San Francisco-based developer OpenAI, creators of DALL·E 2, a hugely popular AI art generation tool, and Whisper, an automatic speech recognition tool, launched their latest AI project, ChatGPT, in November 2022, and it has quickly become the newest buzzword in advertising and marketing.
It is little wonder we are seeing more and more discussion about AI-created content in the media, given that CEO Sam Altman claims ChatGPT attracted more than one million users in its first 24 hours!
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is one of a number of new natural language processing (NLP) tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve content creation and let people talk to chatbots in a way that seems natural and personalised.
The complex and ever-evolving language models that power these innovative tools can help with various projects, such as writing emails, essays, and code. It can also be used to find new drugs and materials, among other exciting things.
ChatGPT is still in the early stages of development, so OpenAI is actively looking for user feedback and has made the tool available to the public for free, at least for now.
What is Generative AI, and how does it work?
Generative AI refers to the use of artificial intelligence algorithms to generate new data that resembles existing data.
It can generate new images, music, text, or any other type of data based on the patterns and structures learned from existing data.
This is typically done through use of deep neural networks, such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) or Variational Autoencoders (VAEs).
These algorithms learn to generate new data by analysing and mimicking the features and patterns in the training data. The generated data can then be used for various applications, such as creating realistic virtual environments, synthesising new content, or generating creative content.
How can ChatGPT be used for digital marketing?
ChatGPT can be used for digital marketing in several ways:
1
Chatbots
ChatGPT can be used to help develop more 'human-like' conversational chatbots that interact directly with customer queries to provide them with information or advice about products or services.
2
Customer Service
ChatGPT can be integrated directly into websites and social media platforms to provide instant customer support.
3
Content Creation
ChatGPT can generate engaging and informative product descriptions, social media posts, and blog articles.
4
Personalised recommendations
ChatGPT can be trained on customer data to provide personalised product or service recommendations based on their interests and preferences.
5
Data analysis
ChatGPT can analyse customer feedback and provide insights to improve your digital marketing strategy.
These are but a few of the many possible applications of this nascent technology; the true measure of the impact on the business world of tools such as ChatGPT will be determined by how companies choose to adopt and make use of it.
Benefits of using ChatGPT for creating digital marketing content
As a language model AI, here are the potential benefits of using ChatGPT for creating content for online marketing:
Speed and efficiency
ChatGPT can quickly generate high-quality content, saving time and resources for marketers.
Consistency
ChatGPT can provide consistent messaging, tone of voice, and style across different channels, helping to maintain brand identity.
Personalisation
ChatGPT can create personalised content for different target audiences based on their preferences, behaviours, and demographics.
Diversification
ChatGPT can generate different types of content, such as blogs, articles, social media posts, emails and more.
Cost-effectiveness
ChatGPT can reduce the cost of content creation compared to hiring human writers or editors.
Scalability
ChatGPT can generate a large amount of content in a short period of time, making it easy to scale up campaigns as needed.
Multi-language support
ChatGPT can generate different types of content, such as blogs, articles, social media posts, emails and more.
Limitations of using ChatGPT for creating digital marketing content
As a language model AI, ChatGPT has some limitations when it comes to creating content for online marketing:
1. Lack of Creativity
ChatGPT can generate content based on input and existing data, but it may lack the ability to come up with new and innovative ideas.
2. Lack of human touch
The content generated by ChatGPT may not have the personal touch and human emotions that are important for engaging with the audience.
3. Quality control
Although the content generated by ChatGPT is of good quality, there may be errors or inaccuracies that can lead to misinformation and impact the brand's reputation.
4. Lack of understanding context
ChatGPT may not fully understand the cultural and social context, which can lead to insensitive or inappropriate content.
5. Limited knowledge
ChatGPT is only as knowledgeable as the data it has been trained on. If the data is outdated or limited, the content generated may not be accurate or relevant.
6. Duplicated content
While ChatGPT responds directly to individual queries, it uses a vast body of preexisting online content for that response; therefore, how unique and original the output it provides will vary. Because Google penalises duplicated content from ranking in searches, ChatGPT users will need to double-check before publishing AI-generated content to make sure it does not appear in the same, or a too similar, format on another site.
7. Unreliable access
Because ChatGPT is still in development, it is currently available free to the public; however, there are limits on the number of users OpenAI's server can handle, and when that limit is reached, you will receive the following "We're currently processing too many requests. Please try again later." With all the hype around the tool, access can be very limited.
What are the ethical issues of using ChatGPT?
As a language model created by OpenAI, ChatGPT operates within the ethical boundaries set by this company; however, there are some ethical issues to consider when using this technology:
1
Bias and discrimination
ChatGPT, like any AI language model, has been trained to respond on a large corpus of text taken from the internet and therefore has the potential to reflect human biases and perpetuate discriminatory attitudes.
