AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) have burst onto the scene in marketing departments across the world. We are already tired of hearing about AI but let’s kick-off with clarifying exactly what it is and what is an LLM.
AI, or artificial intelligence, refers to computer systems designed to mimic human-like intelligence. These systems can learn from data, make independent decisions, and perform tasks that traditionally would have required human brainpower.
LLMs are a specific type of AI that focus on understanding and generating text. Think of them as extremely well-read assistants who’ve consumed vast amounts of written content from books, articles, websites and more. They can write content, answer questions, and hold seemingly intelligent conversations.
The most famous examples you’ve probably heard of include ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. These tools have moved from tech curiosity to mainstream business tools in record time.
Why the Sudden Popularity?
The explosion of interest in AI for marketing wasn’t an overnight success – these technologies have been brewing for years. But a few things changed recently that sent adoption through the roof.
First up, the technology got dramatically better. The jump in quality between older AI text generators and today’s models is like comparing a child’s crayon drawing to a professional portrait. Secondly, they became absurdly easy to use. You don’t need a computer science degree anymore – just type what you want in plain English, and you’ll get results. The promise of doing more with less has made AI tools irresistible to marketing teams across many different disciplines.
How Our Clients Are Using AI
Reading Reports
Many of our clients have started using AI to interpret analytical performance reports. We’ve seen marketing directors feed entire industry studies into ChatGPT and ask for the highlights in bullet points.
This works brilliantly for getting a quick overview. In seconds, you can extract the main points from a 50-page report.
But it comes with serious limitations.
These AI tools lack true understanding. They can tell you what’s in the report, but not why it matters to your specific business situation. They miss the nuance, the reading between the lines, and can’t connect those insights to your unique market position.
We’ve had clients come to us confused because the AI summary missed crucial context that completely changed the implications for their business. Sometimes the most valuable insights are lost in plain sight when AI tried to summarise the detail. For example, there may be a significant increase in website visitors but also an increase in the bounce rate (people leaving the site immediately, off the first page) – AI cant yet interpret these two stats. and conclude that while there were more visitors to a site, they were of little value as they weren’t well-targeted visitors. So, while the AI analysis might save time – don’t depend on it for a true interpretation of the stats.
Summarising Meetings
This is where we’ve seen some genuine time-saving benefits. Several clients now record their marketing planning sessions and use AI to transcribe and summarise the discussion.
Instead of someone frantically taking notes (and missing half the conversation), or worse, trying to remember key points afterward, the AI produces a decent summary of what was discussed.
It helps capture action items, main discussion points, and decisions made. For busy marketing teams, this means more time actually participating in meetings rather than documenting them.
The time saved can put back into creative work or strategy. But watch out for the bullet points that will be included relating to a casual conversation about the weather or holidays or the bosses strange habits etc!
Content Structure and Ideation
AI has proven quite helpful for the initial stages of content creation. It can quickly generate content outlines, suggest blog topics based on keywords, or create basic structures for longer pieces.
When you’re staring at a blank page, asking an AI for “10 blog post ideas about _____” can kickstart your thinking. It’s like having an always-available brainstorming partner.
We’ve found it particularly useful for breaking writer’s block. Even if you don’t use the AI’s suggestions directly, they can spark your own, better ideas.
Why AI Won’t Replace Human Marketers
Originality Remains Elusive
Here’s the fundamental problem with AI-written content: it’s built on existing content. These systems don’t truly create – they recombine and rework what they’ve already seen. Of course, to a certain extent we all do that but the “garbage in, garbage out” principle is very apt with AI. These models were trained on the internet, which includes plenty of brilliant writing but also mountains of mediocre, repetitive, un-interesting content. AI doesn’t distinguish between compelling content and blurb, so they replicate it all equally.
The danger is, that if everyone uses AI to write their marketing content, we end up with an echo chamber of the same ideas expressed in slightly different ways. I read a marketing blog last week that was very obviously AI-generated – it hit all the expected points but offered zero fresh perspective. If it looks like anyone could have written it – then probably; nobody did – its an AI jobee!
Good Grammer Isn’t Everything
AI can produce grammatically perfect, readable text. But that’s a very low bar for marketing content. The question isn’t “Is it readable?” but “Will anyone actually want to read it?”
Great marketing content needs personality, unique insights, and authentic connection. It needs to stand out, not blend in. Most AI-generated content has all the personality of a corporate handbook.
Missing Local Context and Culture
One of the biggest weaknesses we’ve noticed is AI’s inability to truly understand local context. It can’t reference the quirky local event that everyone in your town is talking about. It doesn’t get regional humour or cultural nuances. If you said Peig was a miserable cow living on the Aran islands, AI would probably describe her as a sad animal!
For businesses serving specific communities, this is a massive drawback. Your customers notice when content feels generic rather than specifically created for them.
You can imagine a local retailer who has built a following on social media suddenly switching to AI. Everybody would notice that something had changed – the ability to call-out a local politician taking Amazon deliveries for stuff that could be bought locally, or the traffic lights being out for a few hours on the main crossroads – would all be lost. Playful jabs and timely comments would be replaced with sterile platitudes.
Why You Still Need Human Writers
Real marketing professionals bring things AI simply cannot:
Genuine creativity and original thinking
Deep understanding of your specific audience
Ability to inject authentic personality into content
Knowledge of local context and culture
The human touch that builds genuine connections
At Inspiration Digital Marketing, we believe in using AI as a tool to enhance human creativity, not replace it. Our writers and marketers use AI to handle routine tasks while focusing their talents on creating truly distinctive content that connects with your audience.
If you’ve read this far – then ye’ll have to agree!
