A fear that many people have is that AI will take their job. Content marketers especially have been discussing the implications of generative AI in their industry. Many feel that if AI can produce content then companies have no use of them.
However, there is no need to panic if you are a content marketer. The attitude towards AI is quite negative due to it efficiently performing tasks a person would take longer to do. While it has led to the reduction of several jobs, it has also presented many new and exciting opportunities.
It is a tool that will be immensely helpful. If you are skeptical, it is understandable but read on with an open mind. We will explore the future of content marketing with generative AI.
What Is Generative AI?
AI is short for Artificial Intelligence. The term was created by Stanford professor John McCarthy in 1955. He defined it as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.” Put simply, artificial intelligence refers to the ability of machines to carry out human-like cognitive functions. An AI model would be able to do things a human would do such as speak, memorize information, and read. All of this is done fairly autonomously.
Now AI is a term most of us have been familiar with for a while. In the past couple of years, it has become a part of our everyday life.
Generative AI is a category of AI with the capability of creating various forms of content from scratch. All it needs is a prompt from a person. Whether it is text, images, code, or videos, generative AI can do it all.
While it seems like generative AI is a recent invention, it has been around for several decades. However, it was largely used only by specific people such as researchers. Towards the end of 2022, generative AI became accessible on a mass scale, with OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT. It has become widely used by all kinds of people and many see it as a revolutionary service. Since its launch, other generative AI services have also become popular.
How Does Generative AI Work?
Let’s say a person is made to memorize a hundred books in a year. After that time they will be able to answer any question related to those books. They could even recreate them from their memory. That is exactly how generative AI models are trained. Except, generative AI models can probably memorize the equivalent of a hundred books in a few days.
While “memorizing” isn’t the most accurate term, AI can certainly process and learn from an amount of text equivalent to hundreds of books in a relatively short time, leveraging this knowledge to generate coherent and informed responses.
Essentially, the generative AI model has to be fed with extensive data. The more data it is fed, the more efficient it will be. This builds the model’s memory, which it uses as its reference to accomplish whichever task is given to it. An image creation AI model was fed with tens of thousands of images, all of which it has as a reference. With this vast database, it can create an image based on the prompt and give it in under a minute.
The Role Of Generative AI In Content Marketing
A key function of generative AI is to produce content. Therefore it has definitely had an impact on the content marketing industry. People found out that they could have a thousand-word article in two minutes. One they would have to put in two hours to write themselves. They could get a visual created instantly, saving the need to coordinate with multiple people. People felt their work could get done in seconds.
Except this was not always the case. The content given by AI often looks awkward and monotonous. In terms of writing, there are certain words which keep being repeated. The tone is often dry and formal. At the end of the day, AI-generated content lacks a human touch. This is something that is not overly difficult to notice. To many people, AI-generated content is undesirable.
This does not mean that generative AI is useless. Far from it. It has had an impact on the content marketing industry and has changed the way people in it work. It is here to stay and will continue to play a significant role in content marketing. Knowing about its implications now will help you make better use of it in the future, as it is only going to get more advanced. The next section will deal with the several uses of generative AI for content marketers.
Uses Of Generative AI In Content Marketing
Helping Provide Ideas
Your boss wants twenty ideas for a pitch in an hour. You already have many pending tasks which also have tight deadlines. Anxiety kicks in and you start panicking. Your mind goes blank and you spend half an hour trying to think but nothing materializes.
In situations like this AI will come to your rescue. You can simply type in your requirements and the AI program will provide you with ideas. There will be ideas on practically any topic under the sun. AI programs will ensure you are not empty-handed.
Creating Complete Drafts
Let’s say you need to write an article on options trading, the process of buying and selling assets at a specific time for a certain price. You are unfamiliar with the subject and don’t know how it should be structured in your article. The tonality may also be difficult for you. Do not worry, you can ask the AI program to give you a sample. Whether you want to use the sample verbatim, depends on your situation. If not, you at least have a reference for you to follow. You have more direction and can finish your task quicker.
Helps With SEO Practices
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an essential part of content marketing. Google has several parameters that content must adhere to for it to rank. With the use of generative AI, you can verify if your content has adhered to them. You can get suggestions on how to improve it from an SEO perspective. Some ways include structuring the content better, providing keyword suggestions, and identifying potential gaps in content.
Repurposing Content To Suit Individual Requirements
You may be a writer who specializes in content for corporates. But then suddenly you are tasked with writing for a Gen Z audience. The language, tonality, and perspective are vastly different. You can use an AI program to change the tonality and voice of your writing accordingly. If you want to rewrite it from scratch, it can even show you how content could be written differently.
Before You Read Further, Why Not Try Out Generative AI Yourself?