2
Misinformation
ChatGPT produces content based on prompts but has no way of verifying the information it provides, meaning it could inadvertently spread false or misleading information.
3
Privacy and data protection
ChatGPT collects data from users, and it is unclear how this data is stored, used, and shared. This raises questions about the privacy and security of user data.
4
Social and emotional impact
ChatGPT can have a significant impact on people's emotional and social well-being, especially if it is used to engage in malicious behaviour such as bullying, hate speech, or spreading false information.
5
Employment and job displacement
As AI language models like ChatGPT become more advanced, they have the potential to automate certain tasks, leading to job displacement for human workers.
It is important to use ChatGPT and other AI language models responsibly and with consideration for the potential ethical implications of the technology.
Overall, ChatGPT seems to have great potential as a useful tool for creating content, but it should be used with human oversight to make sure the content is high quality and fits with the brand's goals and messaging.
A couple of examples of ChatGPT in action
To kick the proverbial tyres on this tool, I decided to ask ChatGPT to write a couple of simple, everyday digital marketing tasks (the responses are below), and I also asked the AI to write the conclusion to this blog post, which I have used to end this article, verbatim and without editing.
Me: Write me a Facebook ad for a digital marketing agency
ChatGPT: "Attract More Customers with Proven Digital Marketing Strategies! Our agency specialises in boosting your online presence and driving traffic to your website. Say goodbye to ineffective ad campaigns and hello to increased sales and conversions. Let us help your business thrive in the digital world. Contact us today for a free consultation!"
Me: Write me a welcome email for a local beauty spa
ChatGPT: "Subject: Welcome to [Spa Name] - Experience Ultimate Relaxation
Dear [Customer Name],
We are thrilled to welcome you to [Spa Name], your local beauty spa, for a luxurious spa experience. We understand that life can be stressful, and our goal is to provide you with an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Our spa is designed to rejuvenate, relax, and refresh your mind, body, and soul.
At [Spa Name], we offer a wide range of treatments and services to meet your individual needs, from facials, massages, and body treatments to nail services and more. Our expert therapists are dedicated to ensuring that you receive the highest level of customer service and satisfaction.
In addition to our spa services, we also have a relaxing lounge area where you can sit back, enjoy a cup of tea, and unwind after your treatment. Our lounge is the perfect place to connect with friends or simply enjoy some quiet time.
We are passionate about creating an enjoyable and peaceful environment for our customers, and we invite you to book your appointment today and experience the ultimate in relaxation and pampering.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Warm regards,
[Spa Name] Team"
Will ChatGPT make human content creators redundant?
There is no doubt about it; from just doing the research for this blog, it is clear that ChatGPT is going to be a very useful tool for content creators and forward-thinking companies that actively employ this technology.
Chat-based AI has been in use for a while now, but I believe ChatGPT will help businesses and individuals get more done by automating mundane tasks and reducing response times by programming their own customer service chatbots with its preprogrammed answers, and ChatGPT's human-like learning will likely encourage more interesting interactions, which will improve customer engagement.
When it comes to the use of ChatGPT for copywriting and marketing content creation, I don't see it completely kicking us humans to the curb.
After all, it's just a tool, and for it to work, it needs a human user to ask well-thought-out questions that give the AI enough information to come up with a good answer. Creativity is a special human trait that enables us to come up with fresh concepts and ideas. While AI can be taught to come up with novel concepts, it still lacks the ability to produce truly original work on par with that of a human.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to help with creative tasks like coming up with new works of art, writing, or music, but it can't fully replace the human element of creativity.
Rather than taking our jobs, I believe these Generative AI tools will increase the amount of output we can deliver in less time.
From my initial appraisal, ChatGPT appears to be a great tool for assisting content writers with basic structures, vocabulary, etc., but it still needs human intelligence to vet the content output to ensure it is appropriate, accurate, free of duplicate content, and of grammatical and spelling errors.
Conclusion
Me: Write me a conclusion to my blog post on why ChatGPT is a helpful tool for online marketing
ChatGPT: "In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool for online marketing. With its advanced AI technology, it offers a unique opportunity for businesses to engage with customers in a personalised and conversational manner. ChatGPT can automate customer service and help with lead generation, improving the overall customer experience. By using this technology, businesses can save time and resources while increasing their reach and impact on the market. In a world where technology is constantly changing and evolving, ChatGPT is a valuable asset for businesses looking to stay ahead of the curve and enhance their online marketing strategies."
Please note that in this unedited, AI-generated conclusion, the text has the American spelling of personalised, and there are two instances of duplicate content.
