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Can AI write articles? Sure, but are they any good or unique? Definitely not unique. But let’s dive into that a bit more. AI can help write articles, but having AI simply generate content from scratch isn’t effective. I’ve never seen this work:
- People ask AI to “write me an article on <topic>.
- AI spits out content – sourced who knows where.
Instead, successful AI article “writing” requires a more nuanced approach combining AI assistance with human oversight.
“AI is a tool to help us reach business goals. It’s not a strategy itself,” said Jim Lecinski on “The Business Storytelling Podcast.”
Of course, people are thinking for the answer to can AI write articles because some human writing isn’t very good either. The human writer needs to know the content and have the skills to structure it engagingly to make it all work.
When comparing human and AI writing, it’s not always as simple as choosing one over the other. Sometimes human-written content isn’t inherently better than AI-written content. Here’s why:
Why AI writing tools alone aren’t enough
When it comes to content creation, tools that simply write from scratch without any unique-t0-me source material or unique insights aren’t the future. For content to stand out, it must be:
- Unique – as unique as possible
- Helpful
- Answer audience questions
- Personal
- Have a voice – yours!
- Draw on your stories
AI writing tools that merely remix existing internet content don’t hit most of these points. From an SEO perspective, having content that’s heavily based on other sources can create problems with duplicate content and excessive outbound linking.**
What AI can and cannot do
AI excels at:
- Writing initial drafts based on the source content you provided. Ask me how that works!
- Creating outlines and ideas
- Finding grammar mistakes
- Suggesting writing improvementsAnalyzing data
But AI struggles with:
- Creating authentic personal stories without the source content
- Writing from real-life experience
- Capturing unique voices and perspectives
“AI is crap at writing really personal true stories or stories that come from human experience,” said Jeff Bullas on “The Business Storytelling Podcast.” – a definite weakness of AI content creation.
The right way to use AI for articles
Rather than asking AI to create content from nothing, the most effective approach is to use AI to help process and structure existing information.
Now I’m going to take your content and I’m literally putting it into AI, and I’m saying, based on what Mitch Jackson and I talked about on the podcast, give me a draft.
This method has several advantages:
- Ensures factual accuracy since it’s based on real source material. AI still makes a ton of mistakes though.
- Maintains proper context from the original content
- Provides a foundation for human review and editing
Mitch recommends these tools:
The importance of human oversight
Even when using AI to help write articles based on existing content, human review remains crucial. The trick is I still have to pay attention. I still have to go and read it and say, did Mitch really say that?
Jeff Bullas emphasizes the importance of finding “the middle ground between human creativity and AI assistance.”
Early experiences with AI content creation have revealed significant risks. I saw a case with a lawyer somewhere early on, and they needed precedents. And AI just made up five, and the opposing counsel couldn’t find them because they didn’t exist.
This highlights why blind trust in AI-generated content is dangerous. Human editors need to verify every fact, quote, and reference
To effectively work with AI while maintaining content quality, content creators need to develop new skills:
- How to give AI the right instructions (called “prompt engineering”)
- Understanding how AI works
- Knowing how to keep our own unique voice and style, even when using AI
In my daily work, I use tools like Claude AI, Opus Clips, Otter AI, and Grammarly. Each serves a specific purpose in the content creation process. For example, Grammarly checks writing across different platforms, while Opus Clips helps with short-form videos.
Final thoughts
AI tools will continue to advance, but they’re unlikely to replace human writers completely
AI can be a powerful tool for helping write articles, it works best as an assistant rather than a replacement for human writers and editors. The key is using AI to help process and structure real information while maintaining careful human oversight to ensure accuracy and quality.
“Companies that do their due diligence and think these things through before clicking, swiping or tapping… are going to be positioning themselves for long-term success moving forward,” said Mitch.
Also: While some AI tools might drive short-term results, they won’t establish you as a thought leader in your industry. The future of content lies in combining AI’s capabilities with unique insights, personal stories, and genuine expertise.