{"id":4041,"date":"2023-02-13T14:25:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-13T14:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.elixirrdigital.com\/us\/2023\/02\/13\/googles-ai-generated-content-update-what-it-means-for-digital-copywriters\/"},"modified":"2025-06-03T09:04:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T09:04:01","slug":"googles-ai-generated-content-update-what-it-means-for-digital-copywriters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.elixirrdigital.com\/us\/2023\/02\/13\/googles-ai-generated-content-update-what-it-means-for-digital-copywriters\/","title":{"rendered":"Google\u2019s AI-Generated Content Update & What It Means For Digital Copywriters"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a week in which Google announced its own incoming AI-generated language model to rival ChatGPT, and Bing announced the integration of an optimised ChatGPT into its search engine, the big news just keeps on coming!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nIn this instalment of our \u2018How AI is Reshaping the Industry\u2019 series, we focus on Google\u2019s recent shift in stance when it comes to using AI-generated content on the web and what the knock-on effects could be for digital copywriters.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s been said?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In April 2022, Google\u2019s Search Advocate, John Mueller said:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[\u2026]People have been automatically generating content in lots of different ways. And for us, if you\u2019re using machine learning tools to generate your content, it\u2019s essentially the same as if you\u2019re just shuffling words around, or looking up synonyms, or doing the translation tricks that people used to do. Those kind of things.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My suspicion is maybe the quality of content is a little bit better than the really old school tools, but for us <\/span><\/i>it\u2019s still automatically generated content, and that means for us it\u2019s still against the Webmaster Guidelines.<\/span><\/i><\/b> So we would consider that to be spam.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, less than a year later, <\/span>Google\u2019s guidance about AI-generated content<\/span><\/a>, published on Wednesday 8<\/span>th<\/span> February, says (in part):\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[\u2026]It’s important to recognize that not all use of automation, including AI generation, is spam. Automation has long been used to generate helpful content, such as sports scores, weather forecasts, and transcripts. AI has the ability to power new levels of expression and creativity, and to serve as a critical tool to help people create great content for the web.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The article goes on to specifically advocate the creation of <\/span>valuable<\/span><\/i>, people-first content if opting to use AI to generate content, followed by some FAQs around the whys and wherefores of AI-generated content.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>What this means for digital content writers<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that the question is no longer about <\/span>whether AI is the future of copywriting<\/span><\/a>, AI is here in the present and it can be used to generate copy\u2014an approach which Google has sanctioned\u2014so now the question becomes \u201chow will this change things for digital copywriters and content creators?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>arrival of two new cutting-edge language models<\/span><\/a> combined with Google\u2019s shift in stance will undoubtedly impact the role of the digital copywriter. However, it would be foolish to assume there is no longer any need for human copywriters.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As impressive as the current AI content generators are and as significant as their potential is, they simply aren\u2019t sophisticated enough to replace the human copywriter. The fact is, they work better as tools in the hands of a copywriter as opposed to a standalone resource.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having said that, here are some of the ways in which the role of the digital content manager may begin to evolve in light of this new tech:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Less focus on content <\/span><\/b>creation<\/span><\/i><\/b>, more focus on content <\/span><\/b>optimisation<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Although it\u2019s probable that, in some cases, creating content will become a more automated process than it is now, there will still be plenty of work to do once AI spits out a first draft.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll still need a seasoned copywriter to optimise content for things like:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n