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Human vs. AI
AI writing has continued to gain popularity since it first emerged a few years ago. It particularly started an important discussion in the marketing world for its use. Currently, many businesses find it useful and have integrated it into their processes, relying on it for content generation.
While it has found its footing in the business world, there are some disagreements over the use of large language models, machine learning, and various AI writing tools. Many people still prefer the authenticity of human-created content.
Both human-written and AI-generated content have advantages and disadvantages. Understanding them is crucial for both individuals and businesses who want to use AI in their writing needs and strategies.
A bit of history
Writing is a form of expression where humans try to communicate their thoughts in a particular manner, namely the use of defined symbols such as the alphabet. The use of pen and paper is the basic way we write, but we’re also able to type them into documents.
The evolution of writing spans thousands of years since ancient times and comprises various forms, including scripts, poems, short stories, and more. Over the centuries, it has become more complex, leading the way to the rich writing traditions that we have today.
When the digital revolution happened, a shift occurred as there was no longer any need to handwrite or type manuscripts. Producing polished documents became so much easier, and with the advent of the internet, writing transformed even more through new publication platforms.
The biggest change, perhaps, is the use of AI models in writing. AI-generated texts produced nonsensical or awkward sentences in the beginning. However, recent innovations in natural language processing have improved AI’s ability to such a great extent that it’s producing very human-like content.
The use of AI in writing has opened plenty of new possibilities due to its ability to generate content in a matter of seconds and automate small writing tasks. AI will continue to evolve from this point forward with capabilities closer and closer to humans, making it crucial to understand more of its implications.
AI or human text
AI is becoming indistinguishable from human content. Although the human mind is more creative, complex, and random, AI is fast catching up to the more we use it. There are still fundamental differences between the two, which we’re here to help identify and understand.
Is it a human or an AI? Let’s talk about human writing
Human writing is a means of communication that involves human creativity, experience, and knowledge. It involves organizing and converting your ideas into writing systems – representations of human language – in order to communicate.
It allows us to express our ideas, opinions, and experiences more tangibly and permanently. Human writing has developed significantly over time, coming from mere pictographic to more sophisticated writing systems. Today, it takes on many different forms.
Some of these include academic writing, technical writing, and more modern forms like a blog spot and social media posts. Human writing is an essential ability necessary for effective and efficient communication in different situations.
Types of human writing
Here are some of the different types of human writing we’ve mentioned:
1. Academic writing
This includes writings of an academic nature, such as scholarly essays, theses, research papers, journals, reports, and case studies.
2. Technical writing
This type of human writing comprises user manuals, instruction manuals, and similar writings written as a resource. Other types include scientific research, white papers, bid documents, and standard operating procedures.
3. Creative writing
This is imaginative writing, which involves presenting a tale in an aesthetic and engrossing way. Some of the common types of creative writing include poetry, fiction, and theater.
4. Business writing
The documents used in a professional setting, like reports, emails, and memoranda, are all examples of business writing.
5. Scientific writing
Literature used to convey scientific research and discoveries is all scientific writing. It includes lab reports, research papers, and dissertations.
7. Personal writing
Writings made for personal reflection and recollection, such as diaries and journals, all fall under the personal writing category.
AI vs. human – what is AI writing?
AI writing, in contrast to human writing, involves AI tools using algorithms to produce texts according to given prompts. The algorithms known as language models are trained on large datasets of content written by humans.
AI models generate text using statistical methods. They use pre-existing data to make grammatically correct content that mimics human writing and is relevant to what the user is looking for.
Before ChatGPT, there had already been commercial tools that used AI, such as Jasper and Grammarly. You feed them a prompt or instructions, and they will produce all kinds of content in response, such as student essays, product descriptions, marketing copy, and more.
AI writing rose to a new level of popularity when ChatGPT was introduced. This was when people realized how far artificial intelligence has come with the AI model’s ability to produce fairly accurate and nuanced writing, all in a matter of seconds.
Is it AI or human text – how can you tell?
Right now, you can easily tell if a piece of writing is AI or human text. That’s because there are obvious differences between AI and human writing, such as AI’s tendency to be repetitive. You will also notice that AI-generated text often uses words like ‘utilize’ or ‘delve into.’
AI content may be grammatically correct, but it has an apparent robotic undertone. That is also one of the things that instantly clues you in that a text is not written by an actual human. It is not surprising that AI cannot write with emotion, as you all well know, it doesn't have any.
Is this AI or human text? The key differences
We’ve mentioned some of the differences between AI and human-written content. Let’s delve more into that and find out how different these two are.
Creativity
Human-written content is suffused with the writer’s emotions, creativity, and personal experiences. The way humans think is so random that there is no predicting where their imagination goes and how they’ll write a story. AI, on the other hand, doesn’t have randomness and creativity because it’s not conscious. It can only create text based on patterns it learned from training data and then repeat them in the way you want to see.
