What Does Artificial Intelligence Mean for the Future of Blogging?
Can AI Actually Make Blogging Obsolete?
Look around the internet now and it is obvious that artificial technology is taking over many aspects. AI-generated images, AI-generated blog posts, AI-generated videos, and probably even AI bot accounts that comment on content.
So what do you do now if you are a blogger, content creator, artist or...a professional commenter? Well most people believe that you will be replaced.
Sorry, you had a good run, but technology is here now. Bow to the new superior lifeform.
It may be the optimist in me, but I don't believe this is true. I think that with the right attitude we can see an awesome shift when it comes to blogs and writing on the internet. I have bad news for the professional commenters, though: Fuck you. That's useless. There is nothing you can do.
Your Art Form Is Probably Safe From Artificial Intelligence
This is a tangent.
This post will focus mainly on the blogging/writing shift I expect to see as AI advances, but I am sure there is hope for the other artists as well. AI is a long way off from being able to replace people completely unless it is in an industry that is almost strictly admin, such as coding, data entry, etc.
People don't care whether their app was coded by a human or that a computer aggregated the information in the chart they are reading. However, they do care whether or not they are watching a real person on the screen or listening to music made by a real person. I think that the future value of human art is safe from being eroded by artificial intelligence.
Like anything new, we are probably in a period of transition. Artists have definitely seen a drop in their income due to the things AI can do and certain markets have been lost. For instance, I am not going to pay a stock photo company or digital artist for a simple blog post image ever again. Not gonna happen, friend. My book cover though? More important and needs the human element.
Eventually the novelty and people's tolerance will wear off when it comes to AI in art. The amazing things it can do now will become more amazing technologically, but less amazing to experience.
The things AI can do are very cool, but they are also very annoying and a lot of people aren't buying into it. What I hate the most? That AI voiceover I hear in every lazy-ass video or ad that, I swear, sounds like Giancarlo Esposito. I can't wait to get away from it.
Without the human element, writing (and all other forms of art) feels hollow and will not hold value for long.
Which Bloggers Will AI Replace?
Much like coders and data entry clerks, AI will probably replace bloggers and writers in the fields of scientific, technical, and general information. What does this mean?
It means that unless you have a unique, very human perspective on something, you can easily be replaced by artificial intelligence as a writer. Basic blogs with information that has been repeated thousands, if not millions of times, across the web will be worthless to readers. Google and other search engines will display that information in their AI-generated results and readers won't bother visiting your page.
If someone wants an outright answer to something, AI is going to have it. They will get it and that will be the end of their attention span on the subject.
The End of 2000-Word Advertisements
Unless you are offering thought-provoking questions, a personal opinion, a brand new discovery, or something else that AI cannot fulfill for someone actually seeking something to read, then it will probably be a waste of time to blog about it.
I feel sad for all the niche bloggers that have spent years collecting general knowledge on a specific subject only to have their website's posts become completely useless overnight. Sucks for them, but that is why I never committed to the practice of niche blogging in hopes of making money. It is too much effort trying to spin content around products and extrapolate a basic answer into a lengthy, keyword-ridden post.
Now, after all that effort, what do they have to show for it? Artificial intelligence can pull up a convenient answer in seconds, completely bypassing all of their unnecessary rhetoric, top-rated product specs, and pop-up ads. So for niche bloggers and people that don't have any valuable, exclusive perspectives to offer, I have bad news: Fuck you. There is nothing you can do.
Which Bloggers Can't Be Replaced by AI?
In order for human writers and bloggers to remain relevant, they will have to provide a special kind of content to their readers. That content is highly personable and entertaining. Human beings always persevere, but the number of people that do so in the wake of a large shift is always in the minority. So this change won't happen en masse, but here is my hope and prediction for the future of the internet and successful blogs.
First of all, readers that give a shit (which is the only audience you want) will seek out sources of information that they know are not AI-generated. They won't do this when they need a quick and easy answer, like a recipe or a list of actors in a movie. As much as some people may say they are against using AI, it is simply too convenient and will become commonplace to use it for simple tasks everywhere. It cannot be stopped.
Readers will only come to those that they know can make them laugh or tell them all the details of a story that AI cannot condense into a bitesize chunk on the search page. So when a blogger, journalist, or any other writer can come up with a post that offers a story that people actually want or have to read, then they will remain successful above AI sources.
Writers can't be replaced by AI if they are offering:
- Entertainment
- Their opinions
- Personal reviews
- New discoveries
- Their own stories
How I Hope AI Changes Blogging
In the coming years, I hope that the internet transforms from cookie-cutter, basic information websites, and reverts back to the era of the personal blog. There was a short period of time when the web was riddled with blogs where people shared their amazing stories for nothing more than the love of the game. Subscribers wanted to know what happened and they would stay tuned for the following post so they could find out what was going to happen next.
The golden period of time for awesome writing on the internet was cut too short. Advertising revenue and affiliate marketing took over. The slow death of great content began. Sarah's Less-Than-Admirable Confessions would disappear suddenly one day, to then be replaced by Tom's Food Processor Archive, every page plagued by some advertisement or hint that you should buy a fucking Vitamix and it would change your life somehow.
I want to see real blogging make a comeback in a major way. I want to see people get tired of social media ads and reading the same long-form advertisements masquerading as blog posts.
Artificial Intelligence and Personal Blogs Thriving Together
I see AI pushing us back into creativity and the era of the personal blog, and this time it will be those people making the money from subscribers and advertisements. Not the niche bloggers that have nothing to offer but the idea that you should buy what they are selling page after page after page.
The internet will either die or adapt. Usually things adapt.
I would hate to see a future where bloggers give up. Where everything is hosted on the corporate platforms and there are no personal websites to speak of.
I believe and hope that artificial intelligence will make the human experience the most lucrative sector of the internet for personal bloggers.
Image Source: Bing Image Creator
