I’ll admit it.

When ChatGPT first dropped, I had a bit of an existential wobble. Like a lot of content folks, I wondered if my job had an expiry date.

Then I started using it.

And for a while, I became that guy, flirting with the idea that maybe, just maybe, AI could handle 80% of content production.

Spoiler: it can’t.

Not if you care about trust, accuracy, or building something that stands out in an ocean of sameness.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve worked with brands like Connecteam and Originality.ai, where AI plays a real role in content creation. It’s sped things up and helped us scale like outlines, optimisations, and ideation.

But the best-performing pieces? The ones that actually rank, convert, or get shared? They’re grounded in expertise, supported by studies, and polished by humans who know the space.

That’s the middle ground I’ve landed on, and honestly, it’s where most brands should be aiming.

Because the hidden cost of going full-AI isn’t just about lower quality. It’s about slowly eroding the very trust you’re trying to build.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

AI is a powerful tool, but terrible at leading. Use it to assist, not replace, your strategy, voice, or editorial standards.
Content that’s fast and forgettable is still a loss. Generic, AI-heavy output might save time now, but costs trust in the long run.
The best results come from human-led, AI-assisted workflows. Brands that balance expertise with efficiency see stronger rankings, reach, and credibility.

Many Brands See Content as a Production Line, Not a Reputation Asset

First off, let me start by saying I am by no means an AI hater. In fact, I regularly use ChatGPT, create CustomGPTs for my clients, and even offer generative AI integration as a service.

The issue isn’t the tech. It’s how brands are using it.

AI makes it dangerously easy to treat content like a checkbox exercise. Crank out 20 articles a month. Cover every long-tail keyword.

Hit publish, repeat.

On paper, it looks efficient. And in 2015, you’d be a content leader within 12 months.

In reality? It’s turning brand blogs into indistinguishable piles of content soup.

I’ve seen companies treat AI like an intern who never sleeps.

“Just get it done.”

But when content becomes a volume game, you stop asking the more important questions:

Does this reflect what we stand for?

Is it actually helpful?

Would anyone read this twice?

And that’s where the hidden cost creeps in. AI outputs tend to be safe, generic, and factually shaky unless someone with real expertise intervenes.

Without that layer of human insight, what you publish might tick SEO boxes, but it doesn’t build trust. It doesn’t spark loyalty. It doesn’t reflect the why behind your brand.

Brands that don’t get this are chasing traffic numbers while slowly draining their credibility. And the worst part? It’s a slow decline. You don’t see the fallout until your content stops performing.

And by then, you've got a backlog of rewrites on your hands.

What I’ve Learned From Using AI at Scale

Working with brands like TestGorilla, Foundr, Teal, Connecteam, and Originality.ai has given me a front-row seat to the good, the bad, and the surprisingly useful sides of AI in content creation.

At Connecteam, we had a high-volume content machine. AI helped us move faster, identifying any optimisations and expanding on human-written drafts.

But none of the content we produced was AI-generated in any way, instead focusing entirely on subject matter expertise writers that went out, spoke to the companies we were reviewing, gathered demos and marketing packs, and even undertook their own free trials.

The results? Articles where we layered in original research, practical examples, and subject-matter insight.

Oh, and a serious amount of organic traffic!

Not only that, but also a ton of citations in ChatGPT.

With Originality.ai, I’ve seen the detection side of things. I’ve stress-tested how detectable AI content is, how readers respond to it, and where the threshold lies.

I’ve also helped conduct countless first-hand studies that are all human-sourced, tidied up with AI, and then human-written for production.

Not only have these PR studies led to significant growth on LinkedIn and a large increase in organically sourced backlinks, but also a ton of traffic and domain authority.

From non-existent to over 1.1M monthly visitors in less than five years!

The bar is getting higher. Audiences (and search engines) can increasingly tell when something reads like a lazy AI spit-out.

The lesson? AI’s great at assisting. It’s not great at leading.

The moment you let it dictate your brand’s voice, tone, or perspective, you’re not streamlining, you’re diluting.

The sweet spot is using AI to handle the grunt work.

Let it summarise sources (and, for goodness' sake, check those sources!). Let it suggest structures. Let it speed up repetitive editing.

But the magic still comes from human brains: your insights, your angles, your brand’s tone of voice.

The Hidden Costs No One’s Talking About

On paper, AI looks like a dream for overstretched content teams. You get speed, scale, and SEO-friendly copy at a fraction of the cost.

But here’s what rarely gets discussed: the opportunity cost. The reputational damage. The erosion of trust that slowly builds up when your content sounds like everyone else’s.

Let’s break it down. This table sums up what brands think they’re gaining from AI, and what they’re quietly losing in the process:

Don’t get me wrong. AI doesn’t make bad content.

It makes forgettable content.

It’s fine. It ticks boxes.

But “fine” doesn’t get shared. It doesn’t earn backlinks. It doesn’t sit with your audience long enough to change minds or drive action.

And that’s the real cost. Not just SEO rankings or engagement rates, but lost chances to show up as a genuine authority.

To build credibility.

To say something real.

Because if your content doesn’t do that, why are you even publishing it?

What Smart Brands Are Doing Instead

The best brands aren’t ditching AI. They’re just not outsourcing their entire reputation to it.

They’ve realised the goal isn’t more content. It’s better content, created more efficiently. And that means using AI where it helps, and humans where it matters.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

They use AI to reduce grunt work: Outlines, formatting, meta descriptions, tidying up transcripts. AI’s brilliant at this stuff. It frees up time, not replaces expertise.
They bake in original insights: Whether it’s internal data, customer interviews, founder quotes, or personal experience, the best content has something real behind it. Something you couldn’t just prompt into existence.
They treat editorial as a competitive edge: These teams still have editors. Strategists. Review cycles. Not because they’re slow, but because they know quality compounds over time.
They train their teams to collaborate with AI: Writers aren’t told to fear AI. They’re shown how to use it to move faster, while still owning the angle, voice, and structure.
They track the right metrics: Instead of obsessing over pageviews or word count, they focus on conversions, backlinks, mentions, and time on page.

Smart brands get it: AI is a tool. One of many.

But your brand’s credibility? That’s not something you can automate, and once it’s gone, it’s tough to earn back.

Your Content Reflects Your Brand. Don’t Outsource That Blindly

The more I’ve worked with AI, the more I’ve realised this: speed means nothing if what you’re publishing is forgettable. It’s never been easier to create content, and never been easier to get it wrong.

Brands that rely too heavily on AI risk losing the very thing they’re trying to build: trust, authority, and differentiation.

Because content isn’t just about filling up a blog.

It’s about showing your audience who you are, what you know, and why they should care.

I’m all for using AI. But the smart move is knowing where to draw the line. Use it to move faster, not to cut corners. Automate the low-value stuff, not the thinking. Your content should reflect your brand, not a model trained on the internet’s leftovers.

If you’re wrestling with this balance or want help building a smarter, more sustainable content strategy, feel free to reach out: graeme@gwcontent.co.uk. Always happy to chat.

The Hidden Cost of AI-Generated Content: What Brands Are Getting Wrong