Articles “written” by generative artificial intelligence tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini could improve most websites that I look at, maybe even yours.
Professional writers, marketers, and social media creators will shout “phooey!” to the idea that an AI tool could write almost anything as well as a human could. Some of them would be right.
But some of them would be wrong. They would be the writers, marketers and social media creators who constantly pump content sewage into websites, blogs and social media feeds with only expedience as their goal.
Let’s face it. A lot of what we read on the internet is awful prose. It doesn’t inform. It doesn’t engage. At best, it makes you cry.
Generative AI can do better
With only a little effort on your part, generative AI can produce average prose. By definition, that’s better than awful.
Here’s what I mean. Generative AI “creates” text based on the probability that a specific series of letters will follow the previous series. For example, there are lots of different words that might follow “apple” in a sentence. Generative AI considers the context – the results of previous series of words – to determine whether the next word should be “pie,” “sauce,” or “computer.”
(Apologies to all the AI experts whose heads are exploding at the over-simplification.) Generative AI tools learn the probabilities and the contexts by “reading” digital versions of books, encyclopedias, and magazines, along with anything and everything already on the internet.
Some of the writing it reads will be good, some bad. By extension, the content produced by generative AI will probably be better than bad and worse than good – average.
It’s worth noting here that lab tests at Penn State University have shown that “humans can distinguish AI-generated text only about 53% of the time in a setting where random guessing achieves 50% accuracy.” As AI tools improve, it will become even more challenging to tell the difference.
It’s unlikely AI-generated content will win any Pulitzer Prizes. Good writers express ideas by combining words in unusual ways. Generative AI models are trained to express ideas in usual ways.
There is a way to tilt the equation more toward good. If you write a good prompt – instructions for what you want generative AI to create – you’ll increase the quality of the content. It might even become better than average.
If you have questions about how to write a good prompt, shoot me a note, and I’ll send you some resources.
Free tool: Loom
Sometimes, it’s easier to explain a problem or a solution with a video. The free version of a video-recording tool called Loom is handy at those times.
When you download the app or the Chrome extension, Loom lets you record your computer screen as you move your mouse, present a short slide deck, or introduce yourself to a prospective client or customer.
Using a video tool like Loom allows the recipient to see your face and hear your voice on their own time without scheduling a face-to-face meeting in person or online.
The free version of Loom has some limitations. You’re limited to creating just 25 videos until you’re asked to buy an upgrade. Videos can’t exceed five minutes, and there are some editing limitations, too.
Loom videos are easy to make, and when your videos are complete, they are easy to share.
The next newsletter arrives Dec. 17. By then, I will have completed another full revolution around the sun, and holiday panic will be clutching many of us.
Also, between now and then, I will have started and completed my Christmas cookie baking. I began this annual holiday tradition nearly 50 years ago when my mother, who was not feeling well then, suggested that if my siblings and I wanted cookies, we should make them ourselves.
Challenge accepted. And I’ve baked Toll House cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and Russian snowball cookies for family and friends almost every year since.
Until next time, be grateful. Be generous. Be patient. Love. And enjoy the season. Thanks for spending some of your time with me, . I appreciate you.
Mark
P.S. - This newsletter was 100 percent created by me, a human.
P.P.S. - Some links in this email might be affiliate links, which could generate small commissions for me at no extra cost to you.
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