Using AI for Content Creation: A List of 5 Don’ts

Artificial intelligence (AI) content creation has become a valued advantage in many different fields. It fills gaps in workforces and supports those who lack the bandwidth to scale their velocity. 

Using AI for content creation can be a valuable way to optimize your schedule and put out a more comprehensive marketing campaign. However, as with any other tool, there are certain risks to be aware of and no-nos to avoid. 

Where Marketers Are Screwing up AI Content Creation

Overreliance on tools like ChatGPT can suck the quality, the creativity, and even the ethicality of your marketing content. Five of the most common areas where AI might not meet your expectations for content creation are: 

1. Don’t rely on AI for expert knowledge
2. Don’t trust AI with proprietary information
3. Don’t expect human content from AI
4. Don’t let AI dictate tone and context
5. Don’t expect AI to handle the task solo

1. Don’t Rely on AI for Expert Knowledge

Similar to how using Wikipedia as a source without fact-checking isn’t wise, asking AI to be the sole source of in-depth information on a specific topic isn’t gonna fly with Google. 

The information you receive from a generative AI tool is compiled from websites on the internet, with no intermediate layer of expert oversight. Just as you would want support for any facts you gleaned from an entry on Wikipedia, you want to back up your information from AI sources. There’s a reason OpenAI shows the disclaimer “ChatGPT can make mistakes” directly underneath its chat box. 

Making an AI platform your “in-house expert” isn’t just an issue of accuracy. The purpose of most B2B marketing content is to get it ranking in Google search results for relevant terms your ideal customers are using. Google is transparent about the fact that it uses E-E-A-T guidelines as a major factor in whether it ranks your webpage highly or poorly.

Problem is, those guidelines fly in the face of nearly everything AI represents:

Using AI for marketing means you have another tool at your disposal, but it does not provide a replacement for colleagues. Your in-house engineering, technology, and leadership experts remain valuable to the content creation process. They can offer specific examples and niche solutions AI can’t – robots won’t be replacing their experience and understanding anytime soon. 

2. Don’t Trust AI with Proprietary Information

AI models continue to learn, with the intent to provide better support and results. With that in mind, it makes sense that feeding information into an AI is one of the primary ways the system “learns” and improves itself over time. 

However, feeding an AI data that you don’t want publicly shared is a good way to lose control of that information. Examples include:

• Personal & financial information (i.e. logins and credit card #s)
• NDA-level customer data
• Proprietary ideas & plans

Some platforms, at least at certain service tiers, assure you that they won’t give out information you don’t want shared, but those reassurances are not guarantees. It’s much smarter to play it safe when it comes to protecting your information and avoid sharing anything in a prompt that you wouldn’t want disseminated to others who use the same tool. 

3. Don’t Expect Human Content from AI

The debate about whether AI will eventually be able to replicate human tones and inflection is evolving by the day. In fact, many AI tool creators have created add-ons to help “humanize” the AI content you are receiving. It’s nice that the issue is on the radar of society and the AI creator community, but for now your team should have the final say on brand voice 

Current AI software doesn’t automatically infuse results with a level of humor, cleverness, empathy, and emotion that can equal human writing. Before you publish it, read through AI-generated content and edit in the desired human depth. 

4. Don’t Forget to Check for Tone and Context

Consider the following:

• AI outputs are very matter-of-fact
• AI can only answer you based on its historical understanding of the world
• AI content is limited in the scope of tone and context it can provide.

Yes, if prompted to do so, AI can infuse sarcasm or other humor into a response. It can strive for a professional tone or speak conversationally, if you tell it to.

But because AI content is generated based on a specific algorithm, it’s still going to follow a logical path that doesn’t break new ground. Double-check any text from an AI tool and make sure it matches the intended message – your unique, differentiating message!  

5. Don’t Expect AI to Fly Solo

You can walk blindfolded across a rural road and survive nine times out of 10. That doesn’t mean you should.

AI tools are improving regularly. However, there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to quality and uniqueness vs. the work done by a writer. 

AI-generated content marketing takes the prompt it is given, similar to a 3D printer, and provides a response that fits the parameters. If the prompt does not adequately cover your expectations, then the response will be lacking. This could mean insufficient:

• Length
• Tone
• Level of depth
• Consideration of target audience

Editors will continue to be valuable for nuance, human perspective, and general biases for a long time to come.  

Using AI for Content Creation in a Way That Provides Value

Working with an AI can help improve your results, in spite of all these hangups. It can also mean more effective use of your time because you can delegate tasks – or portions of tasks – to a tool that doesn’t need pee breaks or sleep.

The current quality of AI tools, however, do not allow for AI to be the sole answer to a problem. Rather, it is a tool that supports the needs of human marketing teams without replacing them. 

Humans and AI: The Partnership to Beat All Partnerships

Working with AI can seem daunting, since there are countless tools available and new ones introduced every day. Not seeing a solution to your AI situation? Check out our AI resource library: 

• Will Marketing Be Replaced by AI? Or Form a Marketing Dynamic Duo?
• AI in Marketing for Content Creators: Generative AI
• Artificial Intelligence and Marketing for Content Creators: Crafting Prompts
• How to Use AI in B2B Marketing