What is AI writing?

In the fast-evolving landscape of modern content creation, AI writing has emerged as a trending topic of conversation. You might be asking yourself: should I explore AI writing tools too? Read on to learn about the world of AI-generated content and AI writing, its benefits and potential drawbacks, and we’ll help you decide if it’s the right path for your content strategy. 

What is AI writing?

Defining AI writing is straightforward: it is text content produced by artificial intelligence. You may have heard about one AI writing tool that has received significant attention and recognition recently: OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This advanced AI model gained fame when it launched in late 2022 because of its ability to generate a wide range of well-written content.

Despite its fame, ChatGPT is not the only AI writing tool available on the market, and most AI writing assistants are designed to produce all kinds of different text, whether it’s product descriptions, blog articles, or even creative writing pieces.

Learn more about AI-generated content and its pros and cons in this video:

How does AI write text?

These writing assistant tools have developed from a branch of artificial intelligence research called natural language processing (NLP). NLP focuses on enabling computers to process and generate human language and develops algorithms that allow computers to generate human-like text. NLP often relies on machine learning, where algorithms are fed vast datasets of human language material to learn from. It is this that creates the basis for the writing tools available on the market.

When working with the writing tool from the user side, the process begins with a prompt. It can be as basic as “write a short article about local marketing” or “create a to-do list for a content audit”. The AI model then takes this input and uses the knowledge it has from the data sets it has been trained on to understand the context, tone, and style needed for the text.  The model generates text that aligns with the given prompt and desired output through a series of mathematical operations.

Additionally, AI models can be fine-tuned on specific tasks or domains, which improves their performance on specialised tasks such as customer support or creative writing.

Why you should consider using AI writing tools

Bringing AI writing tools into your content creation toolkit can be a game-changer in terms of efficiency, eliminating writer’s block, and providing help with search engine optimisation. Let’s break down the benefits of AI writing assistants.

AI writing will speed up your content creation and efficiency

Incorporating AI tools into your writing can significantly accelerate your content creation process and help boost your overall efficiency. You may find that generating articles, blog posts, and reports becomes faster and more streamlined.

AI tools are particularly well-suited for drafting outlines, producing basic research on a subject, and crafting coherent content in a fraction of the time it takes a human writer. Whether you are a content marketer or a business owner aiming to produce a high volume of informative articles, AI writing can help you scale your efforts efficiently.

AI writing tools are a solid choice for producing marketing and advertising copy. Since they pull from a large dataset of existing material, they excel at generating eye-catching headlines and taglines that will drive traffic. As they can analyse data and trends swiftly, these tools can help marketers stay agile and responsive to market changes, leading to more effective advertising campaigns.

AI writing tools are also invaluable for composing personalised and persuasive emails. These tools can not only generate the body of emails efficiently but, as with marketing copy, they are also primed to assist in crafting attention-grabbing subject lines and short copy. Moreover, you can use other AI tools to analyse email engagement data to refine and optimise content, ensuring that each message resonates with the audience and helping to improve email opening and engagement rates.

Overall, by automating the repetitive aspects of writing, you can allocate more of your time and energy to strategising, editing, and refining your content, ensuring it meets the highest standards of relevance and quality.

AI writing can prevent or resolve your writer’s block

 Writer’s block is frustrating for any writer, but AI writing tools can be the cure. When you find yourself stuck, these tools help light your creative spark by coming up with content ideas, outlines, or even initial drafts. They are well-equipped to break through your writer’s block by offering fresh ideas to help you continue your writing process.

If you are struggling to find the right words or express your ideas clearly, these tools can offer suggestions, improvements, and alternative phrasing. By eliminating the pressure of finding the perfect phrase on your own, AI writing tools let you focus on the creative aspects of writing and get over writer’s block more quickly and confidently.

AI writing assistants can help with your SEO

These days, search engine optimisation (SEO) is critical for online visibility and success. AI tools have emerged as crucial allies in this challenge. They can analyse vast amounts of data to identify relevant keywords, trends, and search patterns that will bring in and engage your target audience. The insights provided by AI tools can also inform your content strategy, allowing you to create optimised content that ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attracts more organic traffic.

These tools are also great for on-page optimisation. They carefully review your website’s content, headings, and meta descriptions to ensure they are optimised and in line with best practices. AI-driven content generators can also assist in the creation of product descriptions and landing pages that are SEO-friendly and informative for your audience.

What are the risks of AI writing?

While there are many benefits to AI writing assistants, there are valid concerns regarding AI usage, including direct risks regarding privacy, legality, and accuracy, as well as broader limitations and worries regarding human voice and authenticity.

Privacy and security

One very real concern relates to data privacy. When you use AI writing tools, it’s possible your text inputs will be stored and processed on external servers. There are thus serious questions about the confidentiality of sensitive information, whether it’s personal data or proprietary business information. It is therefore wise to be cautious when dealing with sensitive data and AI tools. Choose AI writing tools that prioritise data security and encryption and consider restricting the information you share.   

Accuracy and inconsistency

AI-generated content, particularly in legal or regulatory contexts, may not always meet the required standards for accuracy or legal compliance. AI information can be outdated, depending on the datasets it was trained on, or it can even fabricate entire articles, cases, or research. This is frequently referred to as a ‘hallucination’ and there have already been situations where fictional cases have been submitted as part of a legal filing, with serious consequences for the legal firms involved.

You should be aware of these limitations and keep in mind the need for human review when using AI-generated content for critical purposes, especially in sectors such as finance, medicine, and law where mistakes and inaccuracies can have life-altering consequences.

There are also ongoing concerns regarding plagiarism. AI writing assistants pull from datasets of existing material and thus may accidentally generate text that closely resembles published material. To reduce this risk, you should be mindful and cross-check AI-generated content against external sources, conduct plagiarism checks, and ensure that what you produce and publish remains unique and original.

With less dire consequences, but still important to note is the risk of inconsistency in the quality of the content produced by these tools. Results can vary in terms of relevance and readability. You should always review and edit AI-generated content to ensure it aligns with the intended message and desired quality standards.

SEO risks

Although AI tools are great for content creation, they can pose risks to SEO when used carelessly. One major concern is the potential for generating spammy content with no real value.

AI writing tools, when provided with poor prompts that are overly focused on keywords, may produce content that appears forced, irrelevant, or repetitive. This type of content not only fails to engage readers but can also raise red flags for search engines, leading to lower search rankings or even penalties. As you work with AI writing assistants, it’s important to avoid prompts that are overly focused on keyword optimisation. Make sure that your content is solid and informative and provides value to your audience.

Human voice and experience

One of the key limitations of AI writing tools is their struggle to replicate the distinct voice and nuanced experience that a human writer can provide. While AI can generate text that appears coherent and well-structured, it often lacks the unique tone, style, and personal touch that a human writer infuses into their work. The noticeable lack of a human voice often raises a critical question in the minds of readers and consumers: “Did an AI write this?”

While AI can be a powerful tool for efficiency and data-driven content generation, it may struggle to capture the depth and richness of human storytelling and expression. It’s essential to maintain a balance between AI-generated and human-authored content, and keep in mind that an authentic human voice remains at the core of your communication.

Striking a balance – the key to harmonious AI-infused writing

Undoubtedly, AI writing tools have emerged as powerful assets, offering improvements in efficiency and productivity that simply can’t be overlooked. However, viewing them as tools that support rather than replace human efforts is essential. By using these tools, you can streamline your writing process and get assistance with tasks like email marketing and SEO.  Still, they fall short in infusing the unmistakable human voice, creativity, and depth of experience into written work.