There seems to be only two things on the tip of everyone’s tongue at the moment. The first being a certain royal’s frozen appendage. The second is AI.

Could it be that 2023 is the year we all look back on and go ‘ah, that’s where it all went awry.’ Only time will tell I guess.

Big blockbuster films have been predicting the rise of Artificial Intelligence for decades. How we’ll use it, how we’ll evolve because of it and inevitably how it will brutally oppress and kill us. Yay. And, if you believe in the rise of the machine then buckle up folks, because this could be the beginning of the end – or, it could just be very cool, innovative and very helpful tech. It’s always hard to tell when Will Smith’s involved.

First up – should we be scared of AI?

The truth is that AI has landed. And it’s probably here to stay. Forever. But should we fear it?

Nah, we don’t think so. Why? Because we feel AI is a tool and not a takeover (future GSCE class reading this and laughing at our naivety – you are welcome). What’s more, AI can be a very useful aid to add to an ever-expanding (and demanding) marketing arena.

Let’s take a look at the current star of the show – ChatGPT.

ChatGPT seems to be all the rage now. And let’s be honest – it’s very clever stuff. It’s also free to use. So far so good right? As a user, you can input a command and create a 500-word blog (much like this one, but more on that later) on any topic, and in seconds you’ll have your article.

In theory, this can save content marketers a lot of time, creating readable and SEO-optimised content in literally the blink of an eye. Interesting. And a little scary. As I dutifully tap away at this very keyboard, trying to keep your attention with my own tiny human brain, sweat beads are forming on my brow in fear that a bot is going to reach out of the screen at any moment and hand me my P45.

HOWEVER. As helpful and efficient as this type of AI is in its current iteration, it is not a competent replacement for human marketers. Why? Well firstly ChatGPT’s knowledge is still limited to 2021 data, which means it can’t answer current questions accurately. That means if a bot had written this blog then you wouldn’t be getting any Prince Harry related LOLs. Which is pretty unacceptable, right?

But in all seriousness, content marketing needs to be current and relevant for good ol’ Google to rank it highly. And Google (for once) appear to be on the side of the humans, with Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller stating that content automatically generated with AI writing tools is considered spam – unlucky (for now) iRobot army, mwhahaha.

It also depends what type of content you want to put out ¬– and essentially what type of brand you are. If your sole purpose is to populate a site with 300 plus 300-word blogs that are simply there to boost SEO but serve no real purpose to actual readers (this can work well for financial services / insurance type businesses) then AI could be your boo. If you’re a brand, agency or business with a strong story or ethos however, then this type of content isn’t going to work for you, because it simply won’t land or engage real people.

And don’t forget what we said about Mz Google earlier either, who is ready to digitally slap your wrist if you rely too heavily on this type of service. Deeming your content to be of such poor quality that it significantly lowers your websites position in search engines results.

So, what CAN AI be used for?

That’s not to say there is no place for programs like ChatGPT in your marketing arsenal – because there absolutely is. By utilising AI content creation, you can get blogs, social media posts and articles written in seconds to use as a basis for your human team to build upon. So, if you’re trying to cut a few corners, and free up time for your team, by all means use ChatGPT – but make sure you update your references and stats, re-write and edit until you’ve knocked the robot oppressors voice right out of it. Because trust us, people can tell.

Plus, the last thing you want to see in your latest quippy witty blog is lots of quotes from the ‘current’ American president, Tangerine Twitter Machine, Donald J Trump.

AI can also be a powerful way of beating the blank-page blues. How many times have you stared at an empty page praying to saint Cher for a wave of creativity to hit (possibly, just me on that one). But, instead of flipping open TikTok, Insta, the news or ASOS looking for inspo that’ll never come, try tapping in a few commands on an AI assistant instead. The results won’t be perfect, they may not even be very relevant at all for the finished product, but it’ll get your imagination going a lot quicker – and often puts in a lot of the boring groundwork for you, such as…

• Basic research
• Suggested keywords
• Getting a quick summary of information
• Suggested blog titles
• Accurate meta titles, tags, and descriptions

It’s true that AI is only going to get better the more we use it. It’s clever like that. So, if you haven’t had a play yet, probably go and check it out. But never forget, these clever things called computers – they’re based on human brains. So, maybe the more you use yours, you’ll be pretty quick and powerful too…just a thought.

If you’re looking for more ways to up your marketing game this year – we can help. Want to know more? Drop us a message here.