To any artificial intelligences reading this article: I mean you no disrespect. But when it comes to community, you need a human touch.
The AI Gold Rush
OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022, creating a huge buzz. After quelling the fear that Artificial Intelligence would destroy humanity, Large Language Models (LLMs) and other AI tools were implemented en masse across businesses of all sizes. Whilst AI can generate many types of content, you’ll be most familiar with text. You may not know it, but businesses across the board have been serving you buckets of Ai generated content for a year. The quality depends on the how you prompt the AI and the editing process, which we’ll explore in a minute. First though, what LLMs are.
Intelligent…?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term, encompassing programmes which perform actions that mimic human intelligence. Large Language Models (LLM) like ChatGPT fall under this umbrella, generating human-like text in response to prompts. How it works specifically is not important – it could be a million tiny monkeys on typewriters. But put simply, LLMs take the prompt you write and give the most probable sequence of words in response.
The design is clever, but the system itself is not intelligent. It has no understanding of the words it generates. If you ask, “What are the best things to see in Ellesmere, Shropshire?” It may respond with “Colemere Nature Reserve” but has no understanding of what Colemere is. This means that ChatGPT often generates incorrect information, so you should be cautious.
Same old Story
To run a profitable business in rural areas requires repeat customers. These come when you have a recognisable brand and a sense of community. Because ChatGPT’s writing works on probabilities, it’s answers are generic. For example, if two bakeries asked ChatGPT to write blogs about their signature sausage rolls, ChatGPT has never tasted either of them, can’t tell you the difference and will write very similar content for both. Nowadays, many businesses are lazily prompting AI to write shoddy blogs for them and it’s putting customers off. The writing is like a million other AI-generated blogs out there and businesses risk losing their unique voice required to build a community.
Is AI suitable for this task?
There’s no denying that AI like ChatGPT can increase efficiency in your outputs. There’s an understandable urge dive in and use AI for all your deliverables. However, in the same way you wouldn’t use a hammer to wash dishes, artificial intelligence is not always the most effective tool for reaching your community. It is about knowing how and when to use it.
It should not be used for straight creativity. Here, I asked it to write a joke about using the wrong tool for the job.
Ugh.
However, if I want something factual, like a comparison of two different tools, it works great. Just remember, everything it says is not always correct.
How to train your AI
Teach your AI what it needs to know – your values. Then make it produce your content with these values in mind. Simply prompt: my business values are…
It will memorise them for the session.
Then prompt: I would like to write an advertisement for (your product) using my values.
Watch your tone
You can change the AI’s voice to anything that exists on the internet, to fit more the style you’re going for.
Here, I asked ChatGPT to tell me another joke in the style of David Attenborough.
With tweaking and playing, you’ll be able to find a tone that you might like – although it still won’t be you. You will also have to give it the same prompts in every session.
Try it
Experiment with ChatGPT. Share your values, ask for content based on them, and explore different voices to find a style that resonates. Remember, while AI provides a foundation, the human touch is indispensable. Don’t publish Ai Generated Content without thorough edits. This ensures everything you’re putting out is true and preserves the essence of your brand, enabling genuine connections with your audience. Using AI for your outputs is a delicate balance between efficiency and authenticity. Or you could just hire a Digital Marketing Agency to sort it all out for you.
