AI Content vs Human Written Content for SEO

By Kayla Chauvel

For decades, one powerful concept has captured the imaginations of millions: artificial intelligence (AI). An evergreen topic in popular culture, it’s been the subject of dozens of bestselling novels and blockbuster films, like Bicentennial Man, Her, Minority Report, and Ex Machina. While we’re still lightyears away from the robot-serviced society depicted in I, Robot, there’s no doubt that AI is building an imposing presence in our world.

2022 saw numerous developments and expansions in AI technologies that could have radical impacts on individuals and businesses alike. One of those innovations was ChatGPT, an interactive software application designed to simulate human conversation with a user. Developed by the non-profit research laboratory, OpenAI, this advanced ‘chatbot’ can form detailed responses to questions, write and debug computer programs, and compose music, long-form essays, articles, poetry, and songs.

But for all its capabilities, ChatGPT isn’t without fault. Many have expressed concerns regarding its factual accuracy, creative abilities, and influence on the demand for knowledge workers.

Between the pages of books and on the silver screen, sci-fi thrillers are dramatised with unexpected outcomes. An operating system helps a struggling writer find his voice before abandoning him. A band of highly-intelligent enslaved robots try to gain control over humanity. A nationally implemented pre-crime program attempts to imprison a man before he commits a violent crime. In reality, the stakes aren’t as high. But as we enter a global AI revolution, we can look to these action-packed plots to help us answer an important question: Just because we can, does that mean that we should?

What is AI content?

Let’s start with the basics. AI content is written material (such as blogs, articles, product descriptions, landing pages, and reports) that has been generated by computer software. Content marketing is a diverse field, and as such, there are many different AI content creators. Some well-known examples include Jasper, Copysmith, Writesonic, CopyAI, and ChatGPT. These web-based AI platforms are trained with millions of words to generate original, coherent, cohesive content.

In the case of ChatGPT, an interconnected group of nodes uses self-attention mechanisms to input data and learn the patterns and structure of human conversations. This allows it to generate human-like responses to questions. ChatGPT can create everything from short social media posts to multi-page essays. All you have to do is ask.

Can Google detect AI content?

AI content is a direct threat to Google. Why scroll through page after page in search of information when an AI content creator can provide you with answers in a fraction of the time? Prophesied as the ‘Google-killer’, ChatGPT is a potentially deadly competitor of our old faithful search engine.
But Google won’t give up without a fight.

As AI content creators become more sophisticated, Google’s bots continuously work against them, analysing trends and inconsistencies in writing style to detect and demote content that has been auto-generated to manipulate search rankings without regard for quality or user experience. When detected, low-quality AI content receives a manual penalty that impacts the ranking of its webpage.

So, what’s the verdict on AI-written content? Should we embrace it or reject it? How will it affect our global community of business owners, customers, writers, and readers? Let’s take a closer look at some of the key benefits and disadvantages.

What are the benefits of AI-written content for SEO?

AI-written content has the potential to change the way many businesses market themselves through SEO. The benefits include:

AI content is more cost-effective

Bots are cheaper than brains. Cost-effectiveness is one of the driving forces behind the development of new AI technologies. Content generators are no exception. With the ability to create written work much faster than their human counterparts, clients can expect to pay a great deal less for the results.

AI is constantly improving

The very beginning of artificial intelligence began in 1935, when the concept was introduced by the English computer scientist, Alan Turing. Less than 20 years later, the first artificial neural network was created. By 1966, a robot with the ability to reason its own actions had been developed, and the following decade gave rise to the first personal computers. Cut to the current day, and AI devices have become a staple of daily life. Laptops, PCs, and smartphones are among the most popular devices.

Rapid progressions in new technologies are the source of AI’s persistent allure. Constant improvements and expansions trigger our curious minds to ask the question, “How far can it go?” Already, machines have been trained to reason and problem-solve, process language and images, and use tools to carry out complex tasks. Like all forms of AI, content generators are constantly advancing, finding new ways to develop human-like language that draws in readers and ranks high on search engines.

