We’ve all heard that a million monkeys with a million keyboards could write Shakespeare. But would the Colorado River run dry before AI could churn out Hamlet? And what does it matter if your CEO’s next LinkedIn post does numbers if nobody knows what in the G-P-T the post is saying?
In the age of AI, it’s easy to let the Machines do the writing. But this creative relinquishment has ethical and practical effects on your content and abilities.
AI is an awesome power, and with it comes immense responsibility — to yourself and your clients. Used wisely, it can make you a better creator. Used with abandon, it can transform you into a slop monger.
So how do we move forward responsibly? That’s what we’re here to answer. Building off our smash-hit Blog Writing From Dummies piece, we’re going to explore how you can use AI to write your next blog. Starting with:
i, Research
Congratulations, you’ve been assigned a blog to write! Please do not resist.
As we discussed in this series’ first installment, your blog should tell a story about a problem only your brand can solve. Figuring out that story can be the tricky part — and AI can certainly help you brainstorm some ideas! But before you log into ChatGPT, push yourself creatively to see what ideas you can come up with. Creativity is a muscle, and it only gets stronger the more you use it. But if you’ve pushed yourself as far as you can go (or you’re on a time crunch), see what AI can do to help.
Next you need to research. Google is the first stop for many of us on the research bus, but we’ve all seen how its AI can turn out some iffy responses. So, use AI for your preliminary research, but be sure to double check that info. And always link to reputable sources in your blog.
When to use AI:
- Blog topic ideas
- Preliminary research
Cost of AI: Training large AI models produces more carbon than the lifetime emissions of 5 American cars.
2001: An Outline Odyssey
There’s an artistic beauty to nonlinear storytelling. But you’re writing a blog, not working to win an Oscar. So, your next step will be crafting an outline to turn your research into a nice narrative arc. Arrange your main points and supporting facts into bullets for clarity and ease of rearranging.
Here again, you can save time by dumping your research and ideas into the ol’ AI. However, to make sure your ideas are worth your audience’s time, see if you can organize them into a linear story that makes sense and is compelling. This will keep your narrative feeling human and help make you a stronger writer.
If you’re not confident in what you’ve created or want to push your piece further, see what AI thinks you should do and cross reference the two outlines. Maybe there is something we can learn from the Machines!
When to use AI
- Content outline support
Cost of AI: By 2026, data centers will become the 5th largest global energy consumer, between Japan and Russia.
No Content but What You Make
Now it’s time to put pen to paper (fingers to keys, whatever). This is really the time AI should leave the writing process with one last exception. A good piece should have a Hook — something fun or thought provoking that pulls the piece together. If you’re struggling to find that Hook, AI can help you brainstorm. Mind you, AI struggles with what we consider funny or clever, but it can prime your pan.
After that, the only time you should use AI is to check grammar and spelling with tools like Grammarly.
Do not use AI to write your piece. Why? Because it produces dreary, soulless, jargony slop. And your readers will know a human didn’t draft it. (Or worse: They’ll think you write dreary, soulless, jargony slop.) AI writing is turning what was once a bountiful landscape into a dull, grey wasteland of corporate-speak that makes it hard for brands and individuals to stand out from their peers. And it will weaken your writing abilities as time goes on.
Additionally, it might even hurt your rankings in search. Search engines reward quality writing that sounds like it’s written by humans — which generative AI struggles with. In fact, using AI to mass-generate content to boost your search rankings violates Google’s spam policies. So, if your blog is throwing up red flags, it’s not going to be showing up in people’s searches, which can harm your brand’s reputation and undercut your brand-building efforts.
Writing is a creative muscle. You need to work it to keep it strong. Allow AI to do the work, and those muscles will atrophy. And when the time comes to flex your creativity, will you be able to handle the lift?
When to use AI
- Help with your hook
- Spelling/grammar check
Cost of AI: By 2027, AI’s water use is projected to reach 6.6 billion m3
The Turing Test
Humans love thinking we’re special. This is broadly debatable. But while countless animals, plants and even fungi have “language,” our ability to communicate, to pass on history, to tell stories is truly singular. Ceding these gifts to an algorithm just so you can quicken time to post cheapens something fundamental about our existence. As media theorist Marshall McLuhan once said, every augmentation is also an amputation.
Admittedly grand stuff for a blog about writing LinkedIn posts. Sure, ChatGPT can pass the Turing Test to a passerby and snag a few Likes on social. But for anyone taking a closer look, what will it signal to them about your brand? And will that perception be worth it for that blip in engagement?
As marketers, as writers, we need to ask ourselves: If it isn’t worth our time to sit down and really write something, who are we to ask our audience to sit down and read it?
So, before your next pitch, post, email or brainstorm, before you pull up your favorite SmarterChild app, push yourself first. See what you’re actually capable of. Whether you’re a capital C Creative or just trying to make your CEO sound smart, see how far you can go on your own. You might be surprised with what you can do.
Sarah Connor-ly Yours.