11 Warnings about Using AI in Content-Creation (including podcasting)
Listen to the full episode here:“Artificial intelligence” (“AI”) has made huge leaps in abilities within a very short time. It was only a few years ago that I felt on the cutting edge teaching how to use AI tools like Jasper (originally called “Conversion.ai ” and “Jarvis”), even before ChatGPT was released.
Now, AI has become so prominent, that it's almost surprising if a software company of any size is notoffering some kind of AI-based solution.
While inflation has skyrocketed the prices of almost everything, the cost for accessing AI has significantly dropped. When I first started using AI, a good plan with access to only one central AI system cost $99 per month. But now, you can use a tool like Magai to use a whole bunch of different language- and image-based AI tools starting at only $19 per month!
(As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases through these links. But I recommend things I truly believe in, regardless of earnings.)
All this potential means we need to quote the line from Spider-Man, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
And thus why I want to share these warnings with you, to advocate for responsible use of generative AI, large language models (LLMs), machine learning, or whatever you want to call it.
This warnings apply to anykind of content-creation, not only podcasting!
(And in case you're wondering, I did notuse AI to createany of this content, but I might be using some AI to transcribe or help me market this content.)
Aside: most warnings apply to generativeAI, but not repurposing or enhancement AI
Before I get into my list of warnings about using AI, I want to clarify that these are focused using AI to essentially create something from nothing. I still think AI can be a great assistant on yourcontent. For example, processing audio or video, clipping excerpts, suggesting marketing approaches, improving how things communicate, repurposing, and more. All of those things start with yourintelligence, and then the AI works from that.
But I see most of these warnings as applying solely to generative AI, or when you start with nothing but a prompt.
Now, on to the warnings!
1. Undisclosed use of generative AI can get you in trouble
YouTube, social networks, and lots of other websites and platforms are starting to require you to disclose whenever you're putting out content generated by AI. And I think this isa good thing to do as it helps the potential audience know what kind of quality to expect.
Even for things like podcast transcripts, it's good to disclose whether AI was used to transcribe the audio. As I mentioned in my previous episode about using podcast transcripts , someone on your podcast might say, “I love two li'l puppies,” but the AI might transcribe it as, “I love to kill puppies.” Sometimes, even omitting a single word can drastically alter the meaning. For example, imagine accidentally omitting the “not” in a sentence like, “I'm not guilty.”
This doesn't necessarily mean you must disclose everytime you use AI in anycapacity (like you need to disclose wheneveryou're compensated for anythingyou talk about ), but you should be aware of the requirements of platforms and seek to always be above reproach.
And if you're concerned about how it might affect your reputation if you disclose every time you use AI, then here's a radical thought: maybe don't use AI! (More on this in #11.)
2. AI often “hallucinates” facts and citations
ChatGPT , Claude, Grok, Gemini, and all the text-based AIs we know are also called “large language models” (or “LLMs”). And I think that's a much better term, too, because they're not actually intelligent; they are simply good with language.
This is why you'll often see LLMs write something that grammatically makes sense, but is conceptually nonsense.
In other words, LLMs know how to write sentences.
For example, I sometimes like to ask AI, “Who is Daniel J. Lewis?” Not because of any kind of ego complex, but because I'm an interesting test subject for LLMs since I am partiallya public figure, but I also have a name very close to a celebrity: Daniel Day Lewis. Thus, the responses LLMs give me often conflate the two of us (a mistake I wish my bank would make!). I've seen responses that both describe me as a podcasting-industry expert andhighlight my roles in There Will Be Bloodand The Last of the Mohicans. (And I'm not helping any LLMs scraping my content by just now writing those things together!)
So for anythingan AI or LLM writes for you, I urgeyou to fact-check it! I've even seen some responses completely make up citations that don't exist!
3. AI lacks humanity
From the moment of conception, you have always been a unique being of tremendous value and potential with unique DNA, unique experiences, unique thoughts, unique emotions, and more. Like a snowflake, there will never be someone—or something—exactly like you! Not even an AI trained on all of your content!
AI is