Artificial intelligence is all the rage. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about it with either enthusiastic optimism, skepticism or something in between. But there’s an interesting aspect here that’s worth exploring: AI isn’t that new — so why all the hubbub? And why now?
I’m going to start with a brief history of AI — just for funsies — before diving into more contemporary examples of tools that have been using AI for a hot minute. Afterward, I think it’ll be good to reflect on a few common reservations people have when it comes to AI for marketing to parse out whether they’re valid or not, and to maybe understand where they’re coming from.
But let’s jet back to 1950 for a minute.
A Very Brief History of AI
Alan Turing, an English mathematician and computer scientist, published Computing Machinery and Intelligence in 1950. Many cite his paper as one of the first introductions to the at-the-time abstract idea of machines able to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.
Just six years later in 1956, John McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Nathaniel Rochester and Claude Shannon — often called the founding fathers of AI — coined the term “artificial intelligence” during a Dartmouth Workshop.
Some 70+ years into the future, I bet these founding folks wouldn’t be that surprised to learn just how much AI has proliferated.
Contemporary Uses of AI In Common Marketing Practices and Tools
Here’s something to chew on: Search engine optimization is a discipline that’s directly focused on how humans communicate and work within the limitations of the robots that impact our daily lives. And AI has been an important part of said robots for years.
Take Google, for example. They folded RankBrain into their algorithms back in 2015, with BERT and MUM following in subsequent years. RankBrain came about nearly 10 years ago, which is a machine-learning-based algorithm that helps Google deliver more relevant search results to users.
Now, I’m sure it got a lot of press attention when it was announced, particularly in the SEO and content marketing spheres. But I’d be hard-pressed to believe that this particular use of AI received as much attention as the technology generates today.
Actually, let’s just look at Google Trends for the term “artificial intelligence”:
The topic exploded in 2022 and is currently at an all-time high, even though popular tools have employed AI since before the OpenAI and ChatGPT shockwave that rocked the internet. Why all the hype now?
Well, it’s probably because this is the most innovative the tech has arguably ever been and people are perceiving it as a threat to their livelihood. If it replaces our jobs, what are we left to do? It’s not wrong to be worried, but it’s also so, so right to be optimistic!
So, let’s bring some common worries back down to Earth and ground ourselves for a second.
Exploring Contemporary Reservations About AI In Marketing
These days, it seems as though marketers can’t get enough AI. But there are still a few reservations people have about automation in marketing that I want to answer:
- If everyone is creating AI content, won’t all content be unoriginal?
- Does original content even matter anymore if AI engines are producing the output?
- If search engines produce their own AI-generated content, is SEO dead?
The Google Trends dashboard shows it: Even when breakthroughs in AI were happening 10 years ago, people weren’t as interested and certainly didn’t seem to be catastrophizing the future of the internet. Maybe because accessible AI is smarter than it was back then; however, I think it’s important to bring some calm back to the conversation. So let’s explore some answers.
If Everyone Is Creating AI Content, Won’t All Content Be Unoriginal?
The rise of AI-generated content raises valid concerns about originality and redundancy. If everyone relies on AI to produce content, the risk of saturation and unoriginality increases.
But the short answer to this question is: only if you choose to make it that way! Yes, generative AI essentially smashes information together from around the internet, which is mostly generic. Worse, without careful consideration, using content a generative AI bot provides word for word could wind up being plagiarism.
However, I refuse to believe the internet is destined for unoriginality. You have the power (and arguably the obligation) to proof and edit generative AI’s output. Just going that extra step to fact-check, cross reference and imbue voice into your AI-assisted pieces gives them back the originality they would otherwise have if you wrote them from scratch.
Here are a few things that humans can offer readers that AI cannot:
- Personal Experiences and Anecdotes: AI cannot replicate unique, lived experiences or personal stories.
- Original Research and Data: Businesses and individuals conducting surveys, experiments or creating proprietary data will always produce content that stands out.
- Niche Expertise: Content rooted in deep knowledge of a subject can provide perspectives and value that AI may not capture.
Does Original Content Even Matter Anymore if AI Engines Are Producing the Output?
Yes, of course! Originality matters. And arguably now more than ever. Now that AI search is here, we must be the source of new information by being the authority on a topic.
AI models generate output by learning patterns from existing data. They do not create truly new ideas or information but synthesize and reformulate what’s already available. This makes original content the fuel that powers AI.
Without original insights, research or perspectives, AI content becomes repetitive and shallow. So, creating new, authoritative content ensures you remain a trusted source that AI engines and users will reference.
If Search Engines Produce Their Own AI-Generated Content, Is SEO Dead?
No, of course not! People will still search, and engines will still need content sources. Though I don’t believe SEO will die, I do think it’s transforming; converging with AI in a way where marketers need to adapt.
For example, AI-generated summaries and direct answers are replacing some traditional search results, especially for informational queries. Users may not click through to websites as often when answers are presented directly within the search engine interface (e.g., featured snippets, knowledge panels or conversational AI chatboxes).
However, search engines still rely on high-quality, well-optimized content to power their AI models. Websites that provide trustworthy, authoritative and fresh content will remain valuable for the foreseeable future. E-E-A-T principles (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) will become more critical as AI systems prioritize reliable information.
Here are a few tips as we navigate this transformation:
- Optimize content for high-intent keywords that AI is less likely to fully address.
- Users will begin turning to websites for detailed reviews, niche expertise or community-generated insights that AI lacks, so try to grow content for “experiential” searches like these.
- Work on building your brand authority to drive direct traffic.
Will AI change how we approach content? Sure. But the foundation of great content marketing remains the same: Quality always wins.
It’s Business As Usual
The seemingly sudden proliferation of AI tools might feel a bit futuristic at the moment, but if you ask me, this is business as usual. Google will continue to do what it always does (innovate search), which means we’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing: Ideate and create content for our customers that is high-quality and original. That’s ultimately what content marketing is all about — creating value — not stressing about how technology will change the future.
If that doesn’t put your mind at ease, maybe this will: Socrates (yes, the philosopher) feared that new technology of “writing” would lead to memory loss. Tech is always scary at first, and then it isn’t.
