That's a question I get a lot — when AI-generated texts are so efficient, why should my brand still employ human copywriters?

So, let me make my case here for human-written content:

  • AI content is efficient but lacks the emotional connection human writers provide.
  • Human writers are better at maintaining brand identity with consistent on-brand messaging.
  • AI can produce biased or inaccurate content, risking brand credibility.
  • Authenticity and creativity in storytelling are stronger in human-generated content.

Brands and companies are increasingly drawn to the efficiency of AI-generated content.

However, while AI tools like Chat-GPT can generate text quickly and optimize for SEO, there is a compelling case for prioritizing human-written content to truly engage audiences, build brand loyalty, and deliver lasting value.

What Does the Research Say?

As excitement around generative AI wanes, some brands are reconsidering its use in marketing due to its potential pitfalls.

Some companies have adopted strict anti-AI policies in their advertising to avoid ethical missteps.

However, agencies face pressure to embrace AI for efficiency, leading to tensions between cost-cutting and quality.

Several studies highlight that AI-generated content can excel in specific technical aspects, such as search engine optimization (SEO).

Advanced AI tools are adept at analyzing search patterns, identifying trending keywords, and producing content that aligns with search engine algorithms.

However, while AI is efficient at producing SEO-driven content, it often lacks the ability to engage readers meaningfully.

In research conducted by Proofed, AI-generated content was found to be effective for scaling large amounts of data and improving search visibility.

But it struggled to match the creativity and authenticity of human-written content when it came to long-term engagement.

Google's algorithms now also prioritize "helpful content" created with human readers in mind.

In other words, content that is simply stuffed with keywords may not perform as well over time compared to content that provides real value, which is an area where human-written content has a strong advantage.

As Google's own guidelines state, content that demonstrates expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (E-A-T) will typically rank higher, and this is more easily achieved through human-written, deeply researched pieces.

Here's why human-generated content still holds a critical advantage over AI in content creation:

1. Authenticity and Emotional Resonance

One of the primary shortcomings of AI-generated content is its inability to really convey emotion and authenticity — both crucial elements in brand storytelling.

AI algorithms can analyze existing data and churn out content that mimics human language, but they fail to capture the emotional intelligence necessary to connect deeply with readers.

Human writers, on the other hand, understand the nuances of emotion and context.

They can infuse humor, empathy, and subtle cultural cues, making the content more relatable and engaging for target audiences.

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Iconic brands like Nike and Coca-Cola rely on emotionally-driven campaigns to create powerful connections with their audiences.

These brands often use storytelling techniques to evoke specific feelings such as inspiration or nostalgia.

AI struggles with these emotional layers, often producing generic content that lacks personality.

2. Brand Identity and Personalization

Human-written content also excels at building and maintaining a consistent brand identity.

A strong brand voice is more than just words — it's a reflection of the company's values, culture, and unique positioning in the market.

Skilled human writers craft content that speaks directly to the target audience while staying true to a brand’s distinct tone and voice.

They create narratives that resonate on a personal level and tailor messaging to various customer personas, which AI-generated content struggles to replicate.

AI-generated content, however sophisticated, often falls short in delivering a distinct tone of voice, resulting in generic, formulaic text that lacks the uniqueness needed to differentiate a brand.

This is where human writers shine — they can masterfully adapt their writing to reflect a brand’s identity and maintain consistency across all content types.

How Writitude Solves the Generic AI Content Problem?

Writitude bridges the gap between AI content generation and the unique needs of brands.

It is designed to help brands maintain a consistent tone of voice across all their content, whether written by humans or generated by AI.

It automates the process of tone verification and rewriting prompts, ensuring that every piece of content aligns with a brand's unique guidelines and style.

The platform allows users to define custom writing guides that can be fine-tuned with over 100 parameters, covering all aspects of brand tone and style.

This ensures that content remains on-brand and error-free, regardless of the number of writers (or machines) involved.

Writitude provides real-time feedback, flagging inconsistencies in the tone or style of any text, and offers precise rewriting suggestions to correct deviations.

Writitude's ability to enhance both human and AI-generated content makes it invaluable for both corporations with large and disperse PR and marketing teams and for companies without a dedicated PR department or copywriting resources at all.

3. Nuance, Creativity, and Storytelling

While AI can handle large volumes of data and churn out vast amounts of content quickly, it falls short when it comes to creativity and nuance.

Human writers are inherently better at developing original ideas, weaving in storytelling elements, and creating content that is not just informative but also entertaining.

AI-generated content tends to follow predictable patterns, often relying on existing information and rehashing similar themes, which can lead to dull and repetitive output.

