Four content marketing experts share their thoughts on the future of Generative AI

4 April 2023
6 minutes

You have probably heard of all the buzz surrounding Generative AI. The topic has eclipsed NFTs and the metaverse as the latest technology craze. 

Much of the dialogue online has been dedicated to speculating about how tools, such as ChatGPT and Jasper.ai, will affect the future of work. In particular, many are worried about how this technology will impact the labour force as a whole.

As with any new invention, generative AI will undoubtedly radically transform the lives of human beings forever. However, the fourth industrial revolution isn’t necessarily here to steal jobs, but to empower people to work more effectively and efficiently.

For content marketing professionals, Generative AI might prove to be an indispensable tool, one that can provide value while reducing overhead costs.

 
Generative Ai in the form of ChatGPT opened on an Apple computer.

With each technological revolution comes new paradigms of thinking

People have already started using generative AI, content creation tools in creative, surprising ways. Whether it is to pass exams, write cover letters, poems and songs or put together travel itineraries and meal recipes, there’s no doubt about it — the applications are endless. When considering the future of content marketing, the same is true.

Generative AI will bring with it exciting and innovative use cases, ones set to shake things up in the industry. For some, there is a bit of hesitation in the face of this revolution. While an AI content generator can speed up production and free up budget for other tasks, it cannot replace human ingenuity. This technology functions best when paired with creative human talent.

It’s like a fine dining experience that draws on the best of both worlds.

With the power of an AI content generator, simpler, more repetitive tasks can be automated.This allows the brilliant minds on your content marketing team to focus on complex, high-level projects. 

From freelancers to founders, AI content creation tools will impact the daily work activities and operations of people at all levels of an organisation. Depending on what your role is, you might view these changes differently than others.

While a founder might champion the onboarding of an AI tool, a freelancer could feel challenged by the prospect. For those actively involved in the AI landscape, it could simply be business as usual.

We spoke with four experts in the content marketing field whose daily activities and operations are starting to change in tandem with the rise of AI.

We asked them some quick questions to get a better understanding of their perspective on this emerging technology.

 

Will Gibbens, Freelance writer and translator

As a freelance writer and translator, Will Gibbens is concerned about how AI content creation will affect his income. However, he is also interested in how the technology might improve his workflow.

And it makes sense for a creative to be both cautious and intrigued in the face of a new tool.

“I’m not impressed with the quality of models like GPT-3 (haven’t tried GPT-4 yet), but expect they will get better,” says Will. While Generative AI advances with each passing day, the technology is still in its infancy.

It is unlikely that AI content creation tools will replace creative human talent anytime soon.

Generative AI won’t make living and breathing people redundant, but it might soon take care of more mundane assignments. “I think it will eat into my business for lower-creativity tasks like product descriptions or technical writing,” posits Will. “It will probably lower the price that clients are willing to pay for human post-editing similar to how PMTE made translator’s fees lower but didn’t necessarily lower the workload/time spent.”

These possible changes in the daily activities of freelancers like Will are worth considering. In the beginning, the onboarding of new tools and processes can be intimidating. However, these upgrades have the power to become invaluable instruments in an individual or organisation’s toolkit.

When it comes to the future of AI, Will is excited to see how customer service chatbots evolve in order to better service clients. “I’m not waiting for weeks or even months to get a reply from companies that I do business with as a consumer.”

 

Pieter van Geel, Head of Innovation at Contentoo

For Pieter van Geel, who is Head of Innovation at Contentoo, Generative AI is a promising technology.

He believes that AI content creation tools allow any individual or organisation to become a publisher, which is a major asset for scale and production.

I’m very excited. AI supercharges the speed and possibilities of content marketing,” says Pieter. 

“With this huge increase of content, all products and services can be offered to specific audiences (personalisation), knowledge can be shared easier and the number of marketplaces will expand as supply and demand are easily matched.” In Pieter’s perspective, the sky’s the limit when it comes to how Generative AI capabilities can be harnessed towards content marketing ends. 

When coupled with insights from different data sources, Generative AI can improve engagement and relevance. Data sources like Google and TripAdvisor have already proven to be very relevant. Finally, it is possible to build custom content generation models based on existing industry or client content.

And it isn’t just generative AI for content generation that excites Pieter.

He also finds many intriguing AI applications that are being used to create in other content, such as images (see the picture below), video, and audio.

 
With Generative AI generated picture of Wall-E.

Tom Winter, Founder and CGO of SEOwind

As Founder and CGO of SEOwind, Tom Winter is both excited and hesitant about the widespread adoption of AI.

He believes that the impact of AI on content marketing will be multifaceted and transformative. 

First, generative AI will streamline the content creation process by increasing efficiency. This, Tom argues, will allow marketers to concentrate their efforts on strategic planning and creative aspects. Second, AI will enhance audience targeting through the analysis of vast amounts of data that determines user preferences, behaviors, and interests.

In turn, brands can deliver highly personalized content that genuinely resonates with target audiences, resulting in improved engagement rates.

“AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can offer real-time customer support and personalized recommendations based on user interactions,” says Tom. “This not only saves time but also creates a seamless user experience that fosters brand loyalty.”

While these benefits are on the near horizon, Tom feels that the increasing reliance on AI raises a number of ethical concerns. He believes it is mission critical that brands carefully consider and address issues such as data privacy, algorithmic bias, and misinformation to ensure the responsible adoption of AI.

“Nevertheless, the opportunity has arrived, and it’s wise to seize it,” says Tom.

“Here’s the part that truly excites me: AI has the potential to revolutionize every aspect of my professional life,” shares Tom. “Embracing AI has already boosted my productivity, efficiency, and time management skills.

In fact, it has saved me an impressive 10 to 15 hours per week, allowing me to focus on talking to my customers, strategic thinking, and further SEOwind development.”

 
Quote of Tom Winter, founder of SEOwind, about how AI-powered chatbots can offer personalized interactions and recommendations

Jeroen Gunter, Founder and CCO of Contentoo

Jeroen Gunter is the CCO and Founder of Contentoo. He is a strong advocate of the combined power of cutting-edge, AI-driven technology and creative human talent.

In fact, Jeroen says, this is what will transform Contentoo from a platform into a real tech company.

“It will change the way we create content dramatically,” says Jeroen.  According to Jeroen, content created using Generative AI can sometimes be nonfactual. Given this, you can’t always completely trust the output, which is why human beings should be brought into the mix.

“That’s a risk for your brand,” explains Jeroen. “On the other hand, tools like ChatGPT are very generic, they produce content that’s not specifically tailored to your tone of voice, niche expertise and industry.”

If everyone in your industry is using the same AI tool to generate content, it’s hard to stand out. This is why it is essential to have a creative eye oversee production. “I believe in the creation of in-depth original content,” says Jeroen. “You still need human copywriters, and you also need human editors to proofread and fact-check AI written content.”

As far as other AI applications go, Jeroen is excited to bring the technology into the kitchen as a helpful aid in cooking up delicious meals.

 

Contentoo AI will revolutionize content marketing

Generative AI, Contentoo's AI propositions for AI-powered content creation.

In the near future, we are launching our AI Content Creation and Content Refresh tools, which will empower brands to accelerate growth at every stage of their conversion funnels. 

Whether you’re looking to optimise existing content or create new content that scales, Contentoo AI is here to help.

Want to stay up to date? Sign up for Beta access here

 

Check out our latest report!

Read the 2024 localisation report here.

Email to colleague

Related Reads