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Why AI-generated text needs human proofreading
We’ve all seen them in our inboxes and social media feeds – maybe even in the blogs (and other content) we read: blatant AI insults.
Often generic or completely off-brand (and boring, like iceberg lettuce). And sometimes downright strange – think the content equivalent of Brussels sprouts ice cream. It may be technically good for you, but no one wants it.
You know what I’m talking about. Words like “immerse” or “embark.” And phrases like “it is important to take into account” or “to navigate the complexity”.
Yes, they are real words and phrases. But what average person says something like that – especially in a friendly conversation?
“I can spy on an AI-generated piece of content from a mile away,” says Jason Hunt, author of Drop the Mic Marketing: How to Find Your Social Media Voice. “And a lot of it comes from some of these words.”
Check out this video from his recent presentation, “The Marketer’s Guide to AI-Powered Content Strategies: From Insight to Action,” where he lists the most common chat GPT violations:
These overused words and phrases are just one reason AI-generated texts don’t have this I don’t know what I need– a unique one human Voice that can calm people and make them feel like you understand their needs and wants. Jason says one of the “big problems you’re going to get when using AI, and Chat GPT in particular, is the loss of the human touch."
But AI brings so many benefits, you say. Speed, for example. New perspectives, for another. Plus personalization at scale.
So do you let AI take the wheel and double the efficiency gains while settling for often predictable – and clunky – results? Or are you focusing on reader empathy and human connection but potentially losing the speed of campaign delivery that your competitors are increasingly seeking?
The solution could be to use a hybrid AI-human workflow. Jason recommends such an approach based on a study he and his team at Merged Media published in the Journal of Brand Strategy: “We found that human copywriters achieved higher click-through rates and lower costs. In most scenarios, human-generated text outperformed AI—nine out of twelve cases for cost-effectiveness and five out of twelve cases for click-through rate.”
Diploma? At least today, AI can’t live without you.
And this hybrid AI + human approach means You are now an editor. Generative content needs your love and critical eye.
“The nuanced understanding and creative skills of human marketers are critical to compelling copy. AI can create designs efficiently, but human expertise is essential for final edits and improvements. So don’t just take the chat GPT content literally and copy and paste it.” Save time… Use the human aspect, the human element, and tweak the copy to make it better says Jason.
Step one on your hybrid journey? Use AI to write a first draft. You’ll get better results if you create a custom GPT and train it to a specific persona and brand voice, but your favorite LLM or AI writing software will do.
Then grab your (figurative) red pen, hone your editing skills, and give it a good, thorough cleaning. Add a sensitive touch. Reframe aggressive sales messages to appeal to your audience’s experience. And solidify everything in your brand voice.
“Use AI for initial drafts and human creativity for refinement,” he says.
And do everyone a favor and eliminate the words and phrases that real people never actually say. We don’t want to read them anymore.
Next, test and refine it in real experiments. You may need to edit more or less to maximize lead generation and conversion and achieve cost-saving results.
Finally, once you find your ideal hybrid AI and human sweet spot, it’s time to iterate. And this is another great time to use AI to increase efficiency, whether you want to deliver short-form content like social ads or long-form assets like personalized materials for account-based marketing (ABM) at scale. (Check out the MarketingProfs AI Tools directory for some great writing-specific AI tools to help accomplish this.)
However, don’t forget to include a final pass of proofreading in your workflow before publishing.
This hybrid method “combines the speed and scalability of AI with the emotion and contextual relevance of human input,” says Jason. Ultimately, your editing skills are critical to “optimized engagement and economic efficiency.”
If you want more details on Jason and his team’s recent methodology and results of the showdown between AI and human copywriters, as well as a list of some of his favorite AI tools, check out his full presentation, “AI for Demand Gen Marketers.”
Additional resources from the AI for Demand Gen Marketers series.
Can AI save you from the marketing inferno?
Using AI throughout the entire customer journey requires coordination across teams
Use AI to build your personas: Don’t lose sight of your real buyers
AI can’t write thought leadership (but it can do something else)
Your AI needs a human editor