It seems quite convenient to use all these AI tools like Chat-GPT, and I do see a lot of potential in them, but the downside I experience is that suddenly everyone thinks they can write.
I was always irritated by those SEO-optimized texts bought from overly expensive SEO agencies, but recently I have never seen so many terrible articles. AI in its current form is a tool, not a replacement for a lack of your own creativity and writing talent. So there, I've said it!
The Huge Linguistic Creativity of Chat-GPT
I must admit that I was extremely impressed from the first moment by what Chat-GPT could do back then. I say back then because each version becomes better and better.
Although many think advertising is all about visuals, within my advertising agency, one of the most important people was someone who could come up with creative yet practical linguistic approaches. Coming up with that one sentence, finding that one word, or creating that summary that really captures the essence is a skill.
We had a few, and perhaps the most uniquely talented person was Diederick. He was someone who floated between the concept of 'crazy' and 'genius'. He could say and think of things that made you know he was not from this planet and he could say and think of things that had nothing to do with the question, subject, or assignment. A bit like the current Chat-GPT, actually.
When I think back to how I gave Diederick a briefing for a creative job, or now when I do it with Chat-GPT, there's little difference. What does differ is that Chat-GPT is free, never oversleeps, is much faster, knows more, understands things quicker, offers more creative variation, never feels attacked when I say it's talking nonsense and the answer is worthless and never falls asleep drunk on the office couch on a weekday at 4 pm.
In short, for inspiration, Chat-GPT is a threat to every conceptual and textual creative like Diederick.
CHAT-GPT Cannot Write Articles
No matter how creatively CHAT-GPT and AI play with words, they truly cannot write articles. Perhaps I should explain, because there is, of course, a difference between an article and a listing of facts that some people also label as an article.
An article has a certain writing style, reflects the author's thought process, tells about a vision or what the author has experienced, and delves deeply into the subject. After reading, you know something more about the subject, and often you are drawn into a story, making you want to read or know more.
What CHAT-GPT does when you ask for an article is create a list of so-called facts and ideas. Preferably in bullet form, then it's finished quicker. But technically or substantively going into a subject is still beyond AI. It is, after all, a language model and still has little logic. In that sense, it's like Diederick who falls asleep drunk on the couch at any given opportunity.
For example.
I'm not a moon landing denier, but there's always one question I can't get answered, so I asked Chat-GPT. This was the question:
During the first moon landing, Hasselblad cameras were used. The films used then were extremely sensitive, especially to temperature differences. On the moon, there are extreme temperatures. In the shade, behind a rock, it can be -173 degrees Celsius, and in direct sunlight, it can reach 127 degrees. The technology available at the time meant that the films used could only withstand temperatures between -20 and +50 degrees, and even then only for a short duration. A moonwalk could last 1 to 2 hours, and the camera had minimal protection and no cooling. How is this possible?
The answer was: 'If you're shooting digitally, you won't have this problem.'
Just Because It's Linguistically Correct Doesn't Make It An Article
Chat-GPT is a language model and can be creative with short sentences or creative approaches. But more is needed for an article. AI relies on patterns. Ask for a promotional text, and it will usually start with: 'With great enthusiasm, I hereby present...', or 'Discover the fantastic possibilities of...'.
Know that one sleazy car salesman you would never buy a car from? That's a bit how Chat-GPT comes across. It's correct what it says, but it just doesn't feel right. But why is that?
AI still doesn't have a 'real' feel for language. It's a logical match between question and answer and a listing of facts. Additionally, those facts are also manipulated. Only the general narrative may and will be mentioned, and the rest is nonsense. You may think that, but a good article highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of a subject. If AI is narrow-minded, you get more and more one-sided topics without depth.
What's even worse is that Chat-GPT can only repeat what has already been written and confirms the general viewpoint. While this, in my belief, stands in the way of innovation. Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer, claimed that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the other way around, as was thought at the time. He ended up at the stake for his heretical idea. Thanks to Chat-GPT, people like Copernicus can't even ventilate their ideas anymore, because AI can't (yet) do this and doesn't allow it.
AI is a Tool, Not a Solution to Your Own Shortcomings
Don't get me wrong. I am a fan of AI, but as often happens when you love something or someone, a love-hate relationship can develop due to certain points. Besides my love for AI, I also see dangers. Technology should always be a resource for your own development and creativity and never the solution to your own lack thereof.
AI can provide you with answers and insights that give you the opportunity to make something more beautiful, personal, creative, or better in every respect. If you ask Chat-GPT to write an article on a certain topic, nothing surprising ever comes out. Maybe there will be something you didn't know, but then that has more to do with you than with the quality of the article.
As far as I'm concerned, all articles written by AI are dead, cold, and fact-based written. Regardless of which prompt you use. Always the same structure, the same kind of words, and if things go wrong, also a whole list of listings. Dead boring.
You Can Get a SEO Penalty from Google for Using AI
Google's algorithm increasingly emphasizes the E-E-A-T principle. This stands for First-hand experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. AI never has first-hand experience because it has all its knowledge from the internet. You might question expertise, but I have yet to catch AI in the depth that a real expert can offer. AI could become an authority, but so far, it's all very theoretical because everything AI 'knows' comes from the internet.
If you add to that AI regularly making things up, then you understand that sites with a lot of AI-generated content can get an SEO penalty from Google.
So, unfortunately, you'll have to do the real work yourself and formulate your own sentences.
