Contents

• Introduction
• 1. Content Based on Your Experience
• 2. Content that Expresses Your Opinion
• 3. Content That Makes You An Expert On The Topic
• 4. Content Where The Creation Process Connects You to People
• 5. Content That Felt Better Because You Created It Yourself
• About the Author
• Need Help?

Introduction

Generative AI is taking the world by storm, and content creators are holding on to their hats for a wild ride ahead. My social media feeds are flooded with information about what kind of content these new AI tools can write for me. So I thought it might be interesting to look at the other side of the coin. Here are five kinds of content that AI can’t write for you…

1. Content Based on Your Experience

The first type of content that AI can’t create for you is content drawn from your own lived experience. Everyone has a different background, and a different mix of things that make them who they are today. That gives each person a unique “signature” for their work – their own specific blend of experiences, and a vantage point from which to view the topic at hand. Content created by one person is going to come from a slightly different angle than content created by another person (or AI).

2. Content that Expresses Your Opinion

No matter how hard an AI tries, it can’t express your opinion for you. Now you may be a prolific writer, with lots of your work available online. In that case, an AI could easily summarise things you’ve said before. But your voice – your way of viewing the matter at hand – in the current moment – and your ability to put that out into the public sphere, bringing together everything you have been realising lately – that privilege (and responsibility) belongs to only one person – you.

3. Content That Makes You An Expert On The Topic

We all know that it takes a lot less effort to have AI write an article for you. But when AI does the heavy lifting, there’s a lot less of something else too – and that’s the learning that you go through to see the article come to fruition. Reading an article that AI produces may give you a fairly good understanding of a certain topic – but imagine how much deeper you could have explored the issues at hand if you had written the article yourself? Especially if you knew that other people would read whatever it is you write?

Writing an article yourself is a valuable experience, because you become familiar with the topic at hand – not by consuming a tidy piece of writing in its final form, but by walking the messy, uncertain path you take to produce it yourself. You become familiar with the dead-ends, struggles, mysteries and challenges inherent to that topic. And that places you in a whole different position than someone who merely knows the rational final answer, especially if it’s human beings that use your products or services (whose choices may be far from rational).

4. Content Where The Creation Process Connects You to People

In the process of writing this article, I read out an early draft to a couple of people. They told me which parts of the article were confusing. One person shared a story from their childhood. Opinions were shared. They talked about topics that mattered to them. And I got to know them a bit better in the process. Yes, it helped me edit my article. But it also did something for our friendships. Some content creation involves interviewing guests. Other content creation can involve group or panel discussions. All of this kind of thing connects us to people, helping us to learn something new, have our perspectives challenged, make new business contacts, or even make a new friend.

5. Content That Felt Better Because You Created It Yourself

I remember as a child visiting a museum, and seeing a pianola (also known as a “player piano”) for the first time – an upright piano, equipped with some sort of hydraulic equipment, that could play songs all by itself. I sat entranced, watching as a piece of paper with little holes, representing notes, moved through the workings of the piano, and, as if played by invisible hands, the keys pressed down by themselves, and a song began to play. I left the museum in wonder, with one question in my mind: “If pianos can play themselves now, why would anyone use a normal piano, ever again?”

As we all know, in the years following the invention of the pianola, normal pianos, the kind you need to play yourself, became obsolete. People didn’t keep pianos in their homes anymore, or enjoy playing them with their families, in bands, for concerts, or for competitions. Kids stopped learning how to play, and normal pianos became a thing of the past. Oh wait. That didn’t happen.

About the Author

As a UX Designer, I have a keen interest in the intersection between people and technology. Along with everyone else, I’ve been tinkering with AI. As a startup founder, I create content all the time, and I’m interested to see what unfolds in this space. Before working in the UX Design field, I studied Software Engineering (Masters) including formal study around AI + creativity.

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