Nuance
Humans can understand nuances, and that words can have sentiments and deep, implied meanings. AI struggles with this, so although it may generate grammatically correct content, it doesn’t have depth. The text it produces sounds generic because machines don’t understand and can’t replicate the emotions human writers pour into their works.
Moral implications
The moral implications and societal impact of what they write are something that human writers always consider. They dictate what authors write, which is not something AI does, as it doesn’t have morals or ethics. As a result, an AI text generator can produce inappropriate or insensitive content if it’s not something the algorithm knows.
Evolution
One of the biggest differences between AI and human writing is how human writers grow and evolve. They can learn from feedback, change their writing style, and develop their own voice as influenced by the people around them. While AI can also evolve in a sense, its updates are constricted by the new data they train on and the current tech.
Is it AI or human? How to spot AI and human writing
Knowing the key differences we’ve mentioned helps you identify if a text is written by a human or an AI. Along with that, we have two ways you can use to spot if the content you are reading is AI or human writing.
1. Look over the content and check for these
Does it not sound like something someone would say naturally? Remember that AI-generated content sounds fairly robotic. So if it's too structured or stiff, there's a good chance it is AI-generated.
You find the text repeating phrases or that it feels predictable. If the writing keeps circling back to one idea and doesn’t add anything else, it is very likely written by ChatGPT or similar AI models.
As mentioned, AI can't write with personal insights. This means writing that is only surface-level information without any personal touch and feels generic is likely AI-generated content.
Incorrect or fabricated sources are a common error in AI content since these machines don’t research the same way humans do. They often make up sources that don’t actually exist, a big clue that the writing is generated by an AI.
The grammar itself can also tell you if a writing is possibly AI or not. Human writers can create a natural flow through stylistic choices, like the use of informal language. AI often sounds too perfect with rigid grammar, with sometimes very awkward phrasing.
2. Use AI detection tools
AI detection tools are one of the easiest ways to spot AI writing. These tools analyze your text, checking patterns, writing styles, and sentence structures, and comparing them with human content. They’re incredibly useful tools, but with limitations as well, so a hybrid approach combining both methods is the best way to detect AI content.
Advantages and disadvantages of using AI
Human writing is superior to AI writing in many ways, with its ability to convey complex ideas and produce high-quality content infused with a human touch. However, there is no denying that AI has its merits not only in the field of writing but in other industries as well.
Advantages of AI
Reduced errors
Since AI uses algorithms in making decisions, it can minimize errors significantly and even possibly remove them completely.
Accessibility
Humans can’t work all day, every day, while AI can work without rest. Using AI means better multitasking ability. It’s the perfect tool for repetitive tasks.
Applications in various industries
AI has many applications beyond just writing. It’s been incredibly useful in medicine, particularly in drug development. Its ability to analyze patient data proves helpful in improving patients’ health outcomes.
Ability to process large amounts of data
Perhaps the biggest advantage of AI is that it can analyze vast datasets within a short period and generate insights from them. It's a crucial ability that the journalism and marketing fields can use for more effective content creation.
Disadvantages of AI writing
There are also negative consequences to using AI. Some of these detriments include:
Unemployment
In some situations, AI can lead to unemployment, with workers being replaced by robots or machines instead. It isn’t always the case, as in other instances, the use of AI actually boosts productivity and offers new opportunities.
Laziness
When laborious and repetitive tasks become automated, there’s a worry that it will create more lazy people. Even in the field of writing, there is the pervading concern that AI will make people think less creatively without the need to solve problems or memorize information.
FAQ
AI can generate some really good content – coherent and relevant – but it’s not better than human writing. It excels in creating content quickly and consistently. Human writing far surpasses when it comes to originality, creativity, contextual understanding, and emotional depth.
AI writing is becoming more and more popular, and that makes it harder and harder to differentiate from human writing. The more humans use AI, the more their creativity and complexity contribute to generative AI, making its writing more akin to that of actual humans.
Artificial intelligence can’t replace human writers simply because it lacks the emotional intelligence that helps connect with readers. It doesn’t have depth. It cannot offer a personal opinion. It cannot share personal experiences. Human expression is one thing that AI cannot replicate from humans, and the one thing that ensures human writers remain.
First, you must acknowledge the use of AI-generated content in your paper or assignment if you ever use it. Next, don’t overdo the use or reliance on AI tools to write or edit your written work. Instead of using it to replace your own writing, integrate AI into your writing process by using it to create outlines or generate examples you can use as a model.
If you plan to use AI to enhance your creativity, we believe that is an acceptable reason. If you are using AI-generated text as a guide to create unique content, then we don’t see anything wrong with your use of artificial intelligence. Unless you are trying to substitute AI for human intelligence and creativity, then you are okay.
