Listen to the podcast or read the edited transcript below:
Right now, countless business owners and marketing teams are wasting thousands of hours, resources and dollars on AI content that’s getting absolutely nowhere.
They’re churning out AI-generated slop – blog after blog, generic social post after generic social post – without seeing any engagement or traction.
Why? Because they’re missing the most crucial ingredient – the human touch.
There’s a right way to create content with AI and there’s definitely a wrong way.
Today I want to dive into the real story of AI content creation in 2025, and why your authentic voice matters more than ever.
The Current State of AI Content Marketing
During the Christmas break, I noticed a massive shift and increase in some alarming articles and LinkedIn posts about how business owners and marketers are adopting AI into their content marketing workflow.
I recall a business roundtable event I attended in 2024 – where business owners spent time discussing how they’ve been able to reduce their workforce and let AI simple create content for them.
I won’t name names, but I still see their content on my feed, and it’s blatantly obvious.
It’s doing a disservice to their brand and will only take them so far.
The thing is, the content landscape has shifted dramatically and it’s become far too easy to create written content.
And that’s a bad thing.
However, while AI tools have become more sophisticated than ever, we’re simultaneously seeing a massive pushback against AI-generated content.
And that’s a good thing.
What You Need to Know About Google’s Evolution
First, let’s head back and take a look at Google and what their current strategy looks like and how this could be an indication for your content strategy this year.
Google’s whole business model focuses on retaining users on the search results page (SERP) – that’s where their business has been for the past 20 years.
And then, in their recent announcement, they announced a 90% reduction in the cost of being able to generate AIO – or AI-optimised and AI-organised answers.
This tells us that they are moving much faster towards AI-organised results instead of the current ‘solved’ state – for example, when you jump on Google looking for a lasagne recipe and get served multiple answers/websites/variations of a lasagne recipe from a ‘traditional’ search. Moving forward, that’s more likely to be an AI-organised result with one recipe, potentially pulled from multiple sources.
This example highlights that redundant content is becoming less valuable.
This then signals a decline in website traffic to content designed solely to solve “common” queries.
But I know you know this. We’ve been discussing how the industry has been moving in this direction for a long time.
So, if you’re currently producing redundant or low-value informational content and blogs that are easy to replicate and lack human relevance or a story, you risk losing relevance in this new landscape.
Instead, we should focus on producing content that offers unique value, creativity, or complexity beyond AI-generated summaries. Emphasise areas where personal expertise, storytelling, or unique perspectives matter. For example, experiential, cultural, or emotionally resonant content remains difficult for AI to replicate authentically.
The Rise of Non-Text Content
Welcome to the era of “non-text” content.
Currently, “non-text” content is harder to create than simply having ChatGPT spit out an irrelevant blog for you.
For example, Google is investing heavily in Google Discover and Google Lens, which prioritise rich media formats.
How Your Marketing Needs to Shift in 2025
Here’s the consideration on how your marketing may need to shift in 2025…start with video-first content.
Then, you can create complementary assets, such as blog posts, infographics, or social snippets, from the video content you produce.
This approach ensures your content aligns with evolving algorithms while maximising audience engagement.
Remember, YOU don’t have to be on camera. Consider other resources available to you:
- Your team
- Your product
- Your customers
There are numerous ways to share your authentic self, business, and product without relying on AI.
Using AI Strategically in Your Content Workflow
Let me be clear – AI can be helpful in content creation, especially when resources and budgets are tight.
However, using AI should be for enhancing, not replacing.
Here’s what I mean: going back to the start of this article and that roundtable event I attended, those who rely entirely on generative AI models (like ChatGPT, Claude, or any other LLM) to produce content are likely to underperform.
That reality won’t change; in fact, I think that this year, it will get worse.
However, using AI to support original creations such as transcriptions, editing, or research provides a competitive advantage.
Turn video/audio into text for search-friendly articles or accessible content.
Extract key takeaways from webinars or long-form videos and share them in more shareable chunks to help build brand voice and trust.
Let AI become your research assistant. It can generate ideas, draft visual assets, or create templates, supporting human creativity without overshadowing it.
Let me wrap this up with the key points you need to take away today:
- Start with high-quality, human-driven video content. This isn’t just about following trends, it’s about creating content that AI can’t replicate and resonates with your audience on a human level.
- Focus on being unique. Share your experiences, creativity, and emotional connections with your audience. AI cannot replicate these elements authentically.
- Use AI tools wisely. They can enhance workflows, streamline processes, and support content creation, but they should never replace your authentic voice.
Remember, success in content creation isn’t about choosing between AI and human creativity.
It’s about finding the sweet spot where both work together to create content that truly connects with your audience.