There's a lot of buzz (ha!) around AI and chatbots. While it took Netflix 3.5 years to get to a million users, and Facebook 10 months, ChatGPT got to that number in just 5 days. While AI content isn't new (we hosted a webinar on chatbots just last month), ChatGPT is revolutionary in how effectively it mimics human speech and the speed at which it generates information.
Like with any new toy, there's a ton of buzz, misinformation and predictions swirling around. At BizzyWeb, we're always keeping our eyes on trends, but we waited for the dust to settle before drawing any big conclusions... but now that we're past the "shiny new toy" phase of ChatGPT, we can truly see the impact, and the big tech players like Google are taking some big steps to answer the challenge.
Here's what you need to know about ChatGPT, Google BARD and other AI content models.
Key Things to Know About AI Content
1. Google will recognize high-quality content - regardless of how it's produced
Some of the most frequent questions - and concerns - about AI content was its impact on search. How will Google treat AI-generated content? We had to wait for our answer, but we finally have it: the same as user-written content.
In other words, Google's algorithm will use the same criteria to evaluate all content, regardless of what created it. In addition to tools used to identify SPAM and black hat SEO tactics, Google analyzes all content through their E-E-A-T criteria: experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. It boils down to one core concept: does this page answer a user's question effectively and is it written for people, not bots?
AI content can vary wildly depending on the tool, the prompt and any additional editing done after it's created. The key takeaway is that you can't just fill your website with AI content and assume you'll rank. Google says it best in their update on AI content:
If you see AI as an essential way to help you produce content that is helpful and original, it might be useful to consider. If you see AI as an inexpensive, easy way to game search engine rankings, then no.
→ Related Content: How Google Ranks Websites
2. AI content is designed to answer your question more thoroughly - not most accurately
Something we experienced firsthand when using ChatGPT is how the tool delivers information. It's designed to produce coherent, human-like responses based on a database of information gathered from Google and other sources: however, it's not necessarily accurate.
In fact, there's an ongoing GitHub repository of ChatGPT failures to log any inaccuracies. This means that when using ChatGPT to answer a question or write content, you'll need to plan an extra step of fact-checking to ensure the information is actually correct.
All this is understood by the creators of ChatGPT. When you go to use the tool, you get this disclaimer:
While we have safeguards in place, the system may occasionally generate incorrect or misleading information and produce offensive or biased content. It is not intended to give advice.
What you need to watch out for as a user is twofold: any content you create using ChatGPT and the accuracy of other content you encounter. Since ChatGPT is so new, we haven't yet seen huge impacts, but anyone using it needs to keep an eye out for increased misinformation and inaccuracies when using ChatGPT to augment or kick-start their blog content.
Note: at the time of this post, Google Bard is only available to limited beta testers, and we expect it will become more widely available in the coming months. We'll be sure to update our post when more information and trials of Bard become available to use for the public.
3. You still need a writer
We went right to the source for this question and asked ChatGPT: are you a replacement for a human writer? Here's what it had to say:
As an AI language model, I can produce text that resembles human writing, but I cannot replace a human writer in every context. Here are some factors to consider:
Creativity and Originality: While I can generate text based on patterns and probabilities learned from large datasets, I am limited by the training data and cannot truly generate original ideas or concepts. Human writers have the ability to be creative, come up with unique ideas, and write original content.
Emotional Connection: Human writers can use their personal experiences and emotions to connect with readers in a way that an AI language model cannot. When a reader connects emotionally with a piece of writing, it can leave a lasting impact that is hard to replicate with machine-generated text.
Style and Voice: Every writer has their own style and voice that is unique to them. While I can emulate different writing styles, I cannot create a style that is truly my own.
Context and Purpose: Depending on the context and purpose of the writing, there may be specific requirements that only a human writer can fulfill. For example, if the writing requires a personal touch or a specific tone, an AI language model may not be able to accurately capture the intended message.
In summary, while I can produce text that resembles human writing, I cannot fully replace a human writer in every context. Human writers bring their own unique perspective, creativity, and voice to their writing, which is hard to replicate with machine-generated text.
Both ChatGPT and Google have a consistent message around AI-generated content: it's a useful resource and starting point, but it's not a replacement for an actual writer.
4. When public betas end, pay-to-play will be the model
ChatGPT made a very public splash when it opened its floodgates to the internet at large, but we've already seen moves toward gating the tool. ChatGPT is still free to use for now, but the newly-added ChatGPT Plus gives paid users priority access, faster response times and access to additional tools.
It's likely more features will move to paid, and we'll see new AI content tools require a subscription. Right now, having the tools open for public use is a great way to gather data in bulk, but running AI tools like these are expensive. Our advice is: play with it now to see how it fits in your process, but expect that you'll need to pay to use it in the future.
Final Thoughts
AI content is still so new it's hard to say how it will impact the future, but we have some solid predictions. We know that Google is aware of the potential for abuse for AI content, so it's more important than ever to ensure that your content is high-value. We also know that human writers will continue to be a necessity and that the free-for-all phase of ChatGPT is coming to an end.
Beyond that, we have to keep watching and see what happens. I know our team will be using ChatGPT and other AI tools strategically. How will you use them?
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BizzyWeb is a Minneapolis-based digital marketing and web design agency that helps companies get the high-quality leads they need to grow and thrive. Our tactics include inbound marketing, SEO, advertising, web design, content creation and sales automation. We are an accredited HubSpot Platinum Partner and we offer full-service HubSpot onboarding, enablement and strategy for new and current users.
