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Home  //  News  //  Is AI nothing more than monkey business

Is AI nothing more than monkey business?

March 2023

Reading time: 3 minute(s).

For a writer whose only interest in theorems is whether that is indeed the correct plural, the infinite monkey theorem has always been fascinating. 

The idea that an infinite number of monkeys typing randomly for an infinite number of years would eventually create the entire works of Shakespeare is more to do with maths than it is a judgement on the Bard’s plays.  

 

 

But, even so, if the monkeys survived long enough, would it be possible for them to write something of note? 

Times have moved on since the theorem first gained popularity

more than a hundred years ago and now it is not monkeys, but computers, that can mimic the work of writers. I have no doubt that monkeys are intelligent, but somehow, I think computers have the edge. 

The power of AI 

 An artificial intelligence chatbot called ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has been causing quite the stir since it was launched last year.  

Essentially, you brief it as you would a writer and off it goes, spinning its gold while you go and put the kettle on. It is so impressive that one of the biggest newspaper publishers is already looking into whether it could produce content for its titles. 

 

But as a writer, should I be worried? And equally, is it likely to help or hinder? 

Interestingly, before I started to type these human words of wisdom, I briefed ChatGPT – after all, if it can produce my work in a fraction of the time, that would give me a great opportunity to catch up on some TV…until my boss found out, of course. 

I asked it: I want to write a 500-word article on how AI can assist marketing companies in delivering content. I would like it to be written with humour 

 

Will the scary robot steal my job? 

 First things first – it wrote only 479 words. But, it was getting on for lunchtime, and I guess bots need a break too. 

Did it, in essence, fit the brief? Yes, undoubtedly.  

It looked at some of the ways AI can help marketing companies with content, including written content, videos and animations. 

It concluded, ‘AI is not just a buzzword or a scary robot

that will steal your job. It can be a valuable tool for marketing companies looking to deliver content that is engaging, personalized, and, dare I say it, funny’. 

Was it well written? Well, that can be subjective, but in terms of grammar, spelling and so on – aside from the American ‘z’s and lack of ‘u’s – it was readable with no errors. 

Am I ready to hand in my notice and leave all future articles to AI? 

 No. Not at all. 

The personality of a gnat 

 For all it was factual, in English with an attempt at humour, it lacked personality and soul. If Shakespeare had asked it to write a tragic love story about star-crossed lovers from warring families, I have no doubt it would have created a version of Romeo and Juliet – but one written by an accountant. 

Writing is about more than placing one word after another and, while its response to my brief was amazing, AI cannot – yet – capture the nuances of language and entertain the way Shakespeare could. 

But, I – and may other people who have tried it – was impressed by what it could deliver and I can see ChatGPT becoming a useful addition to a marketing team’s armour.

If you have to produce regular articles and blogs that may require a couple of hours of research via Mr Google before you even commit a word to the page, AI could become your new best friend. 

Brief it correctly and it will offer you the bones of an article that may require topping and tailing – or maybe a little information adding here and there – but it will cut down the time it would normally take. Yes, you will need to give it a thorough read and maybe check a couple of things. But when you are up against it and your manager is asking for new content for the company website, this could be the answer. 

Use it sensibly and it can be an asset. 

But I think there is more chance that a troop of monkeys will put me out of a job than AI. 

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March 2023 | Julie Palmer