Whether it’s Claude, Grok, or ChatGPT, generative AI is taking the world by storm. It seems these models can produce anything, from a simple answer to a full page of web copy. But can they create an engaging, original voice for your brand?
Let’s look at the difference between using AI vs. a human writer to define your brand voice.
AI can only replicate, not create.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a young medical student tries to create life. He wants to be like God, with the power to make something out of nothing. But he soon realizes that it’s impossible to create life out of thin air. Instead, what he does is patch together existing pieces, producing a creature that’s neither alive nor dead, a poor replica of the original.
That’s the dilemma AI faces. Generative models can’t create content from scratch, so they source pieces of existing content from across the web and repurpose it. This means that nothing AI produces is actually original.
Don’t believe me? Take it from AI itself. When I asked Google’s AI search engine “Is AI content original?” it admitted:
“AI content can be original in the sense of being unique and not directly copied, but it’s fundamentally derivative of the data it was trained on. While AI can generate novel text and images, it’s essentially remixing patterns and information from its training data, rather than creating something entirely from scratch with human-like originality.”
AI lacks human sensitivity.
You don’t have to look any further than the recent Grok Hitler debacle to realize that AI lacks cultural sensitivity. AI models may be highly intelligent, but even the smartest will struggle with things that come naturally to humans.
Cultural nuance is a major obstacle for generative AI. English-speaking models, trained largely using data from U.S. sources, tend to be biased toward U.S. perspectives when it comes to international issues like immigration. This can lead to insensitive marketing that unnecessarily alienates core audience groups. Even if you’re operating in the U.S., you may run into problems with AI misreading your local audience and coming off as insensitive. There’s also evidence that generative AI is gender and race-biased.
Another area where AI falls short? Empathy. Even a human writer who lacks the experience of, say, being a cancer patient, can at least imagine it well enough to speak with empathy to someone in that situation. AI can’t.
How real voice creation happens
In contrast to AI, which looks at a bunch of pre-existing pages and spits out a poor, piecemeal replica, human writers (like those at MarketSmiths) use a thoughtful, synthesized process to create an original brand voice that’s true to your vision.
It starts with a conversation. Unlike AI, we (professional human writers) know which questions to ask to get at the heart of your brand, and unlike AI, you can trust us to listen. We want to create a brand voice that speaks to your target audience and your unique value props, which means we listen deeply as you share your story, your vision, and your goals. We work hard to understand your audience so we can figure out how best to reach them.
Then, we enter brainstorming mode. Based on what you shared, we experiment with different messaging until we strike a tone that perfectly encapsulates your brand—and that’s as original as your idea. We’re open to feedback, so if you don’t like something, we’ll take it back to the drawing board until you’re satisfied.
AI can echo—but only humans can originate.
AI can replicate a tone of voice, and with enough input, it may even be able to simulate that tone. But much like Victor Frankenstein, it can’t truly create. The difference between generative AI and a human writer is the difference between mimicking a voice and inventing one from scratch.
MarketSmiths has helped hundreds of brands define themselves with a unique, compelling voice. Reach out for original, human-generated branding.
