Editor's Note: This article is purely for informational purposes, and does not reflect how we write content at Growth Machine. We only use humans to generate content ideas and write articles. However, we wanted to help our readers understand the parameters Google has in place around AI, should they choose to use it for their own websites.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has people both very worried and very excited for the future. The same is true for plenty of businesses like yours. 

You’ve seen plenty of articles asking the questions on everyone’s minds: Will AI take all our jobs? Make us totally obsolete? Change marketing as we know it? As far as we can tell, the answers are no, no, and yes.

How AI Is Transforming Digital Marketing

AI content generators have already transformed the world of digital marketing and content creation. Their functionality and capability is growing by the day.

Products like ChatGPT-3, Jasper AI, and Writesonic are taking the market by storm, enabling businesses to create quality content at scale faster than ever. These tools are just as adept at generating both short-form and long-form content, as well as search engine optimized (SEO) product descriptions, headings, ads, and other copywriting mainstays. 

With AI content generators churning out text that sounds like it was written by a human — and a particularly eloquent one, at that — some people are understandably concerned. At the same time, some business owners are rejoicing that they can reduce their overheads because they think the time has come to replace all their fallible human team members with omniscient robots.

We’re here to take the temperature down just a little bit. While the latest AI technology is undoubtedly impressive and game-changing, we’ve still got a very long way to go before we reach the utopia (or dystopia) you’re thinking of. For better or for worse, humans will be part of the equation in most professions for the foreseeable future — including content marketing.

Why Human-Powered Content Marketing Is Still Here to Stay

That may make you wonder — but wait a second: surely, writing will be one of the first things we can completely automate with AI. All it takes is an afternoon on ChatGPT to strike fear into the heart of the average copywriter. But with that said, all it takes to make them grow some confidence back is a few more days spent on the same platform. The more you spend working with these tools, the easier it is to see their limitations.

While AI can do a lot of things, there's still plenty it can't do. Most importantly, it simply can’t know all the specific nooks and crannies of what make your company so awesome. Nor can it relate to your customers with a human touch. It can help you navigate plenty of twists and turns in the digital marketing pipeline, but you’ll still need human brainpower to make your brand stand out.

After all, now that ChatGPT and other programs are free for everyone to use, that means everyone’s playing around with them, including your competition. What helps differentiate your brand from all the others are the team you assemble to take both human and AI-generated digital marketing to the next level.

What Is an AI Content Generator?

AI content generators are software applications that use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to generate text. These applications analyze a given topic or keyword and then generate relevant content based on that analysis. 

Some popular AI content generator tools in the market include ChatGPT-3 and 4, Jasper AI, Rytr, Frase.io, Writesonic, and Copy AI. There are even Chrome extensions that allow everyday users to access all AI has to offer at one click of a button. Most of these tools come with a variety of pricing plans, including free plans.

What Can AI Content Generators Do?

AI content generators can help businesses in a variety of ways. They can generate SEO-optimized content quickly, which saves time and resources for businesses like yours. 

These tools can help company copywriters, content creators, and marketers overcome writer's block by generating unique content ideas based on relevant keywords. They can also help creative teams optimize their marketing copy by generating high-quality first drafts quickly.

Does Google Allow for AI-Generated Content?

Yes, but with limits. Make sure the content itself is original and useful for those accessing it. Google’s AI policy allows for the “appropriate use of AI,” but there are regulations around it. They have strict rules against content that’s “generated for the primary purpose of manipulating search rankings and not helping users.” 

Asking ChatGPT to write an article jam-packed with keywords to rank for a certain key term and then not editing it further will probably not pass Google’s spam filters. Using it to improve original copy or write an article for non-SEO purposes is technically fine, according to Google.

What Can’t AI Content Generators Do?

While AI content generators can be incredibly helpful, there are limitations to their capabilities. AI articles and pieces of copy can lack the human touch necessary to resonate with readers and customers. 

For example, AI tools cannot generate social media posts in just the way you imagine. This requires a more personalized — and, yes, human — approach. Moreover, they’re not all-in-one digital marketing and copywriting tools. You’ll still need to mix and match different AI products to create an ironclad SEO and content marketing strategy.

Another limitation of AI content generators is that they cannot create entirely original content. These tools analyze vast amounts of data and generate content based on that analysis. This means that there is still a substantial risk of plagiarism, although programmers are working hard to address this. 

Businesses must use plagiarism checkers to ensure that the content they generate is entirely original. At best, plagiarized content leaves you with egg on your face; at worst, it can cause your competition to threaten you with legal action.

3 Things to Remember When Using AI Content Generators

There are three important things to keep in mind when it comes to evaluating how AI can help you take your business to the next level.

