No tool is perfect, and GenAI is no exception. It has many shortcomings and limitations, some you may be aware of and others, not so much. We won’t waste your time talking through every potential pitfall, but here are some of the biggest ones we see.

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1. Accuracy and Trust
   GenAI can’t actually think. It’s all just code, the output of a language model that’s trained on data sets as opposed to being given true artificial intelligence. You’ll be reminded of this by asking GenAI questions like: “Do you have awareness?”, “Do you like your job?”, “What do you think about pineapple on pizza?”
   
   This leads to the problem of potential inaccuracies in your GenAI outputs. Oftentimes, an AI will infer information or even create a source that doesn’t actually exist, which can be disastrous if you don’t verify yourself what your GenAI is spitting back to you. It’s critical to remain aware and double-check the outputs from your GenAI tool so you know you’re using accurate, factual, and verifiable information in your work.
    

2. Loss of human touch
   Over-reliance on — or under-vigilance with — GenAI can lead to a reduction in the empathy, creativity, and clear, effective communication in the content you’re generating.
   
   Things like these, which are just a part of communicating as a human, don’t always make it into the outputs from your AI-generated content. It is always important to consider your audience and desired impact in whatever you’re writing, especially in your marketing content.
   
   To address this, keep a human in the loop to double-check the outputs while working with GenAI. People can not only double-check the AI-generated outputs, they also let the team know when and how AI was leveraged in any work being developed so that the final product has been reviewed and given the appropriate final touches from a human. This is a great way of safeguarding the accuracy and finer, human nuances in your AI-generated content.
    

3. Bias in generated content
   GenAI that's been trained on data sets that contain biases may perpetuate those biases, leading to potentially inappropriate or discriminatory outputs, or results that leave out important information and context.
   
   Bias might not only be discriminatory, but it can also be based on factual inaccuracies. It’s important for the human that’s using the GenAI to be aware of this possibility when incorporating its outputs into important material like client deliverables and marketing materials — and to fix it if there’s a problem.
    

4. Unexpected results
   AI-generated content can sometimes produce unexpected, nonsensical, or off-topic outputs by its nature of being a language model, and not a digital version of the human brain. Sometimes all it takes is a webpage refresh or a clearing of the chat to clear the digital cobwebs from your GenAI’s “head.” Double-checking the results you get back from your AI tool is an essential practice each time you produce AI-generated content so you can avoid passing on work that doesn’t make any sense. 
    

5. Plagiarism and IP concerns
   Since generative AI models learn from diverse sources, they might inadvertently generate content that closely resembles existing copyrighted material. This depends a little more on which specific GenAI tool you use, as different companies will have incorporated more or fewer safeguards against this. If you’re especially concerned about plagiarism, there are many free checkers available online if you need to be really buttoned up on a piece of copy.
   
   As for IP concerns, GenAI is outpacing the legislation that’s being developed around it. Ownership of AI-generated content, who can or can’t copyright AI-generated outputs, and use of someone else’s IP as an input for your GenAI are some of the top concerns we see right now — and we’re staying on top of legislative developments around AI-generated content.
    

6. Security and Data Privacy
   Ensuring strict data security and privacy is a huge part of using GenAI tools. As more and more companies and individuals adopt GenAI, there will even more data floating around, tempting hackers and other malicious actors to get access to the heaps of potentially sensitive information.
   
   Clients deserve to know that their information is as safe with you and GenAI as it was before you started using it. It’s critical to stay on top of where information you give to your AI tool goes, who else can see it, and what security standards your GenAI solution has in place to prevent data leaks and stop cyberattacks.
    

7. Ethical considerations
   GenAI usage raises potential concerns related to deepfakes, disinformation, and other unethical purposes that can compromise online security, data privacy, and even democratic processes.
   
   When using GenAI, it is always important that your clients understand how you’re using their information in conjunction with it, what you’re doing to maintain the security and privacy of their data and information, and the role that GenAI plays in your work with them.

 

This brings us to an important point: the ethical and responsible use of GenAI in a business setting.

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