Acknowledging the AI Elephant in the Room

Let me be very clear: when I first heard about AI, I was scared. (To be brutally honest, my immediate reaction was, “Computers are officially taking over the world.”) My initial understanding was limited to the fact that there’s a technology that can respond to very detailed queries with the emotional intelligence of a human being– and that terrified me. It wasn’t until much later that I realized the ways in which AI could enhance the entire process of content creation. Though I still have my hesitations about AI, I believe those feelings shouldn't prevent me (or anyone else) from reaping its benefits. In this blog, I’ll discuss what I’ve learned about AI (through my own experiences), a few AI tools I use, and the pros and cons I’ve discovered about this rapidly advancing technology.

My AI Experiences

The power, value, and overall efficacy of AI became evident to me at a marketing conference during a talk given by website builder David Gravois. It was then that it clicked for me that AI isn’t a singular tool or website that stands alone– it’s a technology that’s integrated with many others. For example, there are AI tools for creating videos, brainstorming ideas, generating images, composing music, crafting jokes, making schedules, optimizing your website’s searchability, formulating pricing strategies… You get it; the list is endless. It was during the talk given by Gravois that I learned about two AI tools that I now use on a daily basis: ChatGPT and Perplexity.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an awesome tool for brainstorming ideas and drafting outlines. Within seconds after submitting a query, the site can generate a compelling title for your blog or suggest new points to consider within your content. It’s a great source of inspiration that can spark serious creativity, as well as save a lot of time and brain energy. While ChatGPT can be used to write entire blog entries and social media posts, that’s not the best approach to using this online tool (more on this later in this blog).

Perplexity

Perplexity is an AI-powered research tool. When you need up-to-date data or statistics, Perplexity can provide you with relevant articles that will aid you in your quest for information. It’s essentially a really detailed Google search, but instead of just submitting search after search to find what you’re looking for, you can make your query as detailed as you like. Additionally, instead of submitting a new query if you don’t like its output, Perplexity offers a feature wherein you can “ask follow-up” questions.

AI Pros

To quote myself from earlier in this blog, “Though I still have my hesitations about AI, I believe those feelings shouldn't prevent me (or anyone else) from reaping its benefits.” Alas, here are the benefits I've discovered from integrating AI tools into my workflow as a digital content creator. (Spoiler alert: efficiency is by far my favorite benefit!)

Efficiency

Time and time again, I have found myself chewing on questions like “How can I add more value to this blog?” or “I need just one more bullet point to complete this social post.” The output generated by AI tools takes these conundrums from taking about an hour to resolve to mere seconds. Using AI can save time, and as we know, time is money. 

Data-Driven Insights

I’m all about human-generated content, but when it comes to numbers and data, AI has the upper hand. AI can simplify a lot of research processes, and it offers remarkably detailed insights when it comes down to understanding client profiles and analyzing business growth. As someone who does not easily understand numbers, AI has been a great help to me in this area.

Decision-Making

AI is available 24/7 to offer a perspective outside of my own thoughts, which has proven to be incredibly valuable! When I’m too close to a project, this technology helps me to zoom out and gain some clarity. From there, I’m more equipped to determine the best direction to take or identify any confusing elements in my work. It’s like having an advisor that ensures I stay on the right track.

AI Cons

Aaaaand here’s the list of hesitations I have about AI. Despite the awesome benefits that come with working with this technology, there’s certainly a few drawbacks that make its shiny, futuristic aura seem a bit lackluster in my eyes.

Contextual Errors

AI may misinterpret context, leading to inaccuracies or irrelevant content. To fix this, you could edit your submissions to make your queries more detailed, but even then, it can be hard to put all of your thoughts and your project’s context into words. If you get caught in this web for too long, AI can injure your efficiency. 

Dependence on Data

What makes AI so awesome with handling data is also what makes it so poor with generating content. AI relies on existing data, which it’s fed to by us. As a result, its ability to generate genuine and innovative content that really captures the human eye is limited.

Lack of Quality

To build on my previous point, AI-generated content comes from data, and oftentimes, it reads like that– like it’s been written by a robot. This is why having your content wholly generated by AI is a bad idea. Sure you’re generating content, but what’s the point of putting out content if it lacks in quality?

Conclusion

Whether the AI pros outweigh the AI cons is a question that I still don’t have an established opinion on (and that AI cannot establish for me). However, what I can say is that AI has been a great help to me in a myriad of ways as a digital content creator. I am under the impression that “humans who use AI will replace humans who don’t long before AI replaces humans” (source unknown), but that doesn’t mean I’m quite ready to be a massive advocate for the technology. Unfortunately, I do harbor a lingering fear that online creators will come to rely too heavily on this tool, and as a result, lose their creative voices.

At the end of the day, I think everyone should give AI tools a shot and find what works best for them. When it’s used as a trusty sidekick (and not as a means of copying and pasting content), you’ll quickly come to see the value it can bring to your work life!