By Tom Tortorici
The first stage is denial. When I first heard about generative AI writing, I thought, nah. There’s no way some technical process could believably take the place of human writers.
So I sat down to experiment with AI writing apps myself, and rat-a-tat-tat, the words of a prompted article simply spilled out on the page as I watched. Huh.
As a business copywriter and blog writer by trade, I suddenly felt like a horse buggy maker at the dawn of the automobile age. After quick stops at the anger, bargaining, and depression stages of grief, I managed to land somewhere in the neighborhood of acceptance.
After all, generative AI was already improving fast enough to produce (or at least aid in the production of) almost every type of content. Plug in any topic, and it proceeds to inform and educate, despite its limitations. It even seems to know its audience enough to advise and persuade them. Wait, look – now it’s even writing fiction!
In the evenings, though, I still chose to spend time with my favorite human writers and bloggers. I immersed myself in their stories.
And slowly, it began to dawn on me what generative AI writing will (probably) never achieve.
GAI can explain how to accomplish something, but (probably) never inspire people to attempt that challenge in the first place.
“A digital nomad has the freedom to move around, working from their laptop. Over the past few years on the road, I’ve met tech support agents, app developers, language tutors … This was great news; real jobs that earn good money, and offer a remote lifestyle, are more accessible than ever.”
– Derek Smith, “The Digital Nomad Lifestyle”
GAI can fabricate stories, but (probably) never the relatable mix of emotions underlying human circumstances and relationships.
“They told me that I was being laid off. I can’t remember how I felt during the call; I kind of blacked out. I remember being very quiet, and I said ‘okay’ a lot. Because what else am I gonna say? I felt embarrassed. I felt like maybe my work wasn’t good enough.”
Melina Panitsidis, “I Was Laid Off on My Birthday”
GAI can, say, cover travel tips for a destination, but (probably) never the ironically funny misadventures of a traveler who ignored them.
“We clambered for hours up vast, perpendicular slopes, over lumpy tufts of grass, round towering citadels of rock, and emerged at length into a cold, bleak, lofty nether world so remote and forbidding that even the sheep were startled to see us.”
– Bill Bryson, “Notes from a Small Island”
Good writers can convey struggles and passions that touch the hearts of their readers. They can make a topic come alive, getting us to mentally lean forward to see what happens next.
“As our students transitioned back from distance learning, I did not anticipate all their social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Despite the programs and strategies we tried, our students were still struggling, to our own discouragement. Then in a moment of reflection, I realized exactly what we weren’t doing…”
– Meagan Kelly, “Starting Our PBIS Journey”
Humans can offer observations and insights gained only by navigating the varied challenges of work and life.
“I refer to our new rescue dog as a ‘bottomless bucket of pets’. No matter how much you pet him and love on him, he’s never satisfied. There is another bottomless bucket we must be aware of: Google wants, wants, wants, and there is always more to do.”
– Jenny Munn, “SEO is a Bottomless Bucket of Work”
Have you ever caught yourself smiling when a writer’s turn of phrase connects with something already inside you?
“OK, this is it – the last day of the Red Cross blood drive at my workplace. Either I am going to do it, or chicken out again. All the smart money is on chicken out. I am a world-class weenie when it comes to letting people stick needles into me.”
– Dave Barry, “Blood, Sweat and Beers”
Boiling it down, GAI will (probably) never achieve what any human does when they use the word “I”.
Sure, you can prompt an app to write in the first person. But since that ‘person’ doesn’t exist, their experiences will (probably) never be more than a soulless digital mirage.
I try to remember that despite its mind-boggling, game-changing capabilities, generative AI is a tool, like any other tool, that helps us accomplish more while working less.
I’ve also learned that historically, each emerging communications medium poses a threat to the old media – until that old media adapts, and finds fresh opportunities.
For example, GAI will continue to generate generic blog posts about all kinds of topics. But perhaps the better writers among us will adapt, by approaching those topics through the lens of our own authentic human experiences.
Do you write a business blog with pro tips relevant to your industry?
Maybe fold those tips into stories about how you arrived at those ideas; the mistakes you made along the way; and what it feels like to now operate on a new level (kind of like the post you’re reading now).
People-centered, obstacle-to-victory stories are baked into our DNA. They engage other humans in a way that a typical how-to post never will. Telling our own stories with heart offers a chance to rise above the growing mass of digitally recycled online content … with words that are more personal, meaningful, and memorable.
On the other hand, someone researching a technical troubleshooting issue really just needs the facts – which, these days, they might find right on the search results page.
There’s a purpose, and an audience, for both approaches, and that’s okay.
The challenges and technical aspects of Search Engine Optimization have certainly changed, and will continue to change in ways we can’t anticipate. The one constant appears to be a focus on engaging, well-written content that quickly draws readers in, and keeps them on board to the bottom of the page.
For business bloggers, this also offers a natural competitive advantage, since it’s easier to sell to someone you’ve already (at least virtually) bonded with.
Anyway, let’s all use AI for what it’s best at, because, why not? Just don’t forget that you and I can do things it can’t. After all, human intelligence, thoughtfully applied, is something artificial intelligence will (probably) never achieve.
Then again, maybe it will. Heck, I’ve been wrong before.
Originally published as a guest post for Atlanta SEO expert Jenny Munn.
Article excerpts may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
