The Pros and Cons of AI-generated Content - Birute Birgelyte

The popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly increasing due to its better accessibility. More businesses are realizing the potential benefits of AI-generated content. As the technology is getting more advanced, it is increasingly becoming a “viable option for businesses looking to streamline their content creation process”. This, however, does not mean that businesses should blindly utilize AI-generated content. First, they should carefully consider if its pros and cons make sense businesswise.

5 pros of AI-generated content

1. Cost-effectiveness. AI can generate content at a significantly lower cost than a writer. Creating an article which requires expertise is expensive. By contrast, an annual subscription for AI-generated content is usually under $100. While investing in well-researched, quality content makes sense for well-established businesses, small businesses can access AI-generated content at a relatively low price.

2. Better search engine optimization (SEO). AI content generators process thousands of online documents to extract valuable information. This process helps choose keywords which help improve SEO rankings and suggest them to the content writer. Using these keywords in an article positions content higher in search engine rankings on condition it is authoritative.

3. Overcoming the writer’s block. At times, writers struggle with creating authoritative content on a topic they know little about. This problem could be overcome with AI tools. For example, they could create detailed outlines and key points which help the writer determine what s/he should include in his/her article.

4. The speed of delivery. AI generates content immediately, regardless of how complex the topic is. Creating quality content for writers can take hours, while AI can generate similar content in under a minute. AI-generated content can help keep up with content demand, and meet one’s content marketing goals.

5. Simple execution. As your content needs increase, you do not need to hire a large team of content creators if you utilize AI-generated content. This strategy reduces the number of people you need to hire and dependency on communication across various departments. It also ensures consistent quality of content.

5 cons of AI-generated content

1. The lack of originality and creativity. AI tools are good at piecing together content, but their texts often lack originality and creativity. AI-generated content is based on already available information so it cannot be innovative. This inevitably affects the value of AI-generated content and its impact on business brands.

2. Quality concerns and plagiarism. AI writing tools often raise quality concerns. One of the common quality concerns is the misuse of statistics. Similarly, there is a risk of being flagged as plagiarizing other content by search engines. Many AI tools use pieces of content from other websites and then re-word them.

3. Bias and inaccuracy. While AI tools can follow rules and guidelines, they cannot reflect all the nuances of human language and culture. This poses the risk of bias and inaccuracy, which can have a negative impact on businesses which use AI tools to generate content.

4. The lack of a human voice. AI-generated content often lacks a human voice. For statistical or factual reports, this is not an issue: AI-generated content sounds perfectly fine. But any type of content which aims to express an opinion, evoke an emotion or reflect the author’s personality cannot be successfully generated by AI tools.

5. Incoherent phrases. AI tools can write grammatically correct sentences. Still, they cannot produce well-organized drafts. Most texts will contain confusing and incoherent paragraphs as AI tools cannot piece together different pieces of information in the most logical way. This means that AI-written sections need to be rearranged and some parts deleted.