Immy Williamson
Existentialist philosophy tells us that authenticity means living in a way that is genuine and in-line with one’s true self, values, and desires, even when facing social pressures.
When we apply this doctrine to content and marketing – especially in what we know as the “Information Age” – what changes? Does using Artificial Intelligence in any context limit one’s authenticity, and if-so in what capacity?
How would you know if this was written by a human or ChatGPT?
The ethical conundrum of what denotes a genuine connection between an audience and online content will not end in this article, and we imagine the debate will never cease. It can be universally agreed that AI cannot have the same experiences as a person – its “memory” is not the same as ours and relies on a series of complex codes, not a conscience.
However, the brain’s structure and function serve as a blueprint for creating more efficient and adaptable AI systems. This inspiration is seen in the development of neural networks and other brain-inspired architectures.
Alan Turing stated in 1936 that he desired AI to “mimic the behaviour of the human”, science has progressed rapidly since then and the adoption of AI into our lives has become increasingly commonplace.
But there’s the problem: mimicry.
Like Renee Magritte’s famous “The Treachery of Images” (below); the pipe is not a pipe but a depiction of a pipe. AI is not human but a depiction of intelligence at a human (albeit advanced) level.
In a world where information is so readily available, are we reverting to, and longing for, a time where authentic content is created without the use of AI, and is this even possible?
When researching this particular topic, I was greeted with a summary from Google’s Gemini AI capabilities. I did not ignore the helpful suggestions and case studies it presented but utilised them and crafted them into this insight. AI is an increasingly helpful tool in ideation and inspiration, and it takes creative input from humans to – hopefully – enhance the experience of the end user.
Automated campaign management isn’t a new thing, smart bidding in Google Ads has been around since 2016 (at the time of writing that’s nearly a decade ago, does anyone else feel ancient?). However, we’ve recently seen a shift in the utilisation of generative AI capabilities (think Microsoft’s embedding of creative production techniques through CoPilot and Google’s Performance Max solutions with Gemini)
A major challenge of using those systems is the reduction of originality and – you guessed it – authenticity within the ads. AI can of course simplify the creative process but there is an inherent risk of displaying near-duplicates of your competitors’ ads, making it even harder to stand out in the saturated online landscape.
In addition, AI fundamentally cannot write based on experience.
You may be aware of Google’s E-E-A-T signals to assess the quality of online content. While it doesn’t have a direct implication on your paid advertising it can naturally (and indirectly) influence ad performance by improving Quality Scores. This, in turn, increases user trust and can lead to better click-through and conversion rates.
Search engines are becoming increasingly intelligent and are a part of everyday lives across the world. Around 51% of those working in SEO are actively using AI to optimise their content which frees up time to dedicate efforts on strategy and creative development (source).
In marketing, we’re used to the many acronyms that inform our job roles; now there’s a new(ish) kid on the block GEO aka “Generative Engine Optimisation”. In more simple terms, GEO is the application of creating and adapting online content to improve visibility in results produced by Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).
People are turning to Large Language Models (LLMs) to perform their online searches, asking complex questions rather than opting for short and concise keywords.
“70% of consumers say tools like ChatGPT are becoming their go-to for product or service recommendations, replacing traditional search methods.”
This doesn’t necessarily mean that we should ignore traditional SEO practices – in short, AI and SEO complement each other and shouldn’t be competing for the spotlight.
“AI is being used to produce work that was once the exclusive domain of the human mind.”
For many copywriters AI has become an invaluable tool to create catchy hooks and detailed outlines for written content. There is a popular guideline that work written with AI should contain no more than 30% of content from artificial intelligence, the remaining 70% should be written from the individual’s own research, thoughts and critical thinking.
In a world where AI can churn out countless pieces of content in minutes, or even seconds – human-made content is becoming a premium and sought after commodity. Imperfection is what makes us human, and perfect in a way. AI surely can’t offer the same human-centric approach a person can, can it?
In Digital PR, many newsrooms are integrating AI into their processes. It is a fairly recent development so it’s uncertain whether there is positive value to journalism and media, or the impact it has on journalists.
You may be aware of “Olivia Brown”, an automated AI PR tool which generates entire PR campaigns, from the idea stage through to writing press releases and relentlessly pursuing journalists (source). The problem? Low quality, and unreliable in its nature (the tool has been seen creating “expert” quotes).
Alastair McCapra, the CEO of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, says such tools “risk undermining the very foundations of the profession”.
“Across seven preregistered experiments […] consumers provide less positive word of mouth (PWOM) and are less loyal when emotional communications are written by an AI (vs. a human)”
Take Gen Z for example, they grew up with social media and are well-known for wanting genuine brand interactions online. Instagram and TikTok are hubs of information that this generation (among others) flock towards for their experiences. From word of mouth from a variety of influencers, to targeted ads that follow their movements in the digital realm, social media offers an exciting avenue for companies to show them what they’re made of.
Messages generated by AI might also impact the perceived authenticity of the brand’s communication, which, therefore, can affect consumers’ trust and engagement rates (source). According to data from 2021, 92% of Generation Z value authenticity highly and that it influences their social media interactions significantly, particularly on platforms like Instagram (source).
True authenticity happens when we least expect it, by simply living as ourselves we are being authentic. AI does not strive to be anything different than it already is and it does not perform or wear societal masks, does that make it more authentic than the human asking it questions? Perhaps not, but I’d like to explore the humanisation of AI in the next chapter.
AI as we know it is an entity, it is described as a self-operating system that utilises machine learning and algorithms to make decisions, perform tasks autonomously and learn from inputs.
What’s interesting to note is that when researching this topic the legality discussions around an AI entity is being heavily debated. For example, when a company has been incorporated/ registered it obtains a legal entity that is separate from the owners and the directors. Corporations are considered legal subjects or personalities in all modern legal systems, it stands to reason that the legal personality of AI-agents should be established by provisions of law on functional grounds, such as liability allocation.
Furthermore, if a machine creates a work of art should it be given the same copyright protection as a human?
Sheikh Solaiman proposes that to be qualified as a human being a machine must possess the following criteria:
There has been a recent trend of asking ChatGPT what it would do if it were human for a day. The responses have been staggering thus far, with human qualities added to the machine in a way previously thought unimaginable.
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