Claire FountainNew Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tools are popping up weekly, and we just have spent 90+ hours testing them.
While AI writers can help you create short-form content (like ads, emails, or social media posts) and can even help lawyers with tasks, the truth is that most have inherent problems when writing long-form content like blog posts.
Based on our experience, we’ll delve into just what the biggest issues are and give you a quick reference guide for pros and cons of using AI writing tools.
Best AI for Short Form Content
KoalaWriter AI Writer + Chatbot
- Good for social media, ads, and product descriptions/reviews
- WordPress AP Integration
- Real-time data for KoalaWriter & KoalaChat
Best AI for Long Form Content
- Highest quality AI output we have seen (minimal editing required)
- By far the best AI writer for long-form blog content
- Single-click output - no learning curve
Table of Contents
- They Work Better for Short-Form Content
- You Have to Become a Trained Operator
- You Have to Train Others to Operate It
- You Must Provide a Lot of Input
- No Original Content or Insights
- No Fact-Checking
- No Plagiarism Checking
- Raw AI Content Can Be Detected
- The Content Is… Messy
- So Why Use an AI Writer?
- Quick Reference of Pros and Cons for Using AI Writers
- FAQs
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They Work Better for Short-Form Content
Many AI writing programs only let you generate a paragraph at a time unless you want to sacrifice quality. Anything longer than a few sentences can cause many AI tools to spiral and either start spitting out random sentences or simply don’t provide output for half of the content requested.
Plus, they often charge per word or character, so it will cost you if you want a long-form blog.
Most AI tools available today just won’t cut it for creating blog posts.
They really work better for short content like product descriptions or emails, or even social media copy where larger concepts don’t need to be examined in detail.
You Have to Become a Trained Operator
As cool as it would be to put in a word or two and receive an eloquent, accurate 2,000-word article, that’s usually not the case.
The majority of AI writing tools are not intuitive and cannot be used without training or SOPs.
You’re going to need to develop a process on your own of putting in the right curated information, messing with the specific tools provided by each AI writer, and editing to create a final product that’s worth posting.
Check out our guide on getting the most out of AI writing tools >>
You Have to Train Others to Operate It
If you can’t do it easily, how can you ask a VA or writer?
The point of using an AI writer is to save time and effort. In theory, this would include having the ability to easily hand it over to a freelancer to handle.
With training required, the process does take just a little bit more effort than handing the task over to a freelance writer or VA.
You Must Provide a Lot of Input
You will need to hold the AI tool’s hand through the whole thing, and that includes putting in a lot of information on the subject ahead of time.
Depending on the AI writer, you will need to provide everything from a subject line and target keywords to a tone for the piece, the goal of the article, and the length that you need.
You will need to pack in content on the front end and continuously iterate to feed AI tools enough context to get half-decent long-form output.
No Original Content or Insights
AI writing programs work by regurgitating and reformatting information they find on the internet.
This means no fresh insight, no original commentary, and no new ideas provided to the world. Not totally necessary if you’re just looking to churn out content to boost SEO, but you won’t be making groundbreaking discoveries with AI writers.
Ultimately, they are machines, and they aren’t smart enough to create new ideas….so no Skynet….at least this year…
No Fact-Checking
When a tool regurgitates the top content in search, misinformation gets repeated, too.
AI isn’t the best researcher and certainly won’t check its sources.
Not to mention, we found many random, inaccurate statements that made no sense in our test posts (also known as AI hallucinations).
You’re going to need to fact-check every statistic it spits out to make sure that you aren’t spreading misinformation yourself.
No Plagiarism Checking
AI is also usually not able to check itself. With AI creation, it’s easy to “accidentally” steal sentences, statistics, and paragraphs of text without any attribution.
This is one of the more tedious things to have to check. It may be worth it to invest in a plagiarism checker, which adds just another step to an already complicated process.
Luckily, a few of the newer AI writers have plagiarism checkers built in, but this isn’t the case for most AI writing software tools.
Raw AI Content Can Be Detected
A weird issue that feels like it’s straight out of a sci-fi novel is that AI can detect… other AI.
Tools like Content at Scale's AI Detector look for predicted probabilities of words to see if AI content is likely. Check out our other picks for the best AI detection tools.
