AI Will Eat Itself
In an idle moment, I put this prompt into Chat GPT:
“..write a 500 word article about why AI generated content will never replace human generated content. include specific examples of bad content that is obviously generated by AI, and further specific examples of human inspiration and creativity that could not be recreated by an LLM.”
Here’s what it came back with:
Why AI-Generated Content Will Never Replace Human-Created Content
The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and other large language models (LLMs) has revolutionized content creation across industries. From generating blog posts to creating artwork, AI-generated content has become faster, cheaper, and increasingly sophisticated. However, despite its impressive capabilities, AI-generated content can never fully replace human-created content for one critical reason: it lacks the depth of human experience, creativity, and emotional insight.
The Limitations of AI Content
AI-generated content often falls short in areas that require nuance, creativity, and an understanding of complex human emotions. One major flaw is its tendency to produce repetitive, generic, or factually incorrect content. This is because AI models rely on vast amounts of pre-existing data to generate outputs, meaning they lack the ability to innovate beyond what they’ve been trained on.
For example, you may ask an AI to write a novel. While it can quickly churn out thousands of words, the results often lack coherence and emotional depth. The plot may be formulaic, and characters may feel one-dimensional. Since the AI doesn’t “understand” human emotions, it cannot authentically portray them. In some cases, AI-generated content can feel stiff and unnatural — full of awkward phrases or nonsensical sentences that betray its machine origins.
Consider some of the errors that commonly pop up in AI writing: incorrect historical facts, mismatched tenses, or contradictory statements. An AI might generate an article about a famous historical figure, but it might confuse time periods or make illogical claims because it lacks the ability to truly comprehend the broader historical context. Such mistakes are glaringly obvious and remind the reader that the content was created by a machine, not a person.
The Irreplaceable Human Element: Creativity and Inspiration
While AI can mimic the form of human content, it cannot replicate the creativity and inspiration that come from human experience. Consider a painting by Van Gogh, a poem by Maya Angelou, or a song by Bob Dylan. These works of art are imbued with the personal emotions, struggles, and triumphs of their creators. Each piece of human-generated art carries with it a unique perspective, shaped by the artist’s individual history, culture, and feelings.
Take, for example, Van Gogh’s famous painting Starry Night. Its swirling skies and vibrant colors reflect not just the night sky but also Van Gogh’s inner turmoil and emotions. An AI could mimic the visual style, but it would never be able to capture the existential depth that makes the painting iconic. Similarly, Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind is more than just lyrics and melody — it’s a protest song shaped by the political climate of the 1960s and Dylan’s personal views on civil rights and freedom. An AI might generate similar-sounding lyrics, but they would lack the same emotional resonance and historical context.
AI also struggles with humor, which often requires an understanding of subtle cultural references and timing. A comedian like Robin Williams wasn’t just reciting jokes — he was tapping into a shared cultural experience, reading his audience, and delivering humor with impeccable timing that a machine could never replicate.
Conclusion
Ultimately, while AI-generated content has its place — particularly in tasks that require speed or large-scale data synthesis — it will never replace human creativity. The ability to create content that is rich in emotion, experience, and cultural nuance is uniquely human. We bring to the table a depth of understanding and inspiration that no algorithm, no matter how sophisticated, can replicate. AI is a powerful tool, but it lacks the human touch that turns words into wisdom, melodies into memories, and colors into emotions.
It’s not wrong, it’s just bad. And this article now becomes source material for future articles, and those future articles become source material for even worse far future articles, until we hit some event horizon of nonsense.
It may be time to abandon the monetised platforms and head back to the self-hosted blogs. If you’re interested in good writing, that is.
