5 Major Limitations of AI writing - What AI users need to know

As a professional writer, I personally refuse to use AI writing. I know how to write and enjoy writing, but not everyone is like me. The reality is there is a market for AI writing, and if you think you might be in that market, then it is important for you to know what to be aware of and how to use the software appropriately. AI writing generators makes lofty claims, and while some of those claims are accurate, some are not.

Here are 5 major limitations of AI writing along with 5 tips for how to use AI writing effectively and ethically.

Limitation #1 - Quality

AI writing software is based on technology that is still fairly new. The kinks have not all been worked out, yet somehow, there are already countless different options available. New AI writing generators are popping up every day, but none of them are perfect. Far from it.

I’ve seen and read quite a bit of AI writing, and I have to say, it reads like something artificial. I can often spot AI writing, and if you read carefully, you will be able to spot it, too. You will catch odd grammatical errors, repeating phrases, and you will sense an overall lack of depth. At best, AI writing will read generically well, and at worst, AI writing will sound like something Joey Tribbiani wrote while trying to be smart.

"They’re warm, nice people with big hearts. Signed, Joey Tribbiani"
"They’re humid, prepossessing Homo sapiens with full-sized aortic pumps. Signed, Baby Kangaroo Tribbiani"
(FRIENDS TV - S10.E5)

If you do opt to go the AI writing route and decide to manage the quality concerns of AI writing yourself, keep in mind you will have to spend time researching which AI writing generator to use. I would argue that trying to decide which is the best quality of the poor-quality options may not be the best use of time.

Limitation #2 – Accuracy

AI generated writing is unable to capture cultural context – something human writers inherently possess. Especially if your topic is complex or sensitive, AI will problem solve the complexity of the topic to generate content that is oversimplified, or worse, inaccurate. AI writing generators do not have an organic, experiential source of intelligence to lean on. The “intelligence source” behind AI writing generators is whatever pre-existent library of content is available in whatever “database” the AI software pulls from.

That is kind of scary. Because what is one of the most available and accessible databases of written content? The world wide web. Should we believe everything we read on the internet? Definitely not. Be careful trusting whatever AI types up for you, and fact check everything before you publish.

Misinformation is getting the spotlight right now, but misinformation is not new. The integrity of information has always been questioned, and rightly so. Since AI software cannot take an oath and abide by the Journalist’s Creed, AI cannot be held accountable for misinformation. It is AI users who will be held accountable for misinformation.

Limitation #3 – Originality

There are some AI writing generators that allow users to select their writing style. For example, HyperWrite is a big player in the AI writing software arena. Here is a direct excerpt from their website with regards to style:

“The Flexible Autowrite with Style tool uses advanced AI models like GPT-4 and ChatGPT to analyze the specified writing style or author's style. It then generates content that closely matches the desired style or mimics the author's unique voice and tone.” Source - HyperWrite

Pardon, but… there is nothing original about that. If you want to differentiate your brand and develop an original brand voice, the best AI writing can do for you is “closely match the desired style or mimic” an author’s unique voice and tone.

Sounds a bit like plagiarism. It’s “technically” not, but let’s talk about plagiarism…

Limitation #4 – Plagiarism

AI writing claims to be unique, but... is it? (I don't think so.)

First off, as a ghostwriter, I have had well over 100,000 of my words published on the world wide web. Believe me when I say that inadvertent plagiarism happens all the time. Here’s how…

When I’m finished writing an article for a client, I personally run a plagiarism check through Search Engine Reports or Duplichecker before delivering the final product to my client. I cannot tell you how many times I have written something organically with genuine integrity, only to find out that some other writer somewhere online has already put those words together in that order and published it.

They beat me to it.

It’s infuriating but it is what it is, and as an ethical copywriter, I go back and edit. I reiterate, rephrase, and reconstruct the sentence to make it better, and I keep running it through the plagiarism checker until it comes out 100% unique.

AI writing tools are unable to guarantee your content is 100% plagiarism-free. The coding does its best, but the margin of error for plagiarism with AI writing is still a very big margin. In fact, if you carefully read the fine print on your chosen AI writing generator, you will see careful wording implying unique content, but they will make zero formal guarantees.

Limitation #5 – Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When it comes to SEO, there is no greater power than the almighty Google Algorithm, and for a while, many were concerned that Google would penalize AI-generated content.

After much online debate and speculation, Google stepped in and cleared the air with a clearly-written-by-lawyers-and-definitely-NOT-written-by-AI statement. Here it is if you want to read it yourself: Google Search’s guidance about AI-generated content

Clear as mud? The Search Engine Journal is one of the reputable sources I consult on SEO matters, and their coverage on Google’s statement is a lot easier to read and understand. You can read their recap of Google’s statement here.

Basically, if the content is high-quality, reliable, and unique, Google does not care how that content came into existence. (Probably because they have a lot of invested interest in the AI space, but I digress.) As we have discussed, AI writing is not consistently high-quality, it is not 100% reliable, and it is not 100% unique. My personal opinion is that good content will always beat out generic content, and if you want a competitive SEO content strategy, I suggest you avoid relying on AI writing.

How to use AI writing effectively and ethically

Still want to use AI writing anyway? Fine… If you must use AI writing, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind.

Disclaimer: None of these tips are enough to offset the limitations of AI writing, but they can help compensate the limitations to improve your overall end product.

5 Tips for AI writing

1. Do not assume that AI writing is always going to be grammatically correct.
It’s totally not. AI writing is not flawless writing. You will still need to proofread everything. Some form of quality control is needed with AI writing, and if you are the user, the responsibility of quality control falls to you.

2. Definitely don’t rely on AI to be your editor or fact checker.
If you decide to use AI writing, use it as your first draft, and still edit, proofread, and plagiarism-check it like you would any other content. If there are any claims being made, especially ones of ethical importance, be sure to practice due diligence and do some fact checking and source citing. AI writing should not ever be accepted at face value.

3. Keep in mind that AI writing is not fluent in any language.
Meaning sometimes – ok, a lot of the time – AI writing just reads weird. If language fluency and having your content read like it was written by a native speaker is a concern, please do not expect AI writing to be your translator. It will let you down.

4. Hold AI to the same standard you would hold me.
Just because it’s AI, does not mean it is immune to plagiarism. There are tons of free, online plagiarism checkers that will allow you to verify the content is 100% unique, and I highly suggest you use them.

5. Put it to the test.
If you want an article for your website, create one with AI, and then purchase an article on the exact same topic from a reputable, professional writer. Compare the final product for yourself, and ask yourself:

Which one better embodies my brand?

Which one is more likely to resonate with my Target Audience?

Which one did I enjoy reading more?

The bottom line

If you have tried using AI or tried writing your own marketing content and are still not happy with the final product, please contact me. I love to write about things that matter for people that matter, and capturing original brand voices is what I do. I would love to collaborate with you.

Read more: AI writing vs. real writing - What's best for your business?

This article complements my conversation with Daniel Fava, host of the Private Practice Elevation podcast. For more on this topic, you can listen to the full podcast episode at the link below.

148. What Therapists Need to Know About AI w/ Rebekah Hudson