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ChatGPT: Great for research, not so great for original ideas

ChatGPT is more refined and intuitive than previous AI writing tools, but it still lacks the unique insights and perspectives that human writers can provide. Here’s how to stay competitive against generative AI.

There’s been a lot of chat about ChatGPT in the past few days on LinkedIn. And a lot of soul searching from professional writers wondering whether the latest iteration of OpenAI’s generative platform threatens their future.

From testing the software over the past few days I’d say that ChatGPT is more refined and intuitive than previous AI writing tools. It’s fast, fluent and ultimately convincing.  Ask it to write 350 words about feathered dinosaurs or the best type of loft insulation and it comes up with a series of presentable paragraphs that require minor editing pre-publication.

But there’s nothing fundamentally different from the content that you’d find on Wikihow or Wikipedia, for example. Or the snippets that Google returns on a results page. Ask it to write about the pros and cons of Brexit and it recycles familiar arguments that we’ve seen in the media for the past six years.

That’s not going to stop websites and social media bots from flooding the channels with AI content (if they haven’t been doing that already). But Google has already warned that it will penalize generated content.  Although like all things Google it declines to say exactly how it takes these measures.

In other words, ChatGPT is getting better at doing what AI already does well. Generating good, generic copy for the research phase of your project. It may even inspire writers to take the next steps in their thinking or simply overcome writers’ block.

Otherwise, the same five rules apply for any business writer that wants to remain competitive in the age of AI.

1.  Know your niche. Keep developing specialised knowledge and expertise so that you can offer unique insights and perspectives that AI still struggles to replicate.

2. Bring the human touch to your client relationships. If your comms and conversations start to resemble a chatbot, take a step back and think again about how you can reinforce stronger ties with your audience.

3. Think about how you can add value to projects. AI might be able to write a passable blog and even sketch out a high-level content or SEO strategy. But it can’t yet assemble a holistic plan that taps into employee expertise and existing copy.

4. Focus on creativity. AI is good a summarizing ideas, sub-headings and even literal headlines. What it can’t do convincingly is blend insights with original thinking, humour and warmth. An in-depth understanding of the client’s style combined with your own tone of voice will help you stand out from the crowd.

5. Learn how to use AI writing tools now. Think of ChatGPT as an assistant rather than a competitor and you’ll escape much of the drudgery that sometimes goes with research and fact checking.  

If you want to find out more about how AI can support your marketing strategy and make content generation more efficient, get in touch with Brighter Content today.

Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

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