The Reality of AI Influence on Journalism & Content Creation Jobs

ChatGPT is a large language model trained on a massive dataset from the internet and other sources, capable of producing impressive human-like writing. In fact, considering its writing prowess, you might be wondering how advanced language models like ChatGPT will impact this profession or, more importantly, if it’s good enough to replace writers altogether.ChatGPT is fast, cost-effective, and produces plausible-sounding text, making it seem like an ideal replacement for human writers. However, like other advanced AI chatbots, it has some limitations. Here, we explore some reasons why ChatGPT can’t replace good professional writers.

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1. ChatGPT Often Produces Vague and Repetitive Content

ChatGPT does a decent job of producing text covering an extensive range of topics. Prompt it to write about a specific topic, for example, “how to make a pizza at home” or “the consequences and effects of the Second World War”. ChatGPT will list the ingredients you need and explain how to prepare a homemade pizza, and it is also good enough to give a coherent description of the consequences and effects of the world wars.

But the more you read the writing generated by ChatGPT, the more likely you notice that it tends to use generic phrases, resulting in bland and repetitive content with few details. This is not ideal when you need in-depth writing on complex or industry-specific topics.

However, there are ways to get better results from ChatGPT , as its output largely depends on the data on which it was trained and the quality or specificity of your prompts. So, although you can refine your prompts to get better results, you still need writing experience and enough knowledge of the topic to improve its output and get niche responses.

2. ChatGPT Lacks Up-to-Date Information

Large language models like ChatGPT rely on their training to generate text. This training involves feeding the model a large dataset of text, typically collected from the internet, allowing it to recognize patterns and predict the next word or sentence.

One of the biggest problems with OpenAI’s ChatGPT is that there’s a gap between its training and its release to the public. The cutoff point for ChatGPT’s training was 2021, meaning its current knowledge base is limited to the information available at that time.

Considering that it cannot retrieve data from the internet, you can’t rely on ChatGPT to write about the latest trends or news. So, it’s hard to see how ChatGPT can compete with journalists and professional writers who focus on current topics.

ChatGPT can craft coherent and convincing content, but sometimes, its output can be incorrect. That’s not uncommon with new language models, and we can partly attribute this to its knowledge gap and inability to get information from the internet.

OpenAI is aware of this limitation and recommends double-checking ChatGPT’s output before using it for any purpose and providing feedback using the “Thumbs Down” button whenever it generates an incorrect statement.

That said, you can hardly expect ChatGPT to generate perfect content without your guidance and review, which means you can’t rely on it for any critical task. Consequently, when working on critical tasks, you will still need to rely on the expertise of a writer, editor, or professional with an understanding of the topic.

4. ChatGPT Lacks That Human Touch

AI tools typically rely on their massive stores of training data to generate text, and that’s why AI writing often seems predictable and repetitive, devoid of fresh ideas and creativity. Although ChatGPT appears to be better than most language models, it still lacks that human touch that brings new information and a unique and valuable perspective to the conversation.

Do you often find yourself reading stories, articles, books, or blog posts from specific authors? That’s because some of the most talented writers often find ways to make their writing stand out by providing a fresh outlook even on familiar topics. Some of these opinions can be interesting, thought-provoking, or inspiring—something ChatGPT is yet to replicate.

In addition, a human writer’s words convey much more than facts and opinions—they also express emotion and personality. It’s a combination of these elements that bring the content to life and makes it memorable and relatable. It establishes a connection between the reader and the writer, and sometimes, this is just as important as the accuracy of the message, and no amount of simulation can replace it.

5. Google Does Not Like AI Content

ChatGPT can generate human-like content in a matter of seconds and free of charge (at the time of writing). And, although a paid-for, professional version of ChatGPT is inevitable , we bet it will still be cheaper than employing a professional writer, so the idea of using AI to generate all your website content may still seem appealing.

But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, as Google is not exactly thrilled about AI-generated content. According to a post on spam policies for Google web search , AI-generated texts fall under the category ofspammy automatically-generated content , which can lead to penalties like ranking lower in results or not at all. So, for those looking to use ChatGPT for SEO purposes, do so at your own risk.

At this time, it’s unclear if Google can detect AI-generated content without human intervention. However, in recent times, a significant number of AI content detectors have been developed to give educators, publishers, and other stakeholders the ability to spot AI-generated content. Some of these tools include OpenAI’s Hugging Face ,AI Text Classifier ,Content at Scale ,Copyleaks , and more.

These tools use AI to analyze texts, recognize patterns and other features, and use this information to assign a probability score. For the most part, all you need to do is paste the text, and the AI tool will give a score indicating the likelihood of the text being AI-generated. It’s safe to assume that Google also uses or plans to use similar tools to detect AI-generated content.

Skilled Human Writers Still Have Their Place in the Age of AI

While tools like ChatGPT won’t replace good writers anytime soon, it does not mean that AI won’t impact the writing industry. The reality is that AI is here to stay, and, chances are, writers who just regurgitate information without bringing in any unique perspectives and insights might not survive in the long term, as this can be easily automated.

In addition, we can also assume there will be a massive adoption of AI tools like ChatGPT to generate content and saturate the web with bland, unauthentic, and mass-produced AI texts.

However, just like the adoption of off-the-rack and mass-produced clothing did not end bespoke fashion but made them more valuable, the same will happen to high-quality content produced by experienced, passionate, skilled writers. Their artistry, personality, unique insights, and experiences will always provide an edge over AI-generated content.