Generative AI tools do not absolve us of thinking
If you write content of any kind, I’m willing to bet (do you have Venmo?) you’ve played around with at least one Generative AI tool to test its capabilities and determine if it’s a good sidekick in churning out content-related tasks.
It’s truly delightful to think that a prompt of a few sentences can turn into an email series, an article, or even a blog post. Think of all the time you can save!
Since December of 2022, I’ve been experimenting with Gen AI tools to create different types of content – with mixed results. I have yet to generate a piece of content that I feel confident can stand on its own because it: a) still needed editing, and b) did not accurately represent my voice, or the brand I was representing.
The day is coming when we’ll all have our own AI agent to help us with all sorts of professional and personal tasks (that’ll be another blog post!), but that day is not today. And even when that day arrives, it still won’t absolve us from thinking or flexing our creativity.
If anything, AI tools for content creation should be enhancing and elevating our ability to think boldly and creatively – these tools were not created to do that. Sure, you can ask Claude to write a poem, but if the result doesn’t come from a source of genuine emotion or lived experience, it may not do what a poem is intended to do – make us pause, reflect, and feel.
It’s still up to us to come up with the audacious vision, the big ideas, and the strategic objectives. When it comes to executing, we can use AI tools to help us develop the content that supports getting an initiative over the finish line. But if we want that content to make an impression with readers, or generate clicks and leads for a larger goal, then we must put actual non-automated thought into what that content needs to say.
Gen AI tools are a great asset for taking care of the mundane stuff, like reviewing copy for typos and grammar errors. But I recommend taking a pause to think about what you ultimately want to say or what you’re trying to achieve before you fire off a prompt. If you think your audience won’t be able to tell, they will.
Yes, Gen AI tools can do your writing for you. But no, they can’t infuse what you write with the original and inspired thinking that will make the final message stand out or get noticed. If you’re a content creator, isn’t that the ultimate goal?
*This blog post was written about Generative AI, not written by it; the author wrote it from scratch after a cup of coffee.
Gabi Barragan – Consulting Manager
