AI and content, beyond the hype

Now that the dust has settled a bit, what to do with AI and content? We’re heading for the second half of 2023; it’s time to get serious. 

We know AI is here to stay. Yes, it’s nothing short of amazing. Yet, how to use AI for your content is still unclear.

→ Most content producers are playing and fooling around with it but can’t bridge prompts to strategic implementation. 

→ Management doesn’t really know what to do with it and how to use it to the business’ advantage. 

→ In the middle is the Content Director, who leads the team and informs the board and C-suite. The role of a Content Director

• Know the perks and disadvantages of AI
• Prepare the team: enable them in a secure environment to play with AI
• Manage the board in expectation and take them along in the AI journey

1. The perks and disadvantages of AI

How to use AI to your advantage means you need to know the perks and disadvantages. The basic is knowing how gen AI works and about conversational design. ChatGPT, Bard, and other AI are not magical boxes. There’s logic, reasoning, structure, and origin in its basis and, therefore, in the output.

No new insights or strategies

ChatGPT is a generative AI. In short, it’s a language model with a chat-like interface that works based on probabilities. This means ChatGPT doesn’t give you genuinely new insights, strategies, or ideas. How generative AI works

The best part of generative AI is that it has no bias, judgments, or view of its own. ChatGPT can help you by giving rational arguments. Together you can sharpen your thinking, broaden your mind, and come up with a different approach.

It’s a great sparring partner; it’s still you who has the brains and has to guide ChatGPT to get the desired output.

Conversational design

It’s you who’s in the driver's seat. Bossing around ChatGPT doesn’t get you anywhere. Chatting with ChatGPT is where the magic is created. Notice that it’s already in its name.

That’s why you should say ‘hi’, ‘thank you’, and ‘please’ to ChatGPT. It’s not that AI cares; it triggers your mindset on how your brain works and to get the most out of ChatGPT. Starting the conversation is for you, not for ChatGPT.

Recognize AI content

For thought leader content pieces, it’s quite easy to recognize AI copy. If you’re aware of this, you know what to adjust in your copy not to get caught red-handed.

The eight elements to recognize AI content: no real intro, immediate dive into the listicle; listicles or similar structure; the text feels generic; no first-person point of view, no sources or credits; no bias or personality in the copy; too clean copy; no consistency between the multiple posts.

Security

This is a big thing. There are serious disadvantages to uploading all kinds of content in open AI—confidentiality of the information entered, copyright infringement, and data privacy concerns.

Credibility

Last, don’t believe everything AI says. From time to time, it gives false information. Always sanity check and doubt if the answer is too good to be true.

We’ve seen what happens when your lawyer uses ChatGPT to prepare a court filing to sue an airline. It did not go well.

2. Prepare the team 

Time. And security. That’s all they need.

Enable your team. Give them a minimal 10% of their time to play around. If their calendars are stuffed with back-to-back meetings and the workload piles up, you can’t expect them to be innovative and find out how AI can help them on the job.

Learning how to work with AI needs headspace to be creative and make mistakes. And you need time to share learnings with your co-workers.

A second thing is security. Make sure the team is aware of the downfalls and weak points in copyright, the confidentiality of your information entered in ChatGPT, and the data privacy concerns. The least you can do is to give the team a pro subscription. It not only has more features, usually, it’s also a bit more secure. If the tool is for free, it is for a reason.

The last piece of advice is to get a senior. You need someone on the team who drives the discovery of AI. Not only to lead the team, also to share the learnings amongst each other. And to share the outcome of that with management.

How ChatGPT can help content producers and copywriters

Here are a few tips and spoilers on how to implement AI for your brand. Know when to use it and when not.

• ChatGPT is an excellent tool for idea generation. Engaging in a conversation with it can help you explore new angles, gain valuable insights, and generate fresh ideas that will elevate your content to new heights.
   
• ChatGPT is great for research. By asking questions or giving relevant keywords, you can find accurate information, statistics, and credible sources to enrich and support your content.
   
• Use ChatGPT for writing. Whether you need guidance on sentence structure, grammar, or writing style, ChatGPT can provide suggestions to improve the clarity and flow of your content. It can rephrase sentences and offer alternative word choices that align with your intended tone and message.
   
• ChatGPT can be used for A/B testing. By presenting multiple versions of your content, you can seek feedback and insights from ChatGPT, enabling you to make data-driven decisions regarding which version resonates best with your target audience.
   
• To maintain a consistent brand voice and tone, ChatGPT can help. By sharing examples of your brand's existing content, ChatGPT can provide guidance on how to align your writing style with your brand's identity, ensuring a cohesive and professional representation across all platforms.

3. Prepare the board 

For the board and C-suite, it’s up to the Content Director to educate and update them on what’s hip and happening with AI. And what it can mean for your organization. They are not stupid, yet very busy (and old), and they have you to inform them. 

Keep them informed and, most of all, be upfront to prevent any last-minute panic when true AI power hits the market.

And it’s the Content Director that needs to ensure there’s time and a safe place for the teams to discover the potential of AI for the brand and organization.

Wrapping up…

AI. Here to stay. It’s up to the Content Director to update the board and C-suite on the trends and what it can do for the business. 

And it’s also the Content Director to enable the team to discover and innovate with AI; by giving them time and a secure environment to play and fool around.