AI vs Search Engines: What’s the Future of AI Content on SERPs?

Author: Team WH

Published On: 07-05-23

Last Updated on: 08-05-23

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

The debate about AI-generated content is prevalent as ever. While there have been claims that AI does not have the emotional intelligence to pull off personalised and thought-provoking content, a surprising 12% of businesses are using AI for content creation.  

At the same time, popular search engines like Google have not explicitly mentioned being against AI-generated content. But before we delve deeper into the subject of AI vs search engines, let’s chart the rise of AI content and how its rising popularity forced search engines like Google and Bing to take a stand!

Tracing the Meteoric Rise of AI-Generated Content

When ChatGPT launched in November 2022, it was treated as another technological advancement by people outside the industry. But within months, this chatbot displayed extensive capabilities as a one-stop tool to write content, create visual imagery, promote automation and much more!

Amongst all its features, content creation has perhaps been the most controversial.

It is easy to create AI-generated content on ChatGPT or other such tools. Simply enter a relevant prompt on the topic, provide context on the kind of writeup you require, and watch as these tools draft up expertly-written content pieces. Whether AI-generated content can ever capture the irreplaceable human touch and intelligence is a different debate altogether.

AI-Generated Content vs Search Engines

The internet has been filled with rumours that Google has developed its algorithm to ban all kinds of AI-generated content. However, one look at the official statement of Google, and you’ll realise that the AI vs search engines debate has a simple answer.

Google stresses the importance of high-quality content, whether drafted by a human or generated by an AI tool. It highlights the concept of E-E-A-T for checking if content fulfils all the necessary requirements:

• E – Expertise
• E – Experience
• A – Authoritativeness
• T – Trustworthiness

According to Google, the problem arises when organisations use AI-generated content only for manipulating search rankings. As part of its commitment to provide reliable search results, Google has labelled such content as spam.

However, the search engine giant continues to promote the constructive use of automation while maintaining its stance that all automation does not fall under the umbrella of spam.

Final Thoughts

All kinds of AI-generated content are not considered spam. If the content comprises helpful elements that satiate user intent and provide value, then Google and other search engine algorithms will rank it accordingly.

As the capabilities and limitations of AI content become transparent, the debate of AI vs search engines continues to dominate the conversation in marketing. Search engines are more likely to support high-quality content, irrespective of the creation method.

Hence, it is evident that AI and human capabilities can complement each other to create compelling content that ranks high on SERPs and improves website traffic.