AI generated content: trend or delusion?

What is AI-generated content?

AI tools like ChatGPT and Jasper create content at the click of a button with a simple prompt or instruction such as “write a definition of artificial intelligence” or “list some reasons why AI is beneficial.”

This type of AI-generated content has seen a rapid rise in popularity and usage in recent years, due to the release of increasingly sophisticated tools. These AI writing assistants speed up content creation, allowing marketers to rapidly create web content, blog posts, social media messages, and other types of content, all without hiring a professional writer.

But AI content tools are not without their controversies. One of the biggest concerns at the moment is whether or not Google and other search engines can detect AI-generated content. And if so, will they penalize websites that use it?

How does AI-generated content work?

The process behind the creation of automated content is referred to as “natural language processing” (NLP). This involves algorithms analyzing natural language and seeking out patterns in texts. The software then uses this data to generate new and unique content automatically.

Most of the AI tools available today use a technology developed by OpenAI called GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3).

GPT-3 is OpenAI’s latest achievement and the most powerful AI language model to date, with over 175 billion parameters. GPT-3 is trained on internet datasets up to September 2021. In other words, it does not scrape the web in real time and has no knowledge of recent events.

Instead, the model was trained by being fed content such as blog posts, news articles, online discussion forums, and more. After learning to recognize patterns in these inputs, GPT-3 can generate text that is very similar to human-written content.

We all know how fast the world of technology moves, and GPT-4 is already almost ready for public release. While we don’t know the details yet, it’s expected that the new language model will be more advanced in several ways. However, the CEO of OpenAI has warned not to speculate about what these potential improvements may be.

AI-based content vs. professional content writers: who wins?

AI-generated content is fast, cheap, and efficient. But it’s not the best option for every type of content.

Time

A skilled writer may take several hours to write a blog post or several days to research a topic thoroughly. AI tools can generate content much faster.

Cost

A professional writer may charge several hundred dollars for a single blog post or article. Many AI tools are relatively inexpensive, and some, like Chat GPT, are currently free.

Quality

Professional writers have a deep understanding of language and style, as well as in-depth knowledge of their areas of expertise. AI-generated content is not as detailed or accurate. It can be improved with human editing and review, but it does not match the quality of a skilled copywriter.

Uniqueness

AI-generated content may be technically created from scratch, but it’s not unusual for it to be extremely similar to other pieces of content on the web. Some users have reported instances of plagiarism when using AI tools. Professional writers, on the other hand, will always strive to create fresh, original content from a unique point of view.

Get our detailed comparison guide to AI, a combination of AI and writer, and professional content writers so you can make the best choice for your business.

How to detect AI-generated content

Content created by AI may seem very similar to text written by a human at first glance. But there are a number of methods you can use to get a good idea if what you’re reading was written by a person or an algorithm.

Tools for detecting AI content

There are several tools now available that will scan content for signs of AI-generated text. These tools look for telltale patterns and language usage that indicate the text was written by an AI rather than a human.

Some examples of tools currently available include Originality.ai, Copyleaks’ AI Content Detector, and OpenAI’s own AI Text Classifier.

These tools are not yet 100% accurate, but they are improving all the time as algorithms become more advanced.

AI watermarking

Watermarking methods have also been discussed as a potential way to detect AI-generated content. These digital watermarks are still being developed, but they could eventually be used to identify AI-generated content with high accuracy.

Manual AI detection

As well as these automated tools, there are also ways to manually check for AI-generated content. None of these methods are foolproof. But if you know the signs to look for, you can usually get a feel for whether content was written by a human or an AI.

Repeating words and phrases

AI tools love patterns — both looking for them and creating them. So if you come across a piece of text that repeats words or phrases unusually often, or keeps repeating the same idea worded in a slightly different way, this is a red flag.

Unnatural or awkward phrasing

AI-generated content may be grammatically correct (sometimes it’s not!), but it often lacks the natural flow and rhythm of words written by a human. If a piece of text seems to have a slightly robotic tone to it, it’s usually a sign that there’s been some AI involvement.

Lack of detail

Content produced by AI writing tools tends to stick to the facts and is usually written in a straightforward style with little detail. If a piece of content lacks explanation or fails to address the issue in any real depth, then it could be AI-generated.

Incorrect facts or made-up data

AI tools can be trained to generate correct outputs based on certain inputs. But they are not infallible and may get some facts wrong or even invent quotes or statistics. If you’re suspicious about a particular piece of content, it’s worth doing some research to see if the facts check out.

Can Google detect AI-generated content?

Google’s algorithms and coding teams are some of the most advanced in the world, and the search engine is constantly being updated and upgraded with new capabilities.

So it’s probably safe to say that if there’s any way to detect AI-generated content, Google surely knows about it. However, the company has not made any public statements about this specifically.

For now, it’s best to assume that Google is fully aware if you’re publishing AI-generated content on your website, especially if you’re not editing it or making any attempt to personalize it.

While currently there’s been no definitive statement from Google to say they will penalize sites using AI content, they’re firm in their stance that all content should be unique and of high quality — both qualities that are often lacking in auto-generated web copy.

But how exactly does Google treat AI content? And how can you ensure your site won’t be penalized and that any potential risks of using AI tools are minimized?

Is AI content worth the risk?

Now you have a better idea of how exactly AI writing tools work and what Google thinks of AI-generated content, it’s time to decide whether it’s something you want to invest your time and money in.

AI-generated content offers some significant advantages for businesses, including lower costs, faster production times, and scalability. But any text written by AI should never be used without human proofreading and editing. Instead, it’s better to use it as a way of generating ideas and as an assistant for producing a rough first draft.

In the near future of digital content where countless billions of words are published each day, originality, creativity, and that elusive human touch are all going to be essential for success online.

Mar 29, 2023