AI can draft, but can it deliver? Mastering content curation with AI

Our LinkedIn feeds are increasingly populated by ChatGPT or Gemini posts, Google’s integration of AI into search has led to a dramatic drop off of organic traffic (18-64% drop off) to sites.

AI agent ads promising to automate my content creation workflows are appearing every few seconds in my social feeds and studies by MIT and other universities raise concerns that over-reliance on AI can lead to disengagement from the content and less critical analysis.

On the other hand another study published by science.org shows that having access to AI as a springboard for creative writing leads to greater creativity (assessed by usefulness and novelty) for ‘less creative writers’.

The questions that we keep coming back to are: what is the role of humans in all of this? Do we need AI in the creative process? Can AI improve our creativity? Will content creators still have a job in six months’ time? Are we going to stop thinking critically because of AI?

The Human drive for Efficiency

Let’s be frank: In our increasingly fast-paced world, time is the ultimate currency, and mental energy is a precious commodity. We’re constantly bombarded, always on, and perpetually juggling. This isn’t a moral failing, it’s the reality of modern life. And it’s precisely this human condition that has become fertile ground for AI’s rapid growth.

Think about it: Who wants to spend hours trawling through spreadsheets when an AI can analyze vast datasets and highlight insights in seconds? Who wants to meticulously craft a first draft of a marketing email when an AI can whip one up that’s 80% there in a flash? This isn’t just about cutting corners; it’s about offloading cognitive load and reclaiming precious minutes.

The word “laziness” often carries a negative connotation, implying a lack of effort. But in the context of AI, it’s perhaps better reframed as an inherent human drive for efficiency and optimisation. We’re wired to seek the path of least resistance. If a machine can do a repetitive, mundane, or time-consuming task faster and more accurately than us, why wouldn’t we leverage it? This isn’t about avoiding work altogether; it’s about avoiding unnecessary work. It’s about preserving our mental bandwidth for the complex, creative, and uniquely human challenges that AI can’t yet solve – things like strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and genuine innovation.

Using your competitiveness as an advantage

Curious in how AI impacts on creatives I’ve been closely following a lot of online conversations on how they use AI. One creative’s observation resonates: while AI often provides predictable or mediocre answers, he uses this as a starting point to explore more novel and interesting territories. It’s essentially turning the predictability of AI into a creative superpower. It’s tapping into our deep-rooted competitiveness to challenge us to be better, more creative.

And here lies the secret to using and curating AI effectively and creatively: Don’t outsource your critical analysis of what you’re reading. Dig deeper. Creativity is the ultimate sport and we may have just met our match. Don’t be afraid of AI outputs, but analyse them and think deeply on how you could improve them. I can’t help but think of how talents such as Djokovic, Federer and Nadal and their deep-seated competitiveness have improved Tennis as a sport.

Curate, refine and dig deep for new and useful ideas. Be curious, and challenge what you receive, no matter how busy you are. This is what high-value content creation is about: tapping into the Zeitgeist and finding that gem that will make people stop in their tracks.

Get in touch

If you’d like to discuss this, or any other subject, please get in touch with Richard Costa, Consultancy Director, at richardc@gather.london

We’d love to know what you think.