Google is certainly experimenting with this as well, so it’s only a matter of time…
The Content Is… Messy
AI’s weakest point is that it’s just not…human.
AI writing software isn’t capable of crafting a fully-developed, well-thought-out, structured storyline. The content generated by an AI writer is often organized in weird, difficult-to-understand ways, without a coherent overall structure.
The journey from point A to B is more of a rollercoaster than a nice stroll.
So Why Use an AI Writer?
As wonderful as you probably thought AI writing software was before you read this piece, it’s now more clear than ever that AI writers can be more trouble than they’re worth.
You can easily spend more money and effort using an AI tool than the cost of a writer, so what’s the point of using one at all?
The biggest benefit of using an AI writer is that you can get a major increase in content velocity and cost savings if you use a tool properly. You can potentially increase your productivity by 40%!
Does it take time to learn how to use it? Yes. Does it take time to feed it the right information before it creates content worth using? Absolutely. Can it produce completely incoherent babble much of the time? For sure.
But once you get over the learning curve, an AI writer can churn out large volumes of content that a human writer cannot.
AI writers can’t completely replace human writers, nor should they. (I’m not just saying this because I am a human writer, I promise!) But they can augment your content strategy by turning up the volume.
Find an effective AI tool and use it to improve the quantity of your content, but keep a few human writers to keep the quality up. It’s all about balance.
The key phrase here is effective.
After 90 hours of testing a myriad of AI writers, we actually found one that produces volumes of high-quality content with just a phrase. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention Content at Scale, our favorite AI writer ever.
Want to know more? Check out our Content at Scale review.
Best AI for Short Form Content
KoalaWriter AI Writer + Chatbot
- Good for social media, ads, and product descriptions/reviews
- WordPress AP Integration
- Real-time data for KoalaWriter & KoalaChat
Best AI for Long Form Content
- Highest quality AI output we have seen (minimal editing required)
- By far the best AI writer for long-form blog content
- Single-click output - no learning curve
Quick Reference of Pros and Cons for Using AI Writers
Venturing into the realm of AI writers can feel as intricate as choosing the right car. To simplify your journey, we've compiled a clear table of pros and cons.
It's designed to guide you through the nuances of AI-generated content, helping you make a well-informed decision for your content needs.
Pros of Using AI Writers | Cons of Using AI Writers |
|---|---|
| Efficiency and Speed: AI writers can generate content quickly, saving time especially for drafting initial versions or generating ideas. | Lack of Creativity: AI may struggle with original thought and creative writing, often relying on existing data and patterns. |
| Consistency: They maintain a consistent tone and style throughout the content, which is beneficial for brand consistency. | Limited Understanding: AI does not fully grasp context or complex nuances, which can lead to inaccuracies or tone-deaf content. |
| Scalability: AI tools can produce a large volume of content, useful for businesses needing to scale up their content production. | Ethical Concerns: The use of AI in content creation raises questions about authenticity and intellectual property. |
| Data–Driven Content: AI can analyze large datasets to produce content that is aligned with current trends and SEO practices. | Over–Reliance: Relying too much on AI can hinder the development of writing skills and critical thinking in individuals. |
| Cost–Effective: Reduces the need for human resources, lowering the costs associated with content creation. | Generic Output: AI-generated content can sometimes be generic and lack the unique flair that human writers bring. |
| Language Capabilities: AI writers can work in multiple languages, making content translation and localization easier. | Requires Oversight: AI content often requires human review and editing to ensure quality and relevance. |
| Accessibility: Makes content creation more accessible for people with limited writing skills or disabilities. | Potential for Misinformation: AI might inadvertently generate or propagate false information if not properly supervised. |
FAQs
What are the biggest drawbacks of using AI writing?
The biggest drawbacks of using AI writing are lack of organization, limited content creation, lack of plagiarizing and fact-checking, and the learning curve when figuring out how to use it.
How easy is it to detect AI writing?
Depending on the quality of the AI writing tool used, it’s fairly easy for both people and Google to detect.
How can I improve my AI-generated content?
You can improve your AI-generated content by using humans to edit the content afterward, working with a high-quality AI writing tool, and providing it with any necessary information upfront.
Will AI writing replace human writers?
No, AI writing will not replace human writers at any time in the foreseeable future.
