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Human vs. AI writing certainly can be the debate, and when we put them completely into buckets, we might think about specific positives and negatives. But what if it’s not about one versus the other, but determining which aspects are best for your corporate storytelling?
The biggest difference that some people seem to put value on is speed. Humans obviously can’t write content as fast as AI. But just because AI can spit out content faster, doesn’t mean it’s going to be any good. On the flip side, human content isn’t good just because it’s written by humans.
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Human vs. AI writing – an example
Let’s look at this example.
How is this kind of human-written content any different from AI-written content? Hint: It’s not, but let’s get our collective blood boiling here…
Scenario 1:
Human writer sees what everyone else has already written on a topic and simply writes their own version of the same old stuff – just worded differently. 🤮
Scenario 2:
AI is asked to write an article on the same topic as in Scenario 1 and—guess what—writes an article based on what’s already out there. It’s literally the same thing the human did – except AI did it way quicker!
There’s no difference between the human and robot here, and that’s no way to make your content stand out long-term by just copying and rewriting. Sure, the human might make it sound better, but it won’t cut it.
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AI vs. human writer pros and cons
Here’s an overview of some of the pros and cons for each.
| Task | Human Writer | AI Writer |
|---|---|---|
| Writing | Uniqueness | Speed |
| Creativity | High, depending on person | Can be good with the right prompts |
| Summarizing of source content | Time-consuming | Fast, but needs the right prompts |
| Fact-checking and accuracy | Can be inconsistent | Highly accurate with well-structured data |
| Emotional intelligence | High, with nuanced understanding | Limited, but improving with advanced AI models |
| Adapting to specific styles | Requires skill and practice | Excels at mimicking styles with proper training |
| Handling complex topics | Depends on individual expertise | Can process vast amounts of information quickly |
| Consistency in tone and style | Can vary between writers | Maintains consistency with well-defined parameters |
| Generating original ideas | Excels at innovative thinking | Limited by training data and prompt quality |
| Collaboration with humans | Intuitive and flexible | Requires clear instructions and feedback |
The biggest difference perhaps: The pros and cons of what a human writer can do can vary so much. It all depends on the person, their training, their knowledge, etc.
A better approach
Regardless there are pros and cons, and whether to use a human or AI depends on the goal and expectation of quality. In reality, it’s probably about using the right mix. For example:
- Write content from your perspective and with unique stories.
- Use AI to get headline ideas, and edit and review similar content to see what other angles you might cover.
- Maximize AI to check and refine tone when compared to other company content.
I’m sure things will continue to evolve, but I think it’s fair to say that one or the other is the answer. The people who replace all human writers with AI are most likely wrong long-term and content quality and performance will suffer. The people who go human-only are likely missing out on some of the double checks and efficiency they can offer.
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Sure, do keyword research and see what others have written and what ranks. And take it as inspiration.
But then find your unique stories, talk to an expert or two—internal or external—and write something unique. Sure, AI can help with some drafting once you have source content and editing, but you get your content to rank by creating stuff with a unique twist or story.
By way of example, here’s how I started an article on graphic design…
Back in my early days as a content creator, design was hard—and I wasn’t even a designer. I still am not! But I had to develop the idea, typically put it on a graphics request form, and then walk it over to the designer. They would do the designing. I would do the approval. But that was then, and today, it’s possible to design online easily.
One way to do that is by creating images with AI. Here’s how it went.
Then, the article continues, and I keep tying it back to my original story. That’s how you create unique content that might have a chance to perform.
So it’s not about human-written or AI-written. Don’t assume either one can actually write what you need. It’s about who has the better story and knows how to tell it. That’s how you’ll win and the winning path there is likely determined by using the right pieces of each.