AI is taking over the business of writing-what’s next? 3 “engaging” insights from ConvertKit’s new report
AI usage is skyrocketing, with the biggest use case: generating written content.
How do you stand out in a world where a year’s worth of professionally-written content is just one prompt away, and available to everyone?
The answer is visual … but not video.
ConvertKit recently released their 2024 State of the Creator Economy Report, and the most striking stats are about the massive increase in AI usage, especially for generating written content.
At the same time, the data appears to indicate the beginnings of a backlash … a rise in skepticism, and heightened concerns about the loss of creativity.
Where do we go from here? Let’s find out.
1. “A seriously impressive leap in a single year”
We expected AI usage to increase,” the report states, “but the reality defied our expectations.”
AI usage nearly doubled, with 66% of creators adopting it, up from 34% the previous year. “That’s a seriously impressive leap in a single year.”
What are they primarily using AI for?
- Writing 41%
- Editing 23%
- Marketing 12%
“AI-assisted written content is more popular than visual outputs like images,” the report notes.
In a glut of AI-generated written content, going visual offers a clear path to differentiation, but the previously predicted pivot-to-video doesn’t seem to have panned out.
2. “We were wrong”: The fall of short-form video
In one year, rather than going up, the rate of short-form video production has actually cut in half.
This is what the report says:
Last year we made a prediction: “TikTok will be a preferred platform for new creators next year.”
We were wrong.
In one year, the rate of creators making short-form videos cut in half.
So why are creators moving on from short-form videos?
The authors aren’t quite sure.
But their #1 guess …
Low engagement.
On the other hand, recent recent data shared by Hubspot shows an alternative path to generating higher engagement.
For example, visual content like infographics are 30x more likely to be read, while boosting both traffic and dwell time.
AI may have skyrocketed content production, but creativity is still calling the shots where it matters most.
In fact …
3. “Takes away from creativity”: 2/3rds of creators didn’t touch AI
“There’s still 2/3rds of creators who didn’t touch AI last year, and those that do only use it occasionally,” the report found.
While “unfamiliarity is becoming less of a barrier for trying AI … skepticism is on the rise.”
Many creators are concerned about keeping their content original, and feel that AI takes away from creativity.
According to ConvertKit’s data, authors and artists are the biggest holdouts when it comes to embracing AI, while marketers lead the usage charts, closely followed by YouTubers.
Nevertheless, other research shows that 41% of marketers are leveraging visual content this year.
Originally published in arty type, by Monojoy
