Garbage in = garbage out

Why AI is a valuable tool in capable hands, and useless in incapable hands.

“I apologise for providing incorrect information earlier. The correct information is that …. ”

If you haven’t seen a message like this before, then you haven’t been using AI for content production. Or worse: You have, and you have willingly accepted all the information that AI has provided you with.

If that’s the case, then shame on you!

AI is a powerful tool in capable hands, but worthless in incapable hands. If you ask AI to write a novel in the style of Sherlock Holmes or compose a song in the early or late Beatles style, it is perfectly capable of doing so. However, it won't be an actual Sherlock Holmes story or a Beatles song; in fact, it won't even be proper intellectual property. But it will certainly come close.

Writing high-quality content with AI, on the other hand, is a different story. The main reason for this is that it requires deep insights to know exactly what information to include and what to exclude.

Garbage in = garbage out.

The problem with content is that it must be true. This poses a challenge for a tool that fabricates its own truths based on randomly gathered information. To achieve high-quality (and true!) output, you need to be extremely precise with your input and instructions to your digital assistant. If your instructions are vague, the output will easily become a chaotic mixture of facts, assumptions, and outright lies - all presented as the most polished piece of content ever.

"You can gift wrap a piece of shit and it's still a piece of shit." (David Finkel)

The current situation in content sharing environments such as LinkedIn resembles what happened when graphic design suddenly became accessible to everyone, and people without the slightest graphic design skills started creating posters and presentations that should never have seen the light of day. The difference, however, is that those amateurish acts of graphic design were blatantly obvious to everyone. AI-generated content will look professional no matter how terrible it is.

AI is a voracious beast that will consume and process everything in its path if it isn't given precise instructions. This means that it is not a tool that will do the job for you. It is a tool that can assist you in doing your job, if you know how to use it.

Just because AI enables you to produce massive amounts of content doesn't mean you should do so. Who needs all this valueless junk content? Or all these fabricated first-person perspectives that mislead?

For the love of God, act like a professional and put an end to this madness. If you have no knowledge about the subject you are tasked to write content about, please refrain from asking AI to write on your behalf. The result may seem impressive to you, but in the eyes of your audience, it will appear ridiculous and cause your company to lose all credibility.