Are you feeling a little uncomfortable with how much talk there is about artificial intelligence these days? Given how impressive the AI auto-generated content is right now, it’s no wonder why many creatives are petrified by what things might look like in the next 5 to 10-years. Is it really coming for our jobs? Or will human-written content always outperform the ‘auto fluff’? What kind of an impact is it likely to have on your SEO? Let’s take a closer look…

Will human content always outperform AI auto-generated content in SEO?

In truth, it’s impossible to say how things are going to pan out in the future and anyone who does make a statement with absolute certainty is wrong. We’re venturing into uncharted territory and with the likes of Elon Musk calling for a temporary pause on AI advancement, there’s no telling what things are going to look like down the line…

One thing is for certain: for those in online marketing, it’s both terrifying and exciting at the same time!

As for now, Google has already clearly stated that they will happily rank AI auto-generated content so long as it provides value to their users. Ultimately, they don’t care how content is produced as long as it is 100% accurate, useful, and engaging.

In that light, human content will not necessarily always outperform AI auto-generated content by default. However, for the time being, human creatives do have a significant advantage: having a boundless imagination (as to what AI’s limitations will look like in a decade’s time is anyone’s guess!).

Yes, AI may well have a wealth of information at its fingertips…but so do we. In fact, many creatives are leveraging AI as a research assistant, saving them truckloads of time in that department. What AI cannot do however, is generate “new” content with endless artistic creativity – it can only create content based on content that already exists.

In essence, it’s a glorified plagiarism tool that (for now) lets you get away with posing as an authority without putting any work in.

How will AI impact SEO?

SEO is always on the move and while AI will certainly shake things up a bit, it is business as usual for all the SEO experts who have experienced a multitude of big changes over the years. We will simply adapt and leverage what we can to ours and our clients’ advantage. It’s simple evolution.

That said, many experts believe that AI will be causing havoc and dragging SEO back into the ‘Dark Ages’ of digital marketing – where the talentless can pass themselves off as experts at a few clicks of a button. Which of course, raises all sorts of ethical issues.

For example:

  • An individual could use AI to build a website and populate it with authoritative and “unique” content practically overnight. They can then easily pose as an expert in digital marketing and start looking to take people’s money. Even if a prospective client comes back and asks: “We would like to see some case studies please.” – What’s to stop them from using AI to fabricate some highly convincing bogus ‘case studies’ in a matter of minutes?

Yes, these are exciting times – but AI is putting immense power in the hands of some rather unsavoury people who will try anything to take people’s money without lifting a finger.

So, how will it impact SEO? For one thing: it is going to make it even more important to shop around on reputation and do your due diligence before investing your money in an agency. If you want SEO in Singapore, you’ll have to take extra care and make sure that any prospective agencies that catch your eye have plenty of social proof by way of positive reviews from genuine customers.

However, on a more positive note – you can rest assured that many lazy and inequitable SEOs will be looking to cut corners and save money in any possible conceivable way. This means that they will be jumping on the band-wagon and wasting their time on ‘generic’, ‘auto-generated’ fluff – which will make it incredibly difficult for them to stand out. On the other hand, the SEO agencies who value human talent and creativity above all else will not have much difficulty cutting through the monotonous droning of talentless, AI-dependent marketers.

We’ll just have to wait and see, right?