If you buy something through our links, ToolGuyd might earn an affiliate commission.
Generative AI has been hyped up for content creation purposes.
A lot of people are now fearmongering, urging that writers and content creators will soon be out of jobs. However, isn’t AI only as good as the examples it’s trained on?
How well does it work for actual content creation?
A new button appeared in the WordPress post editor tool bar – a built-in AI Assistant via the Jetpack plug-in that they say lets users “experience the ease of crafting professional content.”
They invite everyone to “elevate your content” and use an example where the AI assistant can be prompted to “write a blog about the benefits of eating healthy.”
Great. More generic content flooding the internet. I know I can’t be the only one tired of having to cut through a heap of irrelevant background material when researching everything. Not every post needs to be an encyclopedic entry.
I doubt that WordPress’s generative AI assistant can “unlock high-quality tailored content.” Can it really “craft compelling blog posts, detailed pages,” and more?
I played around with it – apparently every WordPress user gets a trail of 20 queries – and thought you’d find the results interesting.
I should emphasize that I intend to NEVER use AI for content generation. It’d be nice if it an AI tool could help with mundane formatting tasks (lists and tables can be time-consuming!), or if WordPress brought back the built-in spellcheck they eliminated a few years ago. But content generation? Not for me.
I selected a passage from this post to pass through different WordPress AI Assist features:
Original written by me:
Milwaukee calls these jobsite scissors, and while I don’t doubt their usefulness in a construction setting, they’re definitely highly versatile, convenient, and well-performing beyond pro usage environments.
AI Humorous Tone Change:
Milwaukee likes to call these bad boys “jobsite scissors,” and let me tell you, they’re not messing around. These scissors are the superheroes of the construction world, but don’t be fooled, they’re not just a one-trick pony. They can do it all with style and grace, making everyone wonder why they haven’t added a pair to their tool collection. These babies are like the Swiss Army knife of scissors – versatile, convenient, and they perform like a pro in any situation. Trust me, these scissors are the real deal, even beyond the realm of professional usage. So, if you’re ready to level up your scissor game, look no further than Milwaukee’s jobsite scissors!
AI Formal Tone Change:
Milwaukee has coined the term “jobsite scissors” to describe these tools. While their functionality in a construction environment is unquestionable, it deserves mention that their versatility, convenience, and exceptional performance extend beyond professional applications.
AI Expand:
Milwaukee refers to these tools as jobsite scissors. Although they are primarily designed for use in construction settings, their versatility, convenience, and exceptional performance make them suitable for a wide range of applications, both in professional and non-professional environments. The usefulness of these scissors extends far beyond their intended purpose, making them an excellent choice for various tasks.
AI Simplify:
Milwaukee refers to these tools as jobsite scissors. Although they are primarily useful in the construction industry, they are also incredibly versatile, convenient, and perform exceptionally well in various professional environments.
AI Summarize:
Milwaukee refers to these scissors as “jobsite scissors”. Although they are undoubtedly useful in construction, they possess qualities that make them versatile, convenient, and suitable for various environments beyond professional usage.
I find it amusing that the AI “simplifies” and “summarizes” my original 27 words into 31.
AI Skeptical Tone Change:
Milwaukee supposedly labels these so-called “jobsite scissors,” and although I must admit they might have some value on construction sites, their alleged versatility, convenience, and exceptional performance beyond professional usage seems quite questionable to me.
AI Informal Tone Change:
Milwaukee calls these jobsite scissors, and let me tell you, they’re not just useful on construction sites. These babies are super versatile, convenient, and perform like champs in all sorts of situations, not just for the pros. They’re seriously awesome!
Let’s try another passage from the same post:
Milwaukee Tool’s scissors are quite possibly the only tool in their entire product catalog that can serve everyone’s needs.
Interestingly, the humorous tone change filter produces a different variation each time it’s used.
Milwaukee Tool’s scissors are like the multi-talented superheroes of their product catalog, capable of fulfilling every single person’s desires. They’re not just any ordinary scissors, oh no! They have the uncanny ability to be the perfect companion for anyone and everyone. It’s as if they possess some kind of magical power that makes them the ultimate tool for every task. So, if you’re in need of a trusty sidekick that can handle everything, look no further than Milwaukee Tool’s incredible scissors!
Milwaukee Tool’s scissors are the rockstars of their product lineup – the ones that can magically cater to everyone’s desires. So, whether you’re a handyman, a DIY enthusiast, or just someone who enjoys the occasional snip-snip, these scissors have got you covered! It’s like they have an uncanny ability to bring joy and laughter to even the most mundane cutting tasks. So go ahead, embrace the power of these super-duper scissors and add some pizzazz to your tool collection!
Milwaukee Tool’s scissors are like the cool kids of their product catalog. They’re like the ultimate multitaskers, ready to tackle whatever job you throw at them. Seriously, these scissors are the real MVPs in the tool world. Need to cut paper? Done. Want to trim some fabric? No problemo! It’s like they have magical powers or something. So, if you’re in need of a tool that can do it all, look no further than Milwaukee Tool’s scissors. They’ll have you saying, “Scissors, you complete me!”
