- Marketing content generated and edited by AI is perceived by readers as being of higher quality than content produced by humans, according to an MIT study.
- Brand publishers found themselves facing an important question in 2023: Were they 100% committed to creating and distributing high-quality original content?
AI content considered better quality than that produced by humans
An MIT study found that content generated and edited by artificial intelligence is perceived by readers as being of higher quality than content produced by humans.
The study asked human experts and ChatGPT-4 to create advertising product descriptions and ad campaign copy, then produced four different variations: Content created by humans, content created by AI, human content edited by AI (augmented AI) and AI content edited by humans (augmented humans.)
Ten professional creators were tasked with creating the human content, while ChatGPT4 was used for the AI-generated work. “Quality” was determined by asking 1,212 participants a variety of questions, including asking them how satisfied they were with the content that was produced, how interested they felt in the product being sold after seeing the content, and how likely they would be to pay to have the content produced.
The study found that content generated or edited by AI was viewed as higher quality than the content produced entirely by humans or even edited by humans. It also found that revealing the source of content production – telling people who produced it – reduced the percieved quality gap between human and AI-generated content, indicating some level of “human favoritism” exists.. But – knowing that content was created by AI does not affect perceived quality scores.
While only one study, the findings are notable for a few key reasons:
- More brands are using AI for content-related tasks. The study indicates that audiences may not perceive major quality differences between AI and non-AI content.
- Human bias exists: People are likely to rate content higher if it’s specifically labeled as human-created. This may be worth exploring for brands who have spent significant time and resources hiring professional reporters and writers: Tactics like bylines or headshots, for example, could help create higher perceived quality scores because audiences know a human writes the content.
- The study specifically focused on ad copy and product descriptions, which indicates that generative AI could be valuable for rote-type content-related tasks such as descriptions, captions, or summaries without loss in quality.
- The study notes that it only used non-sensitive, “harmless” topics for its research. For other types of content, such as hard news, health or finance, the study found that human oversight is likely still needed to ensure AI-produced content is appropriate. This suggests that brand publishers may be able to find efficiencies within specific content-related tasks but they will still need to include humans for the bulk of the creative output.
Themes that shaped 2023
Brand publishers faced an important question in 2023: Were they 100% committed to creating and distributing high-quality original content?
Doing so became increasingly difficult as the year progressed. The rise of generative artificial intelligence raised new questions around content distribution even if it promised to add efficiency on the production side. Meanwhile, organic distribution via social platforms began winding down quickly. At the same time, brand publishing and content production generally became a more central part of company strategies, with internal and external communication becoming critical components of growth plans. But that also meant mounting pressure to prove returns, meet audience expectations, and to continue to grow their reach.
Build-a-Bear movie
“Glisten and the Merry Mission,” a movie produced by Build-a-Bear Workshop’s entertainment division, is now available for rent and purchase via the company’s website following a theatrical release. It’s the latest example of brands creating original entertainment content as a way to market themselves.
ChatGPT took my job
A freelance writer who works for a content agency tells Business Insider that they were fired when ChatGPT began doing the same work they did – for a fraction of the cost.
Journalism predictions
Nieman Lab published its annual predictions for the future of journalism. As expected, generative AI pops up most often. “AI will rapidly transition from a novel concept to a central tool in publishing. Its role will be critical not only in content creation and design but also in marketing and advertising. Publishers will increasingly recognize AI as indispensable for efficient and innovative operations,” writes observer Mario Garcia.
Ad forecast season
Retail media drove much of the advertising recovery in the second half of the year, according to the latest report from Magna Global. The firm predicted global retail media networks to grow ad revenues by 20% outside of China next year.