized (GEO) answers.
My hot take?
With all the developments in AI and automation, marketers should amplify their knowledge base to gain a competitive edge and, essentially, become Swiss Army knives in business. But it depends on your goals and ambitions.
We’re living in a weird time when humans are working with machines to recreate “the human flaw” in content at scale so we can sell products and services. I gotta admit, there’s something icky about that. When I got into marketing, it was because I loved the comingling of writing and design to make a statement. And they say if you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life. I get that some artists fear commodifying their passion and selling out, yet some of us are grateful to be able to make a living doing something we love. Considering there are always hard decisions and compromises we need to make, this is pretty darn close to living the dream.
Writers have a yearning to create and connect through storytelling. Our personal writing feels like it should be off-limits to any AI interference. That’s why I’m on Substack: to practice writing from an authentic place and develop my own voice as a writer.