Brands like LEGO have mastered the art of creative storytelling, often launching entire campaigns centered around imaginative narratives that capture both the minds and hearts of their audience. In contrast, AI struggles to deliver this type of innovation.

As noted by Marx Communications, while AI-generated content may be adequate for tasks like basic product descriptions or SEO optimization, it often lacks the depth and originality that makes human-written content so compelling.

4. SEO vs. Long-Term Engagement

SEO optimization is THE area where AI-generated content may seem superior. AI tools can quickly analyze search trends and keywords, producing content optimized for search engines.

However, while AI content might perform well in the short term, the right question for me is whether it builds long-term audience engagement.

Google's algorithm increasingly favors human-centered, helpful content that provides value beyond just keyword stuffing.

Google's ranking systems are designed to recognize authentic, human-driven content that offers real solutions to users' needs.

For example, brands like HubSpot, which rely heavily on inbound marketing, thrive because they provide highly informative, human-written content that genuinely addresses user concerns.

5. Ethical and Brand Risk Considerations

The rise of AI-generated content also brings significant ethical concerns, especially regarding misinformation, bias, and brand safety.

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AI models are trained on vast amounts of data scraped from the internet, which can include problematic sources laden with bias, stereotypes, or outdated information.

These biases can easily find their way into AI-generated text, leading to unintended discriminatory content.

In contrast, human writers can apply ethical judgment and fact-checking skills, ensuring that brand messaging remains accurate, responsible, and inclusive.

A well-documented case highlighting AI's vulnerability to producing biased or discriminatory content involved GPT-3, one of the largest language models developed by OpenAI.

Despite its ability to generate sophisticated language, GPT-3 was found to produce biased outputs when prompted with certain topics.

These issues arose because the model had been trained on large datasets that inevitably contained prejudices present in public discourse.

This created potential brand safety issues for companies that adopted AI tools without fully understanding the risk of biased outputs.

An older, but no less cautionary high-profile case of AI-generated content gone wrong is the incident involving Microsoft’s AI chatbot, Tay, which quickly became infamous for generating offensive and discriminatory tweets after interacting with users on Twitter.

Tay was designed to learn from human interactions, but in less than 24 hours, the bot began spouting racist, misogynistic, and conspiracy-laden remarks, leading to its swift shutdown.

You may say that Tay was just an early example of an AI model behaving unpredictably, yet it underscores the importance of human oversight in content creation.

The risk of AI-generated content being flagged as low-quality or harmful by both readers and platforms also cannot be overlooked.

For example, Google's BERT algorithm, which focuses on ranking content based on natural language understanding, has been programmed to prioritize "helpful content."

AI-generated articles that lack depth or originality, or worse, contain biased information, are increasingly likely to be flagged as irrelevant or harmful.

This not only lowers a brand's SEO rankings but can also erode trust with consumers, who expect accurate and thoughtful content.

Moreover, the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI-generated content extend beyond mere biases — there are concerns about misinformation. Without the ability to comprehend facts or the evolving nature of real-world events, AI may unintentionally generate outdated or incorrect information.

This poses a severe risk in industries where accuracy is paramount, such as healthcare, finance, or legal services.

Even with all the “human error” risks accounted, human writers, equipped with contextual understanding and critical thinking skills, are far better positioned to ensure content accuracy, preventing a brand from disseminating misinformation that could lead to reputational damage or legal consequences.

6. Building Trust Through Human Connection

Trust is a critical factor in brand-consumer relationships, and content is a major vehicle for establishing that trust.

AI-generated content often lacks the empathy and understanding needed to build this trust. In contrast, human-written content can adapt to sensitive topics, address customer concerns with care, and respond to feedback in a meaningful way.

Customer-facing brands should prioritize authentic, human-driven communication to foster transparency and build long-term trust with their audience.

Whether they are communicating their sustainability efforts or responding to crises, it makes sense to rely on human writers to carefully craft messages that reflect your brand’s values and connect with your audience on a personal level.

Conclusion: Go for The Hybrid Approach

While AI has its place in content marketing — particularly for time-sensitive tasks like drafting and SEO optimization — the best strategy for brands is to combine the strengths of both human and AI-generated content.

AI can handle data-heavy tasks and produce first drafts, while human writers refine that content to align with brand identity, ensure emotional resonance, and maintain creativity and authenticity.

The best results come from leveraging AI's efficiency while preserving the irreplaceable human touch that builds lasting brand connections.

While AI can be a valuable tool for efficiency, it cannot replace the human ability to shape and refine brand tone in a way that reflects a brand's personality.

Brands that rely on human creativity and tone automation tools like Writitude to maintain their voice will continue to stand out in a sea of generic, AI-generated content.

In a world where content is increasingly automated, the brands that stand out will be the ones that invest in human creativity and the art of storytelling.

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