Milwaukee Tool must have been feeling quite generous when they decided to bless us with their magnificent scissors. It’s a rare gem in their vast collection of tools that can bring joy and satisfaction to absolutely everyone. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just a regular Joe looking to snip away, these scissors are here to save the day. Trust me, once you get your hands on these bad boys, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them. Milwaukee Tool, thank you for making the world a snippier and happier place!
Milwaukee Tool, thank you for making the world a snippier and happier place!?
Milwaukee Tool’s scissors are like the superhero of their product catalog! They’re like the Swiss Army Knife of scissors, ready to conquer any cutting challenge with a flick of their blades. Seriously, these scissors are versatile enough to make even a magician jealous. Need to trim some paper? No problem! Snipping through cardboard like butter? Easy peasy! These scissors can do it all, my friend. It’s like they have a PhD in cuttingology. So if you’re searching for a tool that can truly serve everyone’s needs, look no further than Milwaukee Tool’s extraordinary scissors. They’re sharper than a stand-up comedian’s wit and more reliable than a clown car at rush hour. Your cutting tasks will never be the same again!
It’s like they have a PhD in cuttingology…
So… yeah, I’m not worried about AI content generation just yet. “Cuttingology?”
I used to do some freelance work, and saw how editors did kind of the same thing as these generative content creating AIs. They tweaked the tone, added some words, and at times puffed things up. I hated it, because they’d sometimes go too far.
An editor at one online magazine added an expletive to one of my posts. Seriously. They added an expletive and then censored it with special characters.
Another time, an editor modified what I said by putting “cheap” in front of “Festool dust extractor.” I had to remind them that the Festool product costs 10X more than Shop Vacs of comparable capacity, and 5X more than heavy duty wet/dry vacs. “Cheap” is possibly the most inappropriate word to describe Festool products.
I also edited others’ work when I managed a section for a magazine for a while.
Whether my own or others’, there was purpose behind every edit, change, or addition.
In nearly all of these AI content creation and transformation examples, the AI inflated the word count, but seemingly without purpose or function.
There are added superlatives in some examples, and completely fabricated statements in others (who’s talking about cutting paper or cardboard?).
It does a lot of telling – “your cutting tasks will never be the same again!” but doesn’t show anything extra. The additional phrases don’t have supportive roots in the source material.
Although I don’t always succeed at being succinct, I try to eliminate redundancy and fluff, out of respectful of readers’ attention.
Do you read every word of every article? One thing I learned years ago is that most people don’t read online content, they skim. They move through a post and glean what they want. If what they read is interest enough, they might then read things more carefully.
This might be a big assumption, but I’m thinking nobody wants to have to sort through more words. The AI examples above take the points I wanted to make in a direction nobody would want it to go.
Here was my original statement, broken down into parts:
i) Milwaukee calls these jobsite scissors
ii) I don’t doubt their usefulness in a construction setting
iii) they’re definitely highly versatile, convenient, and well-performing beyond pro usage environments.
Here’s one of the AI rewrites:
Milwaukee likes to call these bad boys “jobsite scissors,” and let me tell you, they’re not messing around. These scissors are the superheroes of the construction world, but don’t be fooled, they’re not just a one-trick pony. They can do it all with style and grace, making everyone wonder why they haven’t added a pair to their tool collection. These babies are like the Swiss Army knife of scissors – versatile, convenient, and they perform like a pro in any situation. Trust me, these scissors are the real deal, even beyond the realm of professional usage. So, if you’re ready to level up your scissor game, look no further than Milwaukee’s jobsite scissors!
Is this a more entertaining way of putting it? Yes. Is it coherent? Yes. But is it better than what I wrote? Which would you rather read?
Milwaukee calls these jobsite scissors, and while I don’t doubt their usefulness in a construction setting, they’re definitely highly versatile, convenient, and well-performing beyond pro usage environments.
27 words vs 112?
I’ll admit, the AI rewrite sounds more convincing at the surface, but it does this by using clichés and generic phrasing. Replace “scissors” in many of the AI content with “cordless drill” or “screwdriver” and it reads the same.
I keep hearing stories about how AI is helping people get their resumes seen by hiring managers. People are writing entire books with AI-generated content.
Hypothetically, are there ways AI text editing could help me? Maybe. Realistically as things are now? Definitely not.
I can see AI content generators pulling generic marketing copy together from a series of keywords or bullet points. But it’s not automatically going to know what’s important to convey, or why.
It won’t be long before readers notice patterns and reject generic-sounding content.
Will AI content generators be popular? Absolutely. Will they be useful? I honestly don’t think so.
Do I have anything to worry about? Sure.
Every newspaper and magazine has flooded Google search engine results with “best tool buying guides” that simply regurgitate from Amazon’s bestseller’s charts. A lot of them read as if the “content expert” author never held a tool in their lives. And, they republish on a rolling basis so as to give Google a false sense of “freshness.” That has created a lot of competition for new visitors’ attention.
This has happened in nearly every industry, where mass media websites churn out list after list of bestsellers for any and every type of product.
AI is likely going to make those mass media “buying guides” and “reviews” sound a bit less uninformed.
But can it replace my efforts? I really don’t think so.
One thing is certain – the next few years are going to get very interesting as all this AI stuff gets sorted out.
