I cheated. And I think you will too.

For a couple of weeks, I have been working on and off a blog post for Bronco. I used to blog a lot back in the days when blogging meant something (ask your dad!) and was still a thrill. It was partly thrilling because I’m a wordy kind of guy and I love to write for its own sake – but really it was a thrill because it always sparked a conversation.

The old company blog I used to post on (davidnaylor.co.uk) is soon to be packed away in a cardboard box and consigned to the internet’s attic, but looking back now every post had dozens of comments underneath as people argued about the points being raised, or just came to say “great post” and get some link equity out of their username. Sometimes people would write an entire blog post of their own in response.

Those days are gone now.

The death knell came with Twitter. A blog post would often spiral into a few hundred words of content just to make a point that really only needed a sentence or two to convey. Twitter really made you focus on the important bit. And then the conversation took place right there under the Tweet. What took hours, now took seconds.

You didn’t get content for your site. You didn’t get link equity. But you got attention – the basic unit of currency when it comes to marketing.

So I started this blog post in trepidation. What would I talk about? Who would read it?

The second point was actually the easiest to answer: very few people outside the office. With social media and video now having supplanted blog posts as the primary vehicle of expression, not many people even have the time or inclination to read a blog.

The first part eventually came to me on the back of that thought. I’ve been playing a lot with ChatGPT over the last few weeks.

And then I realised I could cheat. And when I realised that, I realised that you will too. Here’s why.

Writing is hard

If you sell a product or service, often the hardest thing to do is to describe it.

It’s a little easier with services, because you generally only offer a handful (here at Bronco those are: web design and development, and digital marketing through SEO, PPC and social media management) but with products it can be a real problem.

If you sell widgets, very often one widget is much like the next one except for a few details such as colour or size. This makes it an awful job for a writer. How many ways can you describe a pair of slippers? Or a television? And when the product line is supplanted every so often the problem is magnified.

Google in particular places a premium on original content: which is to say content it can’t find anywhere else on the web. Content writing is not merely a skill of originality, it’s often a product of endless patience – patience that most of us do not have, and will never have.

And so, to finish this blog post, I asked ChatGPT the following question: “will AI kill the jobs of content writers?” My feeling is that you will ‘cheat’ and be using AI for the bulk of your bottom level content creation in a couple of years, but that good, original writers (like those we employ at Bronco!) will always have a home.

So, without further ado, I will let ChatGPT finish the blog post. Because like I said: I cheated. If you do actually read this post, I’d love to know whether you think its answer is as good as my own.

Will AI kill the jobs of content writers?

AI has the potential to transform many industries, and content creation is no exception. While it’s true that AI-generated content has advanced significantly in recent years, it’s important to note that AI is not a one-size-fits-all solution and there are limitations to its capabilities.

While AI can certainly help automate some aspects of content creation, such as generating reports or writing simple news articles, it is not yet able to replicate the creativity, nuance, and storytelling ability of human writers. Content creation often requires deep knowledge of the subject matter, as well as an understanding of the target audience and the ability to convey ideas in a compelling way.

Furthermore, there is a growing demand for high-quality, original content that reflects the unique voice and perspective of the brand or organization. While AI-generated content may be able to meet some of these needs, it is unlikely to replace the value that human writers bring to the table.

In fact, some experts argue that AI could actually enhance the work of content writers by freeing them up to focus on more strategic tasks. For example, AI could be used to automate time-consuming tasks such as data analysis, leaving content writers with more time to focus on crafting engaging, high-quality content.

Overall, it’s unlikely that AI will completely replace the need for human content writers. While AI can certainly be a valuable tool in the content creation process, there are certain tasks that require human creativity and expertise. As such, it’s important for content writers to stay up-to-date on the latest AI technologies and to continue developing their skills in order to remain competitive in the industry.Regenerate response