1. Remember What Makes AI Great

AI writing tools can generate product descriptions that help improve the visibility of any kind of e-commerce or SaaS website. The same is true of blogs and just about any other type of site.

They can help you bring in new customers by offering you LinkedIn and Facebook ad copy ideas. They can generate headings and headlines that capture the reader's attention and drive more traffic to a website. Additionally, AI content generators use machine learning algorithms to learn from the content they generate, enabling them to improve the quality of their output over time.

Here are just a few of the other things AI is especially great at, should you choose to use it (disclaimer: Growth Machine does not use these methods for any stage of our process): 

• Generating content ideas: New content creation is perhaps AI’s most valuable weapon. This feature can be particularly helpful for company copywriters struggling with writer's block or those who need to generate content quickly to keep up with search engine optimization trends. AI content generators can help businesses overcome these challenges by generating new content ideas based on relevant keywords. This makes creating a content or blogging schedule you’ll stick to even easier.
• Working fast: AI content generators can also help businesses work faster by streamlining their workflow. This allows businesses to optimize their marketing copy and stay ahead of their competition. They can also edit your team’s work in record time too. This frees up everyone to achieve a maximum degree of efficiency.
• Writing first drafts: Content generators can spit out quality content in a fraction of the time it takes a human writer. However, it's important to remember that AI-generated content is just a starting point. Humans must still review and edit the content to ensure that it's high-quality, engaging, and free of errors or plagiarism.

2. Remember What Makes Humans Great

While AI text generators can be incredibly helpful, they can't replicate everything that humans can do. This is the main reason why humans will be part of the equation in most professions for the foreseeable future. This is just as true of digital marketing and search engine optimization as any other field. 

Here are some of the main ways your current team can help supplement their new AI “coworkers”:

• Adding personality: One of the challenges with using AI-generated text is that it can sometimes lack personality. While the content may be informative and useful, it may not be engaging or interesting to read. This is where human writers can come in. By adding their own unique perspective and tone of voice, writers can create content that is more relatable and enjoyable for readers. In other words, they may be better suited to helping you write content outlines for landing pages or blogs than writing them start to finish.
• Collaborating creatively: AI writers can be used as a starting point for content creation, but it's still important to collaborate creatively to create high-quality content. Human writers can pair up with AI content writer bots just like they would with another person on their team. At this point, your copywriter can use AI-generated content as a template, but then add their own flair and ideas to make the content truly unique.
• Understanding customer psychology: While AI can analyze data and predict trends, it can't fully understand human behavior and psychology. This is where human writers can come in. By understanding their target audience and their motivations, writers can create content that speaks directly to them and encourages them to take action.

3. Remember What Makes Your Brand Great

When it comes to content creation, it's important to remember what makes your brand unique even in the age of AI.

You’ll spend just as many hours communicating why you stand out and how to write in your company’s voice with an AI content generator as you ever did collaborating with just your in-house team. That’s why it’s essential to recognize the limitations of the technology, the fullest extent of your team’s capability, and the excitement your brand can generate in your customers. 

Here are just a few other things to consider:

• Being the best in your field: If you want to be seen as an expert in your field, it's important to create high-quality content that showcases your expertise. While AI-generated content can be useful, it may not always be able to provide the depth of knowledge and insights that human writers can. You’ll still need a content strategy framework suited directly to use cases distinct to your own customers.
• Delivering value: When creating content, it's important to focus on delivering value to your audience. This could mean providing informative articles, product reviews, or how-to guides. While AI-generated content can be helpful for creating this type of content, it's important to make sure that it's also original, branded, and tailored to your audience.
• Knowing your target audience: Understanding your target audience is crucial when it comes to content creation. This includes knowing what type of content writing they're interested in, what motivates them, and what their pain points are. AI-generated content can be a helpful starting point, but it's important to tailor the content to your audience's specific needs and preferences. 

AI Can Give You a Head Start, But How Do You Beat the Competition?

AI content generators are powerful tools that can help you craft effective content marketing and copywriting strategies. They can save you time, generate new ideas, and optimize your content for search engines. 

However, they aren't a magic bullet. Google will penalize you if your AI-generated content isn’t original or helpful, so it's important to still write like a person. That's why we only use human writers, not AI, for the content we create on at Growth Machine. Adding personality, collaborating creatively, and understanding customer psychology are all things that AI can't do as well as we can.

We specialize in writing (using real people) for both search engines and your target audience in a way that Google rewards rather than penalizes.

If you're looking for help with a broader, more effective SEO strategy, we're here for you. At Growth Machine, we increase web traffic for businesses whose organic numbers have plateaued or never really got off the ground. We can work with you to take your SEO game to the next level. Contact us today to see how we can help you grow.