Generative AI can be used to create new content from scratch, such as news articles, product descriptions, or social media posts. However, it’s important to note that while generative AI can produce high volumes of content quickly, the quality may not always meet the standards of original content, so bring in the human element to balance it.
1. Content augmentation: Generative AI can be used to augment existing content by generating additional content that complements or expands on the original. For example, a generative AI tool can be used to create blog post summaries or social media captions for existing content.
2. Personalization: Generative AI can be used to personalize content for individual users based on their interests and preferences. For example, a generative AI tool can be used to create customized email newsletters for subscribers based on their reading history.
3. Content suggestion & optimization: Generative AI can be used to optimize content for search engines and other discovery platforms. For example, a generative AI tool can be used to create headlines or meta descriptions that are more likely to attract clicks.
4. Idea generation: Generative AI can be used to generate new ideas for content creation based on trends, keywords, or other parameters. For example, a generative AI tool can be used to suggest new topics for blog posts or video content.
5. Translation Services: Generative AI can be used to automatically translate content into multiple languages, allowing publishers to reach a global audience more easily.
Perils of AI for the original content publishers
1. Legal Issues: One of the biggest risks is the possibility of violating copyright laws. Generative AI has the capability to produce content that could potentially be similar to or even identical to existing content, which could lead to legal issues and infringement claims.
2. Quality and Originality: Generative AI can produce large amounts of content in a short amount of time, but the quality and originality of the content may be lacking. AI-generated content may lack the depth and complexity that human-generated content can provide, leading to lower engagement and a lack of interest from readers.
3. Brand Reputation: Using generative AI for content creation can also damage a brand’s reputation if the quality of the content produced is below par or if the content is found to be plagiarized. This can lead to a loss of trust from readers and a negative impact on the brand’s image.
4. Over Dependence on Technology: Relying too heavily on generative AI for content creation can also create a dependence on technology that may be difficult to break. This can limit a publisher’s ability to think creatively and come up with original content ideas, leading to a lack of diversity in the content produced.
5. Devaluation of original content: If generative AI is widely adopted, it could lead to an oversupply of content, which could decrease the value of original content. Publishers may need to find new ways to differentiate their content to remain competitive.
6. Ethical concerns: Generative AI can be used to create content that is misleading, deceptive, or harmful. Publishers must consider the ethical implications of using AI to create content and ensure that they are using the technology responsibly.
How to control AI from unauthorized content crawling
It is not possible to completely prevent AI from crawling online content because search engines and web crawlers are essential tools used by search engines to index and rank web pages. However, there are a few ways that online content creators can make it more difficult for AI to crawl their content:
1. Use Robots.txt: Content creators can use a robots.txt file to instruct web crawlers on which parts of their website they do not want to be crawled. This file can help exclude certain pages or directories from being indexed by search engines.
2. Implement CAPTCHA: Implementing a CAPTCHA on the website can prevent automated scripts or bots from crawling the website. This can be an effective way to stop unwanted crawling by bots.
3. Use JavaScript: JavaScript can be used to block bots from crawling the website by displaying content only when certain actions are taken on the website.
4. Use “noindex” tags: “Noindex” tags are HTML tags that can be added to individual pages to instruct search engines not to index them. This can be useful for pages that contain sensitive or private information that should not be publicly accessible.
5. Implement access controls: Content creators can use access controls, such as passwords or user accounts, to restrict access to certain pages or sections of their website. This can help to limit the exposure of sensitive content to unauthorized users, including web crawlers.
6. Use content delivery networks (CDNs): CDNs can help to limit the visibility of a website’s origin server and make it more difficult for web crawlers to access content.
Generative AI can be a powerful tool for original content publishers, allowing them to create more personalized, optimized, and engaging content for their audiences. However, it’s important to use these tools responsibly and ensure that the content produced is still unique and valuable to readers. While generative AI can provide new opportunities for content creation, it’s important for publishers to approach it with caution and weigh the potential risks and benefits before incorporating it into their content strategy.
Ultimately the power should rest with original online content creators to determine the level of access they want to provide to their content and the potential risks associated with blocking access to their content for AI and its human users. I strongly believe that some Legal and governmental controls will come in sooner or later in this space.
Like the age old saying “ you got to tame it before you can ride it”
Authored by Boby Paul, Senior General Manager – Marketing, Manorama Online