AI vs. Humanity — Why Humans Will Always Win in Content Creation With the proliferation and integration of AI across organizations and business units, PR and marketing professionals may be tempted to lean into this new technology more than recommended.

AI tools have the potential to improve marketing efficiency and innovation, but leaders must understand what can be outsourced to technology and what requires a human touch. If you're talking about more detailed and technical content assets, these must be developed with the significant control and insight that only human writers and subject matter experts can provide.

Strong marketing and PR programs need human skills, ranging from emotional intelligence, voice and tone, to contextual adaptation. Large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and other AI tools are capable of stunningly fast outputs, to be sure. However, they'll never be humans with a lifetime of human experiences interacting with other humans.

AI's (limited) role in content creation — and why it should stay that way

AI's speed and efficiency make it a very useful tool for optimizing the workflow. By streamlining certain processes, you can focus on higher-level tasks, such as brainstorming and creativity, that are uniquely human.

AI can be used to:

• Scan existing content on the web and gather data based on specific instructions
• Process data and generate large amounts of content in a short time
• Automatically suggest, correct and optimize content, saving valuable time for writers

Using AI to handle more of these repetitive types of processes can help with quicker turnaround times, increased productivity, rapid data processing and maintaining consistency.

However, it's not all sunshine and roses. Despite its ability to enhance productivity and efficiency, when it comes to content, AI shouldn't hold the reins. Relying on AI for content development can lead to serious issues.

One is the potential for unintended plagiarism. Some of the data that large language models (LLMs) are trained on comes from copyrighted material, which means that it could replicate someone else's work without acknowledgment — and, therefore, without your knowledge.

Another issue springs from the "black box" effect: the basis for AI decision-making is often not transparent, making it hard to backtrack to find errors or biases. Then there's the problem of hallucination and error. AI uses patterns based on the data that trained it, so the content it generates can't currently be relied upon for complete accuracy. Sometimes, the AI flat-out "hallucinates," making up statistics, data or "facts."

Also of concern is AI's lack of nuance. AI isn't sentient, so it doesn't actually understand what it's generating; it relies on pattern recognition alone. Consequently, it may create one-sided or out-of-context copy that doesn't adequately address complex topics. (This also explains why AI jokes are generally terrible.)

Related: The Robots Are Coming — But They Can't Outsmart Us When It Comes To This Particular Skill.

When to keep it human

When it comes to reliable, context-based copy, humans retain the advantage. Algorithms aren't capable of emotional intelligence. They may be trained in human interactions, but because they aren't human, they don't understand the complexities of human communication. Human writers – sometimes without conscious thought – know how to express and stir emotions, which are so important in the decision-making process.

Skilled content writers know how to write in different voices and for specific contexts. This enables them to better target their audiences across different formats and channels.

AI is good at finding patterns and predicting the next word of a sentence, but it's not great at innovating. Humans use their own experience, expertise and observations to inform their writing, which elevates it above AI's more generic creations. AI can be instructed to use a casual or academic tone, but it will never be as individualized as a person's. Humans use their own life experiences, which gives them their unique voice, to make connections that algorithms can't.

The human mind is exquisitely complex, excelling at wordplay and subtlety. Just as we often can't determine tone from an email, AI typically can't understand or generate nuanced or figurative language like irony and sarcasm. Which, again, is why AI jokes are terrible.

Empathy, of course, is too much to ask of an algorithm. To be empathetic means to identify with another's feelings, and AI doesn't have feelings. It can't relate on an emotional level. But because humans can, they can create content that deeply resonates with their intended audiences.

Related: How to Align Human Values With Artificial Intelligence

Finding balance

It's essential to find a good working balance between AI and human capabilities. AI offers a vast body of knowledge and speed, while humans bring ethical considerations, intuition and expertise to the table. Using hard-won experience and personal touch as you address customers' needs differentiates you as a trustworthy thought leader in a sea of generic AI content. 

AI is best when used alongside human judgment and abilities. Use AI tools to support human capabilities so that you don't rely solely on what AI recommends.

Creating content together

Truly great content creation requires skills that are uniquely human. Remember that AI is an augmenting force rather than a substitute for human emotional qualities. Because the foundation of effective marketing is personalization and authentic engagement, this personal touch gives human content creators the upper hand over algorithms. Humans are crucial for ensuring that content conveys emotions accurately, unbiasedly and compellingly.

LLMs and other AI tools can do amazing things, but they will never be humans interacting with the physical world and other humans. This will always be your advantage in the realm of content creation. So, use AI as a tool to improve efficiencies and as a useful starting point for that human factor to step in.