It’s Official: Google Prefers Genuine Human Writing to AI-generated Content
If you’re a writer, blogger, copywriter or DIY website builder, this news will have you breathing a sigh of relief:
Google's latest bots favour original content written by bona fide human beings over AI-generated content.
Yes, you read correctly. In fact, Google's Q1 2024 updated policy says it will prioritise human content over non-human content.
Boom! This is excellent news for content creators. In a world governed by so much technology and automation, with no sense of irony, being genuinely human is recognised as preferential to AI.
Mel Barren and the little robot, somewhere in London, UK.
Google's updated 2024 policy slaps AI-generated content
Spammers have gamed the system for decades. Google's latest update is a direct blow to spammers and other unscrupulous types who misappropriate AI-generated content for their own devious gain. Google is handing out a clear message that abuses will not be tolerated.
Google explained that their new policy would reduce unoriginal, spammy, unhelpful or useless content by up to 40%. The upside for us is that you won't end up on a spurious payday loan website when you ask Google why the sky is blue.
While a 40% reduction isn't good enough, it's a start. Google promises more targeted action against those still trying to outwit their protocols.
So, that's the spammers under the microscope, hopefully squirming in a petri dish of their own making.
Copy and paste AI at your peril
What about the simple, everyday folk who merrily copy-paste AI-generated content and pass it off as their own? Hmm. Much of that content will be demoted down the rankings closer to Google's nether regions. Websites and blogs drenched in AI-written content will suffer if a human doesn't at least try to edit it.
But hello! What about us, the non-spammy writers, bloggers and content creators, aka the virtuous ones, with our original thoughts and stylistic quirks?
The new protocol serves us well, but… if you think Google will catapult your original human content straight to page one, steady on! It may rank you preferentially above AI-generated content, but only to some extent.
Techy must–knows for non-techy human writers
First, Do This
Wrap your head around the fact that Google (and other search engines) crawl every word you publish. In a brutal millisecond, they'll decide whether it is worth putting in front of people.
Make sure your content is useful.
Make sure it is original.
Don't copy and paste AI-generated content verbatim.
Then Do This
EDIT: If you use AI tools to write your content, edit the hell out of it before posting. I'll scream it from the rooftops: edit until you own it.
REFRESH: Add new original content to your website regularly: stale websites sink down the rankings.
SEO: The usual Search Engine Optimisation hygiene protocols are paramount so people can find you online. You need to optimise your content so it can be discovered by potential customers/your tribe.
If SEO baffles you, check this advice out.
The Future of Content Creation
Creators whose livelihood depends on original thought are right to wonder what the future holds.
Emila David wrote for The Verge about watermarking AI creations. Adding a watermark should make it easy for people to identify AI-generated content. This is all very well until you realise the watermarks can be easily removed, and they only apply to visual creations, not to text. There are plagiarism checkers – Grammarly is my favourite – but it's down to a curious human to run checks by pasting the content into their software.
Stable door. Horse. Bolted.
AI is largely unregulated, which is why spammers are doing so well with it.
As Big Tech attempts to self-regulate (while simultaneously promoting their own AI models), unregulated technology is launched with breakneck speed. This means—for now—checking the origins and authenticity of what you see online is your responsibility.
How utterly tedious and utterly predictable. Groan.
The Future for Content Creators
Fear not. Concerns about the future of content creation are natural, but human ingenuity and imagination will always be prized.
In a strange twist, treat AI's homogenous writing suggestions as a direct challenge to your original thought processes. Think about it: AI may be structurally correct, but it is achingly bland.
If you want to reflect your humanness, start by resisting every single AI suggestion.
So, what is the future for original human content versus AI-generated content? I'm not worried. Creativity is what separates us from the machines.
If you need help to stand out or you’re too busy to write or blog, get in touch. I’d love to help.
Thanks for reading, and I hope it has been useful.