Welcome to the digital age, where artificial intelligence (AI) is more relevant than ever before. As the world continues to embrace the latest technological advancements, the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. While some may be concerned about the impact this could have on the search engine industry, it’s worth noting that the benefits of AI are endless, especially for businesses. We’ll dive into how ChatGPT could actually benefit business owners and why we should all be excited about the future of AI. So, buckle up and get ready to embrace the machines!
ChatGPT: friend or foe?
AI language models have been around for quite some time now, but with the launch of ChatGPT and the attention it has garnered in recent months, the debate and concerns of the masses surrounding AI have finally come to fruition. You have to admit – as an AI language model, ChatGPT is pretty remarkable in its own right.
When discussing its capabilities of text generation (ignoring its coding abilities) It can engage in meaningful conversations, pull relatively high quality content from thin air (or more specifically, from a carefully constructed human brief) and serve as a wonderful antidote to writer’s block.
ChatGPT is fantastic when it comes to analysing mammoth amounts of online data and spitting out original essays and articles that are practically good to go with some editing and fact checks. Let’s not forget, even ChatGPT has limitations, just like us mere mortals.
For instance, its data is only up to 2021, so if you’re seeking its advice on current events, it’s not exactly the best go-to guy. However, don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s infallible. ChatGPT may have some flaws lurking beneath the surface, just waiting to trip you up. Let’s take a closer look at what those flaws might be and how we can navigate around them.
The spam issue
We hate to burst your bubble, but let’s face it: just like anything known to man, AI has its flaws. It can’t tell fact from fiction, develops social biases (sometimes), and can even generate hateful speech (yikes!).
When it comes to abstract concepts and emotions, AI is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. It’ll just repeat the same old keywords like a broken record, leaving you with content that reads like it was written by a clueless high school student who never actually read the book. This in turn harms your domain authority on Google and other search engines.
Unfortunately, all of these factors have led to search engines possibly flagging AI-generated content as spam. Don’t take our word for it – even a Google Search Advocate explained it to searchenginejournal.com. Their exact words being “Content automatically generated with AI writing tools is considered spam, according to the search engine’s webmaster guidelines.”
So, where does ChatGPT fit into all of this? Let’s just say it’s not immune to the same problems. While it’s a revolutionary tool for generating content and ideas, it’s not without its limitations, and businesses need to be aware of the risks involved in relying solely on AI-generated content. It’s important to add that human touch.
But there are worse things in the world than spam, a fact corroborated by Google’s issuing of a ‘code red’.
Google’s Code Red explained
Put simply, Code Red is a set of penalties Google uses to enforce policies and guidelines for website content. They can range anywhere from a temporary reduction in search rankings to (gasp) permanent removal of a website from their search results.
It’s the greatest case of shunning we’ve ever seen and while it may seem dramatic, Google has very good reason for doing so; by enforcing Code Red, Google can ensure that only high quality, relevant content is made available to its users.
So, how can business owners ensure that they’re website stays safe and sound in Google’s search results?
How to avoid being penalised by Google
You wouldn’t get away with copying your friend’s homework word for word, so why should ChatGPT and other AI language models be any different? To stay on good terms with Google, avoid the following:
- Uploading unedited, fact checked AI/Automatically-generated blogs or content
- Using duplicated or stolen content on your site
- Providing incorrect and misleading information in your site data
Whilst Google is currently focusing on its very own AI, known as BARD which is developed off LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), the copy-paste method from ChatGPT to websites is most definitely a no-no. While it might save business owners some time and cash to quickly knock out some content, the risk of disappearing is too great for the purported reward.
Ethical AI: How to use ChatGPT safely
What’s the answer to using machine learning without turning into one yourself? Use ChatGPT generated content as a jumping off point only, taking care to edit, reword and restructure the bones of the copy until it resembles something unique, on-brand and of value to your specific audience. Think of it this way: AI simply provides a content skeleton and not the actual, final content that should get published.
AI language models are exactly that – models intended to inspire creativity and motivation in the humans who use them.
Anyone can give a robot a direction and as the proverb goes, “ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer.” The more detailed a brief you can provide ChatGPT, the more relevant and valuable its response is going to be.
By putting in the time and consideration at the offset, and taking care to fact-check anything presented as truth, AI language models can be valuable tools that can very much work for humans and their businesses.
What does it mean for SEO?
Perhaps we can co-exist with our new machine overlords after all. By following Google’s guidelines (and avoiding actions that may trigger a penalty), humans are still very much at the forefront of innovation. Current optimisation efforts are future-proofed for Google’s eventual AI language model, so business owners who’ve invested in their SEO have nothing to fear going forward.
As machine learning advances and becomes more integrated in our lives and businesses, it will be vital to maintain responsible use. That penalties apply may be a good thing as it not only keeps us accountable, but ensures that we don’t become complacent and overly reliant on AI when creating meaningful content that resonates with others.
If the existence of the uncanny valley says anything about humanity, it’s that we will always prefer to see and speak to other humans. Business owners can breathe a sigh of relief…for now.
