I was writing a trends piece for a client recently and, as I often do, I posted a call for input on sites like SOS (formerly HERO), Connectively, Qwoted, and Help a B2B Writer. I received close to 200 responses! To help me sort through the input and get a sense for what the top trends were based on this expert input, I did a simple tally.
And I started to notice something interesting. Many responses were eerily similar, noting the same trends. That made me a little suspicious.
So, I decided to send these inputs through my trusty GenAI detector app—WinstonAI.
Sure enough, the repetitive inputs were identified as 0% human. In other words, the input was generated by a GenAI tool like ChatGPT, Bard, or countless others.
These tools are very smart. And they can dig through massive amounts of data to draw upon and synthesize information, which can be valuable in certain instances.
But, despite the amazing power of AI content generation tools, here’s what AI is not detecting—the true trends!
If you’re looking for innovative ideas, you need to look elsewhere.
There’s not going to be a lot of content on the internet discussing emerging practices that have not yet been widely reported or discussed. That’s what makes them trends. So, by definition, if these tools are drawing insights from already widely published content, that content is not likely to be “trendy.”
Why does this matter?
Well, it matters to me in this instance because I want to be reporting about actual trends. So I’ll go back to the drawing board and sift back through more expert insights to identify those that are truly insightful—and more likely to be human generated.
What does it mean for you and other users of these tools?
Think carefully about how you use GenAI generated information.
By relying on content generated through GenAI-generated queries, you risk reliance on information that may be outdated and incomplete. You’re missing out on information, ideas, and insights that are newly emerging. If you not only rely on that information, but perpetuate it yourself by publishing your own version of it, you’re simply contributing to the perpetuation of information that is, frankly, suspect.
This is how misinformation and disinformation can be quickly spread. And it can be spread far more quickly in the AI era.
GenAI tools can be useful. I use them often myself to help with my research, to spark ideas, to review and edit my content, and to streamline my workflows.
What I don’t use it for, though, is to think. That’s what we humans need to continue to do. And that means thinking about the GenAI-generated inputs you’re relying on in your work and what they may be missing or misstating.
Don’t take these inputs at face value.
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Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results at reasonable rates.
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Tags: GenAI, GenAI for marketing, generative AI, pros and cons of ChatGPT, using ChatGPT