a statue of democlese and his sword in a pile of rubble in a dystopian future

AI Content Tools, a Double-Edged Sword

Avatar photo By: Kelly Cromwell  /  General

There is a quiet revolution happening across the internet. Some haven’t been exposed to it, others are are living in fear, waiting for the Sword of Damocles to come crashing down. Are we as a culture, ready for the impact this AI revolution will have? Have we truely thought about the repercussions already evident across the internet? How is this technology being used by organizations both ethically, and unethically? Will AI-generated content and products improve some of our lives, and what kind of impact will it have on productivity, the economy, and even culture in general?

The rise of artificial intelligence writing platforms like Japser, WriteSonic, CopyAI, Chat GPT, and more, has brought about a new era of content creation on the internet. And it’s not just the written word, Dall-e 2, Midjourney, BlueWillow and more are generating breathtaking art are the mere command to /imagine <descriptive text>.

saint bernard mountain dog riding a bike
Image generated by Midjourney asking it to imagine<br> <strong>a Saint Bernard riding a bike with balloons and wearing a birthday hat<strong>

Scaling and Optimizing

AI copywriting tools can be incredibly helpful when it comes to quickly generating copy for advertisements or articles. These tools generate copy rapidly and with minimal input, allowing marketers and communicators to save time and energy while having access to variants to improve A/B testing while scaling up backlink generation contributing to their search engine optimization efforts. AI Tools also provide the ability to generate variations of content target specific audiences without having to manually adjust content for each individual reader. It can also be used to generate content in multiple languages, making the internet more accessible to people all over the world.

Furthermore, AI-generated copy often outperforms manual efforts, as the technology has access to more data and analytics that helps optimize and refine the output. This increased accuracy and precision allows users to craft more effective ad copy, campaigns, and articles in less time which will have huge benefits for those contracting marketing services by the hour.

The Fallout

Despite the ability of these platforms to generate written content at an unprecedented speed and scale, many are beginning to question the integrity of writing on the internet as a result.

One of the main concerns is that AI-generated content can be used to spread misinformation or propaganda extremely rapidly. As these systems become more advanced, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between human-written content and machine-generated content. This can lead to a situation where the public is being fed false or misleading information, and it becomes harder for fact-checkers to separate truth from fiction.

Another concern is that AI-generated content may lead to a homogenization of writing on the internet. With so much content being generated by machines, there is a risk that the unique voices and perspectives of individual writers will be drowned out. This could lead to a less diverse and less interesting internet, where all content begins to sound the same. Some industry professionals are already sounding the alarm on the impacts this could have on society.

Another concern with the rise of AI-generated content is plagiarism. As AI systems become more advanced, they are able to generate written content that is almost identical to existing content on the internet. This can lead to situations where AI-generated content is passed off as original work, potentially leading to plagiarism accusations.

Additionally, copyright conflicts may arise with AI-generated content. As our usage and dependance on these systems advances, it becomes increasingly difficult to determine who owns the rights to the content generated. This can lead to disputes over who has the right to use and profit from the content.

Furthermore, the challenge of ownership of content when it comes to AI-generated content is also a point of concern. As the AI systems are not human, the question of authorship and ownership of the content generated is murky. There may be legal challenges around determining who is responsible for the content and who has the right to profit from it.

a glass vase of roses in the style of salvador
Image generated by Midjourney asking it to imagine<br> <strong>a glass vase of roses in the style of Salvador Dali<strong>

The Path Forward

To address these issues, it’s important to have clear guidelines and policies in place for the use of AI in content creation. This includes ensuring that AI-generated content is clearly labeled as such, and that proper attribution is given to the sources used by the AI system. It also means having a system in place to handle plagiarism accusations and copyright disputes.

The key to ensuring the integrity of writing on the internet is to be aware of the potential risks and to take steps to mitigate them. This includes developing tools and systems that can help to identify AI-generated content, as well as creating policies and guidelines for the use of AI in content creation. It also means valuing and promoting human-written content, to ensure that the unique voices and perspectives of individual writers are not lost.

In conclusion, the rise of artificial intelligence writing platforms has brought about new challenges for the integrity of writing on the internet including plagiarism, copyright conflicts, and challenges around ownership of content to name a few. However, by having clear guidelines and policies in place for the use of AI in content creation and being aware of the potential risks and taking steps to mitigate them, we can ensure that the internet remains a place where information is accurate and diverse.

For those with little to no context on how advanced these AI content generation platforms have become, you might find it mildly terrifying that, besides some reordering, a few word deletions, and the brainstorming of a catchier title, everything above this sentence was, in fact written by AI. You’re welcome.

Author:
Kelly Cromwell (sort of)
VP, Strategy
Ev+ AGENCY