In a matter of seconds, AI can produce thousands of words on almost any subject… far more, and produced far more quickly, than any content writer alive.
It can also write use marketing copywriter formulas (such as PAS, AIDA, or ACCA) effectively, obey the rules of grammar better than most people, and organise content well for easy reading. Can it, however, produce engaging, imaginative prose the way a human can?
If it’s provided with simple and unimaginative prompts that lack suitable amounts of detail, AI can produce some really poor writing. You just have to browse the internet to see the extent to which formulaic and generic content has spread since ChatGPT was made public a few years ago.
AI can appear formulaic in this sense because it resembles, in some respects, an extremely sophisticated autocomplete system. This is why it overuses cliched language and familiar phrases. Unfortunately, when businesses use cliched language and familiar phrases, they risk damaging their brand voice – and if that happens, it can eventually drive away customers.
Getting the best out of AI content
There are two easy ways to make AI-generated content sound more human: first, by personalising your prompts; and second, by modifying the AI’s output.
When it comes to prompt engineering, the key is to be detailed:
- Don’t ask AI to “write a blog on solar energy.”
- Do ask it to “write a blog about the advantages of solar energy over wind farms. Some of the points you should mention are how simple solar panels are to maintain compared to wind farms, and how noisy wind farms are while solar panels are silent. Mention other points from your own knowledge-base and the internet, cite all your sources, and make sure your output is original.”
Text can also be made more human with a little tweaking here and there. You should make sure you contrast longer and shorter sentences, use contractions to sound more natural (e.g., it’s instead of it is, you’re instead of you are, and they’re instead of they are), and pepper the text with anecdotes or firsthand accounts. All of these strategies will help content sound more human, and they’re quick and easy to employ.
If you want to know more about integrating AI into your business operations, get in touch via our contact page.
