Writing human-centred content with heart in the age of AI
By now, no matter the industry you’re working in, you’re very likely to have come into contact with generative artificial intelligence (AI) – and possibly have used it, too. It’s efficient, and it’s proved incredibly useful for people who don’t enjoy writing.
As a copywriter, I’m regularly asked whether I feel fear about this new age of AI – and whether I think it’ll put me out of a job.
The simple answer is: no.
While generative AI has been useful for many businesses and people who want to write their own content but lack the confidence or skills, AI in its current form is lacking.
And, despite the state of the world, the ability to write – human to human – will always matter. Case in point: when Canva first entered the scene, we feared the death of graphic designers. They’re still standing (or sitting), and their abilities to conceptualise and personalise designs remain inimitable – even when clever apps and programs offer generic alternatives.
Importantly, if you’re creating content for SEO purposes (you want your content to rank well on Google), it’s helpful to know that Google and its wiley algorithm can detect AI use. And it doesn’t favour it.
I think there’s a place for AI. I think we as creators need to learn to work alongside it. But there are limits to generative AI, too.
What AI doesn’t have:
- The 5 senses of touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing*
- A lifetime’s worth of memories and experiences to draw on
- An understanding of human connection
- A heart (authenticity)
*(Well, it may be able to hear, but not in the same way many humans can truly listen).
What does this mean?
AI isn’t moved by artworks or stories. AI has never wept during a particularly good film. AI can’t sense emotions. It doesn’t have its own voice, And, it doesn’t have taste.
AI might be able to mimic writing, summarise content in a succinct way, level the field for those writing in a second language and prompt ideas: but it can’t tell a story the way a human can.
It cannot write recipes, it can’t review restaurants and it certainly can’t tell me where I’m going on my next holiday.
Besides, writers want to write. Writers want to read. Writers can’t help telling stories. It’s an impulse. Just try to shut us up.
We know generative AI has many uses – but doing the creative work of artists and writers should not be one of them.
Where generative AI does not belong
Take, for instance, travel writing. Sure, AI can scrape the web to find out about the top 10 most highly frequented tourist destinations in a city… but it can’t tell you how they felt.
AI can’t tell you about the human experience, what the food in a city tasted like, what the sounds of a busy market were, what scents arose from the city’s gardens, what it saw reflected in a body of water, a hilarious anecdote told to you by a local.
Okay, I’m romanticising, but what I mean to say is that AI can’t relate to the human condition. And it shows.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve developed the ability to sniff out AI-generated writing. And it’s lifeless, faceless, and lacks depth or – naturally – feeling.
It can’t produce relatable human content with heart. Because, well, so far, it doesn’t have one.
I won’t digress into the detrimental environmental effects of AI and the resources required to use it in this article, but it’s certainly a consideration one should make before firing up Gemini, ChatGPT or any other generative AI program.
A final word
If you’re a copywriter like me, or you’re writing website content, it’s a great idea to add a disclaimer to your site that prohibits generative AI for using your original writing for training purposes. (You’ll see I’ve added one to yours truly Spaghetti Head Services site).
TL;DR?
Your human, heartfelt voice matters. Humans trust humans, not bots.
