No! And Here’s Why
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ubiquitous. It’s the underpinning of the robotic vacuum whirring around your living room, helping it choose the most efficient cleaning paths. It’s in the offices of wealth management advisors who rely on it to scour big data and find opportunities in the stock market. And the online travel agent who helped you plan your next trip to Europe? Yes, an AI-driven examination of your past preferences likely led that chatbot to make specific recommendations for your upcoming itinerary. Artificial intelligence can improve responsiveness, speed up decision-making, and personalize interactions.
1 AI is also fueling some of the content you're reading. A recent2 New York Times article reports that about one-third of Bloomberg's News articles use an AI analysis of financial reports to generate useful summaries of key findings. AI writers also produce sports commentaries and weather updates. The supersonic speed of today's news cycle makes AI a viable option for getting information out quickly.
But what’s the societal impact of turning writing over to the robots? When it’s time to write a powerful, meaningful narrative, can artificial intelligence software generate results?
Letting AI Robots Write will Affect Literacy
Writing is one of the pillars of Literacy. Reading, thinking, and speaking are the other supports. Together, the components help you do your job, manage your household, and contribute to your community. Your ability to live (and live well) ties directly to your level of Literacy.
Writing is visible evidence of our thought process. It helps us reason and communicate effectively. For example:
- When preparing for a presentation, you first think about the points you want to make.
- Then, you translate your thoughts into words, perhaps bullet-point phrases or complete sentences.
- Next, you read the thoughts you’ve transmitted onto the paper or the screen, comparing the written words to your ideas and analyzing whether they deliver your message.
- Unless you're uber-talented, you're likely going to make revisions, editing the content, or tweaking the words to more completely and clearly reflect your ideas.
Through the writing process, you build your creative, analytical, and decision-making skills. You develop your ability to think and to structure your ideas logically and coherently. If you write well, the chances are strong that you’ll also be an effective speaker.
Under the 'use it or lose it' philosophy, continuing to write is essential for remaining literate. Crafting your content is also vital to truly connecting with your audience.
Quality Content Creates Connections
Everyone loves a good story. We’ve learned that content written by people is a powerful force. We’ve seen engagement go up and response improve when well-written content demonstrates understanding through personal experience.
- When you read a case study about a manager who struggled with a recent crisis, you may nod and think, “we've been there”.
- You’re pulled into the content because the writer expressed what happened in a way that resonates with you.
- You understand the rational facts of the story and can relate on an emotional level.
- Importantly, you learn about solutions that worked for another team and gain new ideas you might not have considered.
The company publishing the case study and the solution gains credibility with the story. The detailed examination of the situational dynamics offers proof to readers that a) the event actually happened, and b) the problem was resolved.
AI writing software is unable to tap into the emotional intelligence that makes content like our case study example, compelling. AI analyzes patterns and data, then produces content. Because it’s relying on data, AI writing is superficial. Human emotions, motivations, and experiences are beyond AI capabilities.
A secondary benefit of quality content written by humans is its shareability. When you hear a good story, you often tell it to others. You may pass the case study along to others who would benefit from it. They'll likely pull different insights from the content, but the company still touches hundreds (or thousands) with its story.
Human-written content is authentic. It clearly shows that the writer knows what the reader is going through and creates rational and emotional linkages that lead to real connections.
Do you need writing support for your content and case studies? The professional copywriters at MintCopy, a content agency in Mississauga, Canada, are ready to help. We'll create the great stories and quality content you need to connect with your customers.
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