Drowning in AI slop: why quality content is the way to stand out

Drowning in AI slop: why quality content is the way to stand out

Artificial intelligence has made it easier than ever to produce content. The problem is getting anyone to pay attention to it.

As brands flood already crowded feeds with cheap, rapidly generated material, the technology promising to solve the content problem may instead be creating an attention problem.

For an industry that has spent a decade chasing reach at any cost, the math is now working against that instinct.

Amplified Founder Karen Nelson-Field’s The Eye-Watering Cost of Dull Media report suggested up to 72 per cent of every advertising dollar was wasted on dull media – media that never held attention long enough to be remembered.

According to Edith Cowan University School of Arts and Humanities Senior Lecturer Catherine Archer, this makes trust increasingly important for advertising companies.

“A lot of brands are experimenting with using AI content, but we all know we’ll buy from someone we trust – that is the bottom line,” she said.

“I certainly think there is a place for that human content.”

Mamba Digital Founder Toby Lloyd said AI was a great productivity tool capable of completing research that once took days in as little as half an hour, but speed should not be confused with quality.

“You need to be double and triple-checking everything it does,” he said.

Nor can AI easily replicate the human connection that makes advertising effective.

“People identify with other people in marketing,” Mr Lloyd said.

“You’re going to get more of a response from an ad with a face in it than from an ad with just a product.

“AI still hasn’t quite got the feel of human-created content.”

Mr Lloyd warned that using fully generated AI content could be detrimental to a business.

“The point of advertising is to stand out, and if you’re just using AI like everyone else is, you’re not going to stand out at all,” he said.

Author bio:

Chloe Nolasco is a Perth-based journalist who tells stories from behind the camera, microphone and keyboard. With hands-on experience in video editing, audio production and written content, she brings a true multimedia lens to every piece.