To AI or Not to AI
Weighing the Benefits and Challenges for Your Brand
In an era where technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, businesses are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline their operations. One area where AI is making significant strides is in content creation.
AI-generated content can seem like a dream come true for many businesses. A survey from Forbes found that 35% of companies use or plan to use AI to streamline content production. The promise of faster turnaround times, reduced costs, and the ability to efficiently produce large volumes of content is undeniably appealing. However, as with any technology, AI comes with its own challenges that must be carefully considered. Here’s our analysis of the pros and cons of using AI to write for your business.
Pros of Using AI to Write for Your Business
Increased Efficiency: AI tools can generate content quickly, allowing businesses to scale up their content production without expanding their team. This can be particularly advantageous for handling high volumes of content or meeting tight deadlines.
Cost Savings: By automating content creation, businesses can reduce the need for extensive human resources dedicated to writing tasks. This can lead to significant cost savings, especially for small to medium-sized enterprises.
Consistency: AI can maintain a consistent tone and style across various pieces of content, ensuring that brand messaging remains uniform. This is crucial for building a recognizable brand identity and enhancing brand credibility. For example, eBay's E-commerce website uses AI to generate product descriptions for its vast inventory. By automating the creation of these descriptions, eBay can maintain consistency and accuracy across millions of listings. This AI-driven approach reduces the need for manual writing and editing, significantly increasing operational efficiency in managing product content.
24/7 Availability: AI tools do not require breaks or downtime, enabling businesses to produce content around the clock. This continuous operation can especially benefit companies with global audiences across different time zones. VISEO’s AI-powered chatbot, Ora, helps Sephora, a global leader in cosmetics and beauty products, enhance customer service and engagement. Ora offers Sephora customers continuous support regardless of time zone. Whether early morning or late at night, customers can receive answers to their questions, product recommendations, or assistance with orders. This is particularly valuable for a global brand with customers across different regions and time zones.
Cons of Using AI
Quality Concerns: While AI can generate text quickly, it may not always produce content of the highest quality. AI-written content can sometimes lack the depth, nuance, and creativity that human writers bring. This can impact the overall effectiveness and engagement of the content.
Lack of Originality: AI tools often rely on existing data to generate content, which can lead to generic or repetitive output. This lack of originality may affect your content’s ability to stand out in a crowded market. We recently encountered a grant portal that instructed applicants not to use AI to respond to questions, citing examples of prior submissions that used AI at the risk of producing the same content and not differentiating their applications.
Requires Human Oversight: AI-generated content usually needs to be reviewed and edited by humans to ensure accuracy, relevance, and adherence to brand voice. This additional step can somewhat offset the efficiency gains. Nothing beats good, old-fashioned peer review.
Ethical and Authenticity Issues: There can be ethical concerns around using AI for content creation, particularly regarding transparency and authenticity. Readers may feel misled if they discover that a human did not create the content. Forbes reports that over 75% of consumers are concerned about AI being used to advertise misinformation on business websites.
AI-generated content usually needs to be reviewed and edited by humans to ensure accuracy, relevance, and adherence to brand voice. Nothing beats good, old-fashioned peer review.
Striking the Right Balance
Businesses should consider a balanced approach to maximizing AI's benefits while mitigating its drawbacks. While using AI for routine or data-driven content can be effective, complex and high-stakes content should still be crafted by human writers. Combining AI with human oversight ensures that the final product meets quality standards and aligns with the brand's voice.
AI Tools
If you’re considering incorporating AI into your content strategy, start by evaluating which types of content could benefit from automation and which should retain a human touch. Beyond ever-popular platforms like Gemini, Chat GPT, and CoPilot, the following are a couple of AI tools to explore to keep your AI-inspired business writing in check.
Hemingway Editor - An AI-powered writing tool designed to enhance the clarity and readability of text. It provides real-time feedback on writing by highlighting complex sentences, passive voice, and other readability issues. The tool aims to make writing more concise and impactful, offering suggestions to simplify language and improve overall readability.
Plag.ai - An AI-driven plagiarism checker. Thinking of submitting an article to a publisher, a paper to an instructor, or delivering a speech created with AI content? Pause and run your script through an AI plagiarism checker to ensure the wording and content are not eerily close to something pre-existing.
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Contact us to discover how AI can revolutionize your business, from coaching and technical assistance to research and writing. Set up a free consultation today to learn more about our innovative service packages and how we can help you achieve your goals.
Keywords
AI, writing, content, media, publications, business development
References
Forbes. (2024, March 1). AI in business: How AI is revolutionizing industries. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/ai-in-business/
eBay Inc. (2024, July 15). Magical listing tool harnesses the power of AI to make selling on eBay faster, easier, and more accurate. eBay Inc. https://innovation.ebayinc.com/tech/features/magical-listing-tool-harnesses-the-power-of-ai-to-make-selling-on-ebay-faster-easier-and-more-accurate/
Viseo. (2023, November 5). Sephora decided to partner with Viseo for its chatbot, Ora. Viseo. https://www.viseo.com/en/emea/our-achievements/sephora-decided-partner-viseo-its-chatbot-ora#:~:text=Ora%2C%20Sephora%27s%20virtual%20beauty%20coach&text=Available%2024%2F7%2C%20the%20chatbot,via%20tutorial%20videos%20and%20tips
Forbes. (2024, April 12). Artificial intelligence and consumer sentiment: What businesses need to know. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/artificial-intelligence-consumer-sentiment/ (2024,
