Can AI do content writing?
Last year, a Japanese AI wrote a novella and almost won a literary prize. Considering such developments, questions like, is artificial intelligence going to replace content writers are bound to be asked.
Artificial intelligence is already being used in chatbots where answers are provided to visitors according to the questions they ask, and the questions don’t have to match the exact string existing in the database. Some of the chat bots can even understand the context.
Google search already uses AI to know the intent of your search queries rather than simply focusing on words. As I wrote in my previous blog post on sentiment analysis and content writing, search engines already try to interpret what you really mean rather than the search terms that you are using, to give you the best possible answers to your queries.
If you have switched over to the new Gmail interface you must have noticed that when you open a message, there are options beneath it that allow you to send a quick reply based on the content of the email message. That’s context happening, powered by AI.
Artificial intelligence can even recognise what is present in an image, for example, if there is an image of a tiger hiding behind trees, artificial intelligence will tell you that there is a tiger hiding behind the trees in the photo. As you must already know, AI can recognise faces, as is the case with the tagging feature that Facebook has.
So, with all this intelligence, can AI also do the job of content writing? If AI can write novels and books, why not content?
Why would you be tempted to use an AI instead of a content writer?
Volume, coupled with quality, I would say.
A good thing about machines is that they never tire, and the performance is consistent.
What you want from a content writer? You want high quality content that can improve your conversion rate and your search engine rankings.
For conversion rate you need convincing content, conversational content, engaging content.
Can artificial intelligence achieve that?
Only when it thinks like humans.
We are not humans just because we are biologically alive and unlike animals, we are humans because we are more perceptive about our surroundings and we can think about thinking itself.
As René Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.”
A human being, a human life, is a collection of memories, experiences and bits of knowledge gathered throughout a life period.
Hence, the way a person writes, comes from all those memories, experiences and bits of knowledge that he or she has gathered through her entire existence.
Artificial intelligence may have data but at least in the near future, it is not going to have memories and experiences.
So, how can artificial intelligence be used for content writing? Can it really replace content writers?
I think AI will be able to create a framework of ideas, but a life can only be injected in that framework of ideas by a human content writer.
When it comes to generating 500-1000 articles or blog posts per day then may be, yes, artificial intelligence will definitely replace content writers, if not in the near future, then maybe in the coming 5 or 10 years.
But when it comes to turning visitors into customers and clients by establishing emotional connections, AI won’t be able to replace content writers, because only humans are capable of making those emotional connections.
Artificial intelligence will be able to generate quantity. Quality will only come from content writers.