Last month, we wrote about the pros and cons of using AI as voiceover. Since we published that piece, news about AI as a creative tool has been making the news seemingly every day. For better or for worse, AI programs like ChatGPT seem to be here to stay, and it’s becoming more and more apparent that they’re going to change the way we create, learn, hire, and progress on a technical level.
The advancements and public releases of generative AI mean that computers can now produce creatively, and replicate to a very close degree the creative results of human-created articles, art, photographs, code, and more. In all honesty, plugging a prompt into an AI program to write this article probably would have generated very similar results.
For some businesses, careers, and roles, AI seems poised to take over… and not just for the automated tasks like sorting customer service calls to the right department. AI now has the ability to write articles, create arguments, write computer code, problem solve, and explain concepts in a variety of ways based on the type of prompt.
So what does this mean for small businesses, at least in this moment? With such fast advancements, it’s hard to make predictions in anything further out than the near future, but as of now, AI can actually be a useful tool for some basic web copy and content creation.
Some organizations and businesses are already using AI to create basic sales content and web copy, then going in and fine-tuning the work of the AI model to ensure accuracy and add a personalized touch. AI has also started to be integrated into basic processes and calculations, and to outline legal documents and texts. This can save time, manpower, and funds, but if the companies don’t follow up with a human behind the scenes, the AI-created models run the risk of spreading false information and losing the brand voice.
Where AI falls short is anything past generalized copy. When you need something specific to your company, or long-term planning, a marketing team or advisor is still the best course of action. An actual human team is able to adapt to changing needs and circumstances, taking into account all of the facets and nuances of the business’s marketing needs and variables.
For longterm and complex problem-solving, having a creative team is also still the best strategy. While generative AI is able to compute and problem solve in a highly convincing way that mimics human creativity, it’s still programming, and it lacks the holistic ability that people have to actively engage with the world around them.
We also maintain that with using a robot voice, you lose the ideals and values of the company. An AI doesn’t have the same culture and values of your brand or organization, and the powers of these computers might be impressive, but they aren’t there yet with morals and values.
We also caution the use of AI-generated text thanks to questionable intellectual property issues. If you aren’t entirely sure where the information is coming from, who’s to say who owns it? All information from AI comes from previously created texts and works, and much is still developing with our understanding of where this information is curated from. This begs the question of whether intellectual property regulations will be advancing along with the technology, and you don’t want your AI-generated marketing and web copy to come under fire as policies change.
If you’re considering utilizing generative AI for any part of your business, we recommend proceeding with caution, and understanding where the programming can help streamline and organize without taking the role of company voice and creativity. Consider your own values and the value you put in the people you work with, and where you see your own business going as AI tech continues to be readily available.
Overall, an AI program can be useful for creating the baseline, or helping to organize ideas into an outline. But when it comes to actual creativity and cohesive problem-solving, you’re still better off with a human brain and heartbeat.