What are the disadvantages of AI-written content for SEO?

In spite of their overwhelmingly positive reviews, AI content generators have some serious shortcomings.

AI content has its limits

Sophisticated as they may be, AI content generators don’t quite add up to a human brain. These complex machines are mere imitations of human intelligence; the result of clever programming. Their functionality has limits. ChatGPT, like all AI content generators, is trained with material that has already been published on the web. When asked to answer questions, the chatbot strings together pieces of information from those sources, rearranging fragments of text to come up with something new. But bots cannot create truly unique content, as they lack the ability to form original ideas. Similarly, they cannot understand user intent, and struggle to impart a specific tone of voice. It’s these shortfalls that tend to expose them to Google’s AI-detecting crawlers.

AI content has quality concerns

AI-generated SEO content relies heavily on data analysis and algorithms. Sounds boring, right? That’s because it is. AI content tends to be keyword-dense, but lacks the qualities that engage readers. Without creativity, tone of voice, or nuances in local language, AI content tends to fall flat on human ears. For this reason, human-written content should continue to outrank AI content in the foreseeable future.
Inconsistencies in factual accuracy have also been identified as a major drawback of AI-written content. When used for SEO purposes, AI content must undergo fact-checking and editing by human content writers to ensure accuracy, relevance, and clarity.

So, how do we mere mortals measure up to machines? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of human-written content.

What are the benefits of human written content for SEO?

What is it to be human in the dawn of super-intelligent machines? What distinguishes us from segments of code, pieced together to replicate the complex structure of neurons? How are we unique?

Humans can be creative

Have you ever marvelled over a work of art? Ever experienced a burst of inspiration after reading a novel or watching a film? This is a reflection of your intrinsic human creativity; the result of synchronicity between multiple networks in your brain. It’s this quality that allows humans to come up with unique concepts and envision scenarios that have never occurred. Unlike bots, humans can harness creativity to develop ideas and create content that is truly original, entertaining, and tailored to a specific audience.

Humans can bring a personal touch

While ChatGPT and its peers can make data-driven decisions and create content limitlessly, they are incapable of conveying a brand’s unique vision and tone, and hence cannot form connections with customers. No digital tool, however advanced, can master the complexity of emotional intelligence. Humans, on the other hand, can empathetically adapt content to create a personalised customer experience that encourages brand loyalty.

What are the disadvantages of human-written content for SEO?

Our inherent uniqueness may give us a creative edge over AI, but it can also work against us.

Humans are less efficient

The human brain – while capable of sentience, empathy, and original thought – is at the mercy of fluctuating hormones, moods, and environmental factors. Ever had an off day? Maybe you were tired, distracted, or a little under the weather. As humans, our productivity can change from one day to the next.

This is where AI takes the ball and runs with it, leaving us straggling behind. A machine isn’t susceptible to the mental and physical afflictions that weaken humans. It doesn’t tire, and it doesn’t need to wait for inspiration to strike. It can churn out content 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Reliable and ultra-efficient, AI can outproduce even the most highly skilled team of content writers.

Humans are more expensive

Creativity costs. Business owners looking for truly original content with a tone of voice specific to their brand or business should expect to invest accordingly.

Will AI replace content writers?

For now, AI content generators will serve as a tool for human content writers, helping us to ideate and produce content quicker and at a lower cost to our clients. But when we look to the future, what is it that greets us? When does a personality simulation become the beginning of something more? How far will humanity go to preserve time and energy, and – perhaps more importantly – how far should we go?

That, my friends, is in your hands.

About the author
Kayla Chauvel writes SEO-optimised content by day, and action-packed, twisty mysteries by night. Her work has been featured in The Daily Telegraph, News.com.au, Herald Sun, and Earth.org. She lives in Melbourne with her snooty yet loveable ragdoll cat, Gracie.