You now have an idea of how generative AI works and what can be done with it. If you are curious to try it out yourself and experiment, you should get some first-hand experience. Below are a few free generative AI programs you can check out.
- QuillBot – This AI helps you with different writing-related tasks. You can use it to paraphrase, summarize, check grammar, and more.
- Craiyon – With Craiyon, you can enter a prompt to create an image. It offers you several options for the results.
- Copy.ai – Copy.ai specializes in generating copy of all kinds. It is efficient and offers effective and well-crafted copy.
Benefits Of Generative AI For Content Marketers
Saving Time
Think about how often time has gone in ideating or not knowing how to proceed with something. Generative AI helps you deal with that. If you don’t know how to structure an article for example, you don’t need to spend hours if you are not sure. AI can give you a structure as well as an article which will help you complete your tasks in a more timely manner. It also allows you to do many more things in a short amount of time. Overall, a key benefit of generative AI is that it speeds up your workflow.
Overcoming Creative Blocks
The dreaded writer’s block. Even the most experienced people go through it. When it strikes, it can be crippling, affecting both your work and your self-esteem. Generative AI comes to the rescue here. If you are stuck, it can provide you with insights you could use. Even if you do not use that insight yourself, just seeing it can trigger another thought to get the creative juices flowing. This is one of the benefits of generative AI which creative folks love the most.
More Efficient Workflows
The use of generative AI helps mundane but necessary tasks to be done instantly. Think of that long email report that keeps you awake at night. Generative AI creates it relatively quickly, eliminating the need to do it manually. You will still have to cast an eye over it, ensuring it is all accurate. However, you will spend much less time on it. As a result, work schedules are freed up and efficiency is ensured.
Cost Effectiveness
A company might have a requirement to post ten pieces of content a day. It would require six people to make it from scratch on time. With AI, only two people would be needed for this task. Money that would go towards this role can be used in other areas of business. Thus, generative AI proves to be quite cost-effective.
Risks Of Generative AI In Content Marketing
Unreliability, Inaccuracy, And Hallucinations
There is always a chance of inaccurate information given by generative AI. You must never rely solely on the content given by these programs. Always ensure you verify whatever the program gives you. Ensure you have sources that back up whatever is said. The programs also do not follow the prompts we envision in our minds due to certain wording. At the end of the day, AI is a machine and is not able to understand nuance. You must always check all of its output from your end.
Chance Of Plagiarism
AI is always doing whatever it can to finish your task in the shortest amount of time possible. It does not care about plagiarism. There is a chance it might just lift something from another source verbatim. This can cause a lot of problems and as mentioned earlier, always check whatever has been given to you.
Questionable Quality
The most common criticism of AI-generated content is the lack of a human touch. The content looks very stiff and devoid of nuance. It is rare to see a piece of content that immediately makes an impact. Such content only comes about through human effort and intuition and is not created mechanically.
Is Generative AI Your Tool, or Your Replacement?
There is a lot of fear and suspicion regarding generative AI. Since it performs so many different tasks more swiftly, people feel that many jobs will be redundant. This fear is slightly valid. Due to AI’s higher efficiency, companies do not need as many people.
However, this does not mean that people can be replaced completely. AI cannot do things with the level of understanding and nuance a human mind has. If you are a capable writer, designer, or marketer, AI cannot replace you. It only helps you be better at what you already do. It will save you time and effort that can be devoted to using your mind in other areas. AI can help experts, but not replace them. They will always be needed to ensure the quality of work is as per requirement. So in short, AI will not replace you.
It is still essential to know how to use generative AI to be effective as a content marketer. The best minds adapt to change. Make sure you understand how to use AI systematically and holistically. If you do not, you will be disadvantaged compared to skilled marketers who understand generative AI properly.
Summing Up
Generative AI is already a game-changer for content marketing. It has made an impact and helped professionals in the industry immensely. It should not be seen as an enemy, threatening to take away jobs, but as an aid. You will be able to achieve much greater output with the help of AI.
It has immense potential and makes the work of professionals significantly more streamlined. It saves time, removes a lot of tension in many areas, and helps make processes much more efficient. While generative AI comes with a few risks, being aware of them helps people use it more mindfully. This will ensure it is used to its full potential, making a significant difference in our lives.
FAQs
What is the role of AI in content marketing?
AI plays a significant role in content marketing. It is used to generate content pieces like text, images, and videos. It can also help provide direction and structure to different content marketing initiatives.
What are the benefits of generative AI in content creation?
There are several benefits generative AI has when it comes to content creation. It is cost-effective, helps save time, and increases efficiency.
What is the future of content marketing with AI?
AI programs are predicted to get more advanced in their capabilities. However, the human touch will always be needed and AI will continue to be more of an aid to content marketers.
Which AI is best for content creation?
Some AI programs used for content creation include ChatGPT, Rytr, and HubSpot.
