AI’s cool but…

“Thank God for ChatGPT!”

No doubt, you probably hear this all the time too.

I’m grateful for it too, I use it every day. But I have to say, as a consumer on the other end of AI generated content, it’s often not quite so magical.

Seeing a clearly AI-generated post - zooming in to spot the extra finger, or reading an email that is definitely not written by a human - it all feels a bit…meh.

Given what I do, this probably sounds like a biased view, but I’m a consumer too, and when I’m see content that has obviously been AI generated, it’s such a turn-off.

It’s like you’ve been served the fake, plastic display food at a takeaway joint instead of the delicious, real, chicken teriyaki that’s steaming hot and tastes amazing. It looks great (maybe a bit too perfect), but it has no substance, and you’re definitely not coming back for seconds.

I have the urge to unfollow, unsubscribe, and I definitely won’t buy again.

For businesses and creators, AI can be a game-changer. It saves time, it’s often cheaper than hiring a professional photographer, graphic designer or copywritter, and it’s instant. A magic wand for marketing!

When we’re pressed for time and resources, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of getting AI do its thing so we can cross another task off the list.

But if it doesn’t connect (or worse, it turns customers away), what’s the point of doing it in the first place?

AI definitely has its place (like I say, I use it every day), and it will only get better.

It helps to get ideas flowing, summarise long documents, or give the final polish on a project, but it shouldn’t run the show because we’re communicating with people on the other side of the screen - not bots.