Are ChatGPT and other text-generating bots always the right and "cheapest" answer for your brand?
What do you feel when you see the image above? Does it feel something like discomfort or repulsion? If so, congratulations: you are experiencing the "Uncanny Valley" firsthand.
The "Uncanny Valley", a concept coined by Japanese scientist Masahiro Mori, describes the aversion people feel toward images that closely resemble human beings—yet clearly are not. According to this theory, as a robot's appearance becomes more humanlike, for example, the observer's emotional response tends to become more positive and empathetic, until it reaches a critical point of repulsion. However, as the resemblance becomes nearly indistinguishable, the emotional response turns positive again, eventually approaching the level of empathy felt between two real human beings.
But what does this have to do with writing? Well... everything, actually.
The advent of ChatGPT and other automation technologies has brought countless benefits in terms of efficiency and scalability. At the same time, however, it has created a gap in communication between brands and customers, where authenticity and empathy are often sacrificed for convenience and speed. And even those outside the field of communication can often quickly tell if they are talking to a robot or a real person, or if that text was written by a machine or a copywriter, right?
In this scenario, marketing and communication experts play a fundamental role in rebuilding this bridge between brands and consumers. More than ever, what we need is real people . And companies must adopt a more humanized approach in their communication, prioritizing the creation of genuine and meaningful connections with their target audience.
Authentic communication is not just about transmitting information, but about cultivating relationships.
This requires a deep understanding of the persona's needs, desires, and values, and applying this empathetically. In other words, it means showing the customer that you care enough to personalize that contact or message, and that you are expert enough to write the published text comprehensively, bringing the brand's tone of voice.
This means investing in qualified writing professionals who are trained to handle complex and sensitive interactions where empathy and understanding are essential. And leaving the textual "Uncanny Valley" to your competitors.
Oh, and there's more: ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence bots aren't always 100% right. Chatbots can plagiarize websites, provide convincingly wrong answers, and spread fake news. In fact, ChatGPT got more than 50% of the answers wrong in a study by Purdue University in the US. And the problem isn't just being wrong: it's failing to signal when it doesn't know the answer, failing to provide the source of information, and passing off incorrect data such as birth dates, medical terms, and historical facts as absolute truth.
Not to mention that we are talking about artificial intelligence that is not trained to understand every regional slang term, which can introduce translation errors that alter the meaning of the text and even offend people in the process. Therefore, only a critical journalistic human eye reviewing this generated content can ensure that the final text is cohesive, aligns with the brand's purpose, and contains fully verified information.
Behind every screen and algorithm, there are real people with real needs and emotions.
They need to feel seen, and feel that there is truly someone behind the brand. ABM is your partner at every step of the journey. We can help you create or develop your brand voice effectively. Talk to one of our experts and keep following the blog for more content like this.
