Balancing AI content with strategic human content

We’re in the age of AI, well that’s how it feels. New tools designed to save us time are popping up all over the place. They offer a shiny, new way of working that’s in our benefit…..right? 

To me, we need to take AI with a pinch of salt. There are some amazing things about it but there are other areas which need to be treated with caution, one of those areas is writing content. That’s because there’s only so much a machine can do, to write truly effective, impactful content we need to use our human side - emotion, empathy, subtleties, they’re all key writing tools which AI can’t replicate.

That’s why when we’re planning our content strategies we need to look at how we make the most of AI but balance that against our heavy hitting, impactful human created content.

There’s a time and a place for AI

As a content writer I have a love, hate relationship with AI. I love what it can do and the possibilities but I hate the boring, sameness of what it creates. I use Perplexity (or Plexy as I refer to her) all the time. It’s my go-to for meal plans, shopping lists, travel itineraries, bouncing ideas around, breaking that blank page. But when it comes to writing my content, I still do that. 

I firmly believe that there’s a time and a place for AI. But it’s down to us to consciously determine where that time and place is. 

The trap we can so easily fall into is AI being our default. Let’s face it, we’re all a little bit lazy and if there’s a shortcut in front of us, chances are we’ll take it. That might be ok in the short term but over time you’ll lose creativity and your content is going to plateau. 

A quick AI lesson

All AI models like Chat GPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini are trained on a set of data or a large language model (LLM). That means anything it researches, writes or uncovers comes from that data set. For users it means that there will come a point where there’s no creativity, no original thought. Everything becomes the same. It also means if there’s anything missing in that LLM chances are your AI buddy will make something up to plug the gap. 

AI isn’t an endless font of knowledge, it’s based entirely on what’s fed into it, biases and all. 

Let’s be realistic…

In my ideal world we’d all have all the time we needed to ponder every word and sentence, creating dreamy content that converts every single time. But I’m a realist. 

Time is short, pressure is high, sometimes you just need to get stuff done. That’s where AI tools come into their own. If you can automate something that used to take you 45-minutes, amazing. Do that. My one ask is that you think about what you’re asking it to do, rather than giving it everything. 

When it comes to your content there are going to be pieces which are heavy hitters, high value, high impact. Then there’s going to be the filler stuff. Posts to ensure business as usual and a consistent level of activity. The key is being able to identify which is which. 

Not all content is created equal, that means not all your content needs the same love, care and attention from you. When you start to work out which is which you can begin creating a process for where and when to apply AI. 

Take for instance this blog. I’m writing it (hello!) because I think it’s high value and an opinion piece which needs the human touch. But what I will do is put it into Plexy and get her to identify some key parts for social promo posts (which I’ll then edit). 

High value piece - me. Admin side - Plexy. 

Another example is that you’re promoting an event. You’ve already written the landing page, email invite, and maybe a social post. That’s the high value bit. Then you feed all of that into your AI tool and ask it to write 5 social posts promoting the event for a certain platform. That’s the admin side. 

You’ve already done the deep thinking, creative side, now it’s just about reorganising that into something slightly different. 

Keep the high value content for you and delegate the rest.

Human to human

The reason that we keep the high value content is because being human is our superpower. Content is all about connecting with your audience, building that relationship that moves them through the know, like, trust cycle. 

With all the best prompts in the world, AI can’t replicate your human experience and voice, because it’s a bot. We need to keep that superpower close if we want to create the best content. 

When you’re talking to your audience you aren’t just listing off benefits or pain points, you’re using stories and emotion and empathy to build that connection. I don’t know what AI of the future may or may not be able to do, but right now it can’t do that. 

You’ve only got to go onto LinkedIn to see the raging debates about how to spot an AI written post. There’s a lot of hate out there for AI. If your audience feel that way and then they’re served an impersonal, emotionless bit of copy, it’s going to push them away and towards whichever competitor is prioritising human to human content. 

How to blend the two

It all comes down to intention. 

Making strategic decisions about where, when and how to deploy AI tools, allowing you to make the right choice for your team, business and audience. When we’re intentional about AI we position ourselves to capitalise on what it’s great at, but we’re also aware of its limitations and pitfalls. 

AI isn’t the secret to success. Your human connection is. But those businesses that don’t start integrating AI into their ways of working will find themselves falling behind. That’s not meant to scaremonger anyone, it’s the truth. I also firmly believe that those who go all in with AI will ultimately fall behind too. 

The future of content is blending, knowing when and where to use AI, and when and where to focus your attention. For me, the line comes down to the value and impact of the content. High value, high impact should be human written. It’s strategic, impactful work that deserves time, love and attention. For more repurposing, lower priority items if it’s a case of using AI or not producing that content at all then apply on a case-by-case basis. When it comes to admin, go crazy and automate to your heart’s desire.

All of those deployments rely on one thing, intentionality. Choosing where AI will help, and where it will hinder. 

If you haven’t already I suggest you sit down, look at your outputs and your processes and make deliberate choices. 

Yes you could use AI to create all of your content, but you’re losing your human touch, and it’s that human touch, not how much AI you use, which will ultimately determine your success….or failure.