Ever whipped up a paragraph in ChatGPT, smiled and thought “nailed it”? Then, headed straight for the Ctrl + C to paste it directly into your blog post? Look, you certainly wouldn’t be the first to do so, and I’m sure you won’t be the last person copying AI output, but is it helpful or a hindrance?
Copy-pasting AI-generated output without checking or editing it is a quick content solution. It’s also a very quick way to tank your credibility and put your brand voice through a blender.
While yes, AI models still hallucinate sometimes to give you deceptively convincing (but inaccurate) information, I don’t believe that’s the biggest danger at play.
What I feel is an even bigger problem is the missing piece. YOU. That single ingredient your content needs to actually stand out. AI can come close, but YOU still need to bring your unique voice and perspective to anything you publish.
Read on, and I’ll explain…
- why pasting raw AI text is a bad idea and potentially can get you into ethical and legal hot water,
- how it affects brand trust, and
- what to do instead, so you can still use AI (the smart way) without sounding like a bot
Spoiler: the solution’s easier (and more human) than you think.
What Makes Copy‑Pasting AI Output Not So Smart
I want to preface the rest of this blog post by saying loudly and clearly: AI isn’t the villain here; it really is a damn clever tool.
And the keyword in that last sentence? TOOL.
Issues begin when users treat AI-generated output as finished work, rather than a foundation to build from. And publishing it unchecked is where real danger lurks.
While LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini (etc) have been trained on mountains of content – some of it scraped, some public, and some probably not meant to be reused – it’s highly unlikely the raw output of any of these models can really stand alone as is. YOU still need to be in the picture; to add nuance, context and authenticity.
- AI sometimes cites inaccurate (or even non-existent) sources, and while they may sound legitimate, there’s an absolute liability risk here.
- Even if the words seem original, they could sail a little too close to someone else’s published work. Oooops.
- Those same phrases you see repeated (over and over again) have become blunt and lead to disengagement. A deadset turn off.
So, in the fast-moving digital landscape of ever-evolving content creation (see what I did there?) I beg you not to blindly copy and paste. What you publish has your name on it…. it represents your brand, and if it sounds like an electric kettle, that’s far from ideal, right?
Don’t Risk Your Rankings Going Down the Drain
While there was initially some to-ing and fro-ing about Google’s handling of AI content, the outcome has been made clear. Google does not penalise content produced by AI. Google actually doesn’t give a shit about how your content is created AS LONG AS IT IS INSIGHTFUL, HELPFUL and READER-ORIENTATED.
Google loves content that addresses search queries, is fresh, meaty and engaging. And while AI can produce some incredible pieces of writing, the human touch is what connects with readers on a deeper level. Plus, don’t forget about the nuances and cultural references that AI may not pick up on or understand fully.
Search engines will thumb their nose at content that’s thin, templated, or duplicated, and they’re getting better at spotting it. If you need a refresh, Google’s Helpful Content update sent a clear message: publish stuff that’s original, insightful, and human-focused, or prepare to slide out of the search results. If copying AI content is your go-to content strategy, don’t be surprised by crickets.
What’s Your Credibility Worth?
There are already lawsuits flying over how AI tools are regurgitating copyrighted material, especially when we begin talking about image generation. Whether these cases stick or not, the risk is real, more so if you’re producing content for clients.
Stepping beyond the murky legal zone, there’s the trust factor. Your readers can smell a generic a mile away, and will think either you don’t give a toss, you’re not a thought leader, or you’re lazy. (A), (B) or (C) it’s likely they won’t stick around, or come back.
You and Your Humanness are Needed Now More Than Ever
There’s something AI will never beat you at: being human. The nuance. The context. The gut feeling bit. And it’s this humanness that gets lost when AI-generated content is slapped straight into a blog post or social caption.
But being human and authentically you doesn’t mean you’ll need to sit staring at a blank screen, starting from scratch. Think of AI like a first draft intern: helpful, quick, but not ready to publish. Its sole job is to get the skeleton of work done. Yours is to flesh it out with lived experience, opinions, tone, and flow. That’s where the real value comes from, and what your audience will actually remember, bookmark, and maybe even share (gasp).
Ethical AI Use For Content Creation
This AI stuff isn’t going anywhere. On the contrary, it’s advancing at a breakneck pace, and even AI experts are racing to keep up. And each generation of every model is getting more proficient. Mind-blowingly good even. You’d be mad not to use it. Ethically.
Want to know how to use AI without losing your voice, values or visibility?
Take these tips on board…
- Treat AI like a brainstorm buddy. Let it give you structure, a few options, maybe even a cheeky metaphor or two. But when it’s time to publish, make sure every sentence passes the sniff test: does this sound like me? Is this actually helpful? Would I say this out loud? If it feels off, it probably is. Tweak it. Rewrite. Make it yours.
- Run a Quick Plagiarism Check. Even if you’ve rewritten the piece, it doesn’t hurt to do a final scan to help spot anything accidentally too similar to existing work. Especially important if you’re producing client content, because “oh shit, sorry” doesn’t hold up well.
- Try asking AI for bullet points instead of full paragraphs. Or ask it to act like your audience: “How would a new small business owner in Australia phrase this question?” Then take the results and write them your way.
- Tell a story. Reference a client convo. Use a specific turn of phrase that your audience always laughs at. These are the details that AI just can’t touch, and the ones your audience connects with most. Injecting your lived experience doesn’t just make your content better, it makes it believable.
- Even if an AI tool spits out a stat or reference that sounds legit, always double check. Link to the original source (preferably .gov, .edu, or industry authority sites) and give credit where it’s due. Why? Because citing builds trust. And trust builds business.
Let AI handle the grunt work so you can focus on the part only you can do: sounding like a real human with something valuable to say.
Keep the Bot, Lose the Blah Blah Blah
Used carefully and strategically, AI can (and probably should) absolutely be part of a smart content strategy. But it’s not the enemy, it’s the starting point. And look, even as a professional writer, I’d be foolish to ignore how AI can speed things up and spark ideas. But the real magic happens when you treat AI like a collaborator, not a crutch.
So by all means, love your favourite AI tool and get it to help. Let it kickstart your thinking or untangle your outline. But never let it speak for you. Your audience wants your personality, perspective, and not something they feel like they’ve seen a hundred times before, peppered with em dashes — — — — (IYKYK)
Reckon you could use some help turning AI output into content that actually sounds like you? That’s where Hey There, Humanoid steps up. Reach out and I’ll take your half-baked bot draft and turn it into something sharp, ethical, and totally YOU.
