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Words Have Impact, a content marketing firm based out of St. Louis, MO, recently held an online symposium challenging writers to reflect on the uses, limitations, and potential abuses of AI tools such as ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is a “language model chatbot” created by research and deployment company OpenAI. This AI tool can create conversations, informative articles, how-to guides, and other kinds of written content. ChatGPT was launched and made available to the general public on November 30, 2022.
“Writers get asked all the time whether this AI tool or that AI tool will eventually replace what they do,” says Brandon Towl, CEO and Head Writer at Words Have Impact. “To me, that always seemed like the wrong question. I wanted our writers to answer the question: How would you use it, and what would happen if everyone did the same?”
The online symposium showcases four papers by industry experts, reflecting on that question. These papers are available to the public for free. A spokesperson for Words Have Impact indicates that it is still an open question whether more will be added as the tool garners more attention.
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Writers See a Useful Tool, but with Limitations
While participants in the symposium saw a huge potential in using AI tools, they also voiced some important limitations that marketers and businesspeople need to be aware of. “AI is bad at writing hooks or building narratives that might make people connect with content,” states Dan Gower, owner of Buddy Gardner Advertising and one of the contributors to the symposium. “The best content writers typically attract interest with opinions, analogies, or anecdotes. AI doesn’t have real-world experiences to draw from, so can only start with a simple summary or high-level introduction.”
Likewise, Elizabeth Schreckenberg, a contributing writer at Words Have Impact, points out that AI tools are still inferior to writers when it comes to setting a tone or finding the relevance of a topic. “Humans write for humans,” she states. “While ChatGPT can answer questions and write essays, it doesn’t know how to craft content that appeals to a person’s needs or interests.”
This sentiment is echoed by Greg Bussman, another contributing writer. “SEO experts have had positive experiences with AI-generated content, but are still sure this content isn’t enough to get to the top of the SERP without human touch.”
If ChatGPT Did Everything, Would that be the Worst Outcome?
Towl himself offers a different way to look at these AI tools. “Everyone is wondering about using these tools for writing, because the bot was explicitly designed for that. But what happens when human beings use them for more and more things?” asks Towl.
“For example, suppose a marketer uses the tool to make their job easier. Is that good for them, because now they can do more with their limited time? Or is it bad, because now their boss realizes they can do the same job with the same AI tools, and eliminate their position altogether?”
Towl’s piece invites readers to consider what the near-future might look like in an AI-fueled business world—and then points out that this future is actually here.
Conclusion
There are still many ethical and practical questions to be worked out with regard to AI tools and the content they generate. Those questions need to be answered sooner, rather than later, given that bots like ChatGPT are now here, and are capable of near-human-level conversation.
Gathering multiple perspectives from industry experts helps not only provide nuanced answers, but also to understand what the questions are to begin with. Words Have Impact is one content marketing firm staying at the forefront of such issues.
Media Contact
Company Name: Words Have Impact
Contact Person: Brandon N. Towl
Email: Send Email
Phone: +1 314-276-6500
Address:7438 Carleton Ave.
City: St. Louis
State: MO 63130
Country: United States
Website: https://wordshaveimpact.com/