THE GOOD AND THE BAD OF USING AI TO CREATE CONTENT

By SBE Council at 12 September, 2023, 12:38 pm

By Barbara Weltman –

Today, anyone (including me) can figure out how to use ChatGPT (Open AI) to create content. It can produce blogs, marketing materials, video scripts, and more. This generative AI tool is free and can be helpful. But there are some serious issues to note. Here’s my take on how I’ve been using it and what you should consider if you use it for your business.

The Good

Enter the question or subject you want covered and in a matter of moments you get a full article, or at least points to include in an article or whatever content you’re trying to create. I’ve found this helpful to:

Organize my thoughts on a subject. The material generated by ChatGPT flows in an understandable manner. I’ve found this to be useful in how to approach a topic.

Not overlook some aspects of a subject. Because ChatGPT does research for you, it may find areas of a topic you never considered. It induces you to look further.

If you ask ChatGPT “what are the benefits of using it to generate content,” you get a numbered list of 17 factors:

1.) Efficiency

2.) Versatility

3.) 24/7 availability

4.) Scalability

5.) Consistency

6.) Multilingual support

7.) Reduced human error

8.) Enhanced creativity

9.) Data-driven insights

10.) Accessibility

11.) Language assistance

12.) Learning and training

13.) Consistent brand voice

14.) Reduced workload

15.) Cost-efficiency

16.) Rapid prototyping

17.) Privacy and confidentiality

The Bad

My advice: don’t use the AI-written material as presented. It can create problems for your business because:

There may be inaccuracies. A New York attorney used ChatGPT to create a legal brief that was filled with fake judicial opinions and legal citations. Will those who are duped into using false information be subject to ridicule, losses, penalties, or other sanctions?

You risk copyright infringement. Authors’ works are being used by AI without permission. A class action lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that ChatGPT uses material from books and other texts that were “copied by OpenAI without consent, without credit, and without compensation.” It may be quite a while before there’s any decision on the case, but it raises the question: Do authors have any protections against unauthorized use by AI?

It may not have your “voice.” The text created by AI is straightforward. It may not reflect how you like to say things. It certainly doesn’t include your insights, experiences, and opinions.

If you ask ChatGPT “what are the drawbacks to using it to generate content,” you get a numbered list of 16 factors:

1.) Quality and accuracy

2.) Lack of content understanding

3.) Bias and fairness

4.) Ethical concerns

5.) Human oversight requirements

6.) Lack of creativity

7.) Inability to think critically

8.) Limited long-term memory

9.) Data privacy

10.) Overreliance on AI

11.) Training data limitations

12.) Cost

13.) Complexity

14.) Loss of human touch

15.) Legal issues

16.) Limited multi-model abilities

Final Thought

ChatGPT is a tool, not a substitute for your writing efforts. As with any tool, it can save you time, help you be more efficient, and enable your business to grow. But just because a jackhammer can demolish cement, you wouldn’t let go of this tool and expect it to do the job on its own. If you use ChatGPT, don’t let go.

Barbara Weltman is a member of SBE Council’s advisory board, and has been a leading consultant for small businesses of every kind for over twenty years. She’s the founder of Big Ideas for Small Business® and has written numerous books on small business operations, including J.K. Lasser’s Small Business Taxes, Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business, and The Rational Guide to Building Small Business Credit. Follow Barbara on Twitter @BigIdeas4SB.