Is it Real or is it Robot? Can You Pass The Test?

Yesterday, during a live speaking gig, I gave the audience a test to see if they could tell the difference between robot-generated and human-generated content.

They flunked. 

Here’s how it went down. 

I told them about an executive coach who helps business owners escape the hamster wheel.

Before she hired me, she wrote a blog post about delegation.

After she hired me, I helped her write a better blog post about delegation. 

I read for my audience yesterday the first two paragraphs from those two posts — plus two paragraphs from a third post. Then I asked the audience two questions: 

1) If you read these posts, which of the three would capture your attention and inspire you to read to the bottom? 

2) An artificial intelligence robot wrote one of these posts in less than 10 seconds, using the following prompt: “Write a blog post that explains why delegation is a critical skill for business leaders. Explain the difference between delegation done poorly vs. well. And give five tips for how to delegate well.” Which post did the robot write? 

Here are the openings for the three posts (see if you would have passed the test): 

Post #1

Delegation is a critical skill for business leaders for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it allows leaders to free up their own time and focus on the tasks that are most important and strategic to the organization. By delegating tasks to others, leaders can focus on the “big picture” and make sure that the organization is on track to meet its goals.

In addition to freeing up time, delegation is also important because it allows leaders to develop and empower their team members. By giving team members the opportunity to take on new tasks and responsibilities, leaders can help them grow and develop their own skills and capabilities.

Post #2

Delegating properly is one of the most important leadership skills. Delegation is typically not a natural skill that we learn growing up; however, it is critical to company growth and it’s a game-changer on many levels.

When delegation is done poorly, it is better known as dumping, and it’s not ultimately beneficial to the giver or receiver.  When done well, delegation allows individuals and teams to focus on more important priorities that will impact top and bottom lines, as well as everything in between.

Post #3

I know a business owner who rarely enjoyed time away from his business.If he got away, he was constantly stressed and anxious about how it would turn out. It often didn’t turn out well.

Employees would call and email with questions. The owner would think, “They didn’t need to bother me with this! They could have figured out that one!” A huge pile of undone stuff awaited him when he returned. The business seemed to stall without him.

Sound familiar?

Time for the Test

Question 1: “…which of the three will capture your attention and inspire you to read to the bottom?”

No suspense here. It’s #3 — the story-powered post. Every one in the audience voted for that one. And the coach’s readers voted for that one too. It elicited far greater response than the first post she wrote.

Now for the hard question…
…Which post did the robot write?

Every person in the audience — except one — got it wrong!

And you? Can you tell the difference between the robot-generated and human-generated content? 

Scroll up. Read ’em again. Give it some thought. And then take a guess. You have time before a I reveal the answer.

(Cue Jeopardy theme music)

… da-da-da-da…

… da-da-da…

…da-da-da-da…

…DA…da-da-da-da-da

… da-da-da-da…

… da-da-da…

…DA… da-da-da-da-da-DAHHHH

…

OK. Times up. Which one did the robot write — Post 1 or Post 2? 

…

…

…

…

Are you sure?

…

…

…

…

Is that your final answer? 

OK then…

It’s almost time
for the reveal.
But first,
another question…

Does it bother you that it’s so hard to tell the difference between the robot-generated and human-generated posts? 

It should — if the content in posts 1 and 2 looks anything like the content you’re creating. 

You think it’s hard to get your content noticed now?

You think it’s hard to stand out from the crowd? 

It’s only going to get harder…
…for those dishing out the same old content.

Because today, right now, robots are generating similar content at warp-speed. And that content is as good — if not better — than the stuff most humans dish out. 

You may think the answer is to get yourself a robot. Save some time. Dish out content in warp-speed.

I said this last week, and I’ll say it again because…

…this is very important…

Sure, you can hop-aboard the robotic train and join the mushy-middle. You’ll dish out more-of-the-same QUICKLY. 

But where will that get you?

You’ll be yet another voice in the crowd, hoping that someone will notice your more-of-the-same needle in a haystack of more-of-the-same. 

How will you stand out? 

By creating entertaining content that is uniquely YOU. Content like delegation Post #3. 

When you read my emails, posts, and other content, you get ME. You get my voice. You get my sense of humor. My personality shines through.

The robots are clever. But they’re not me. And they can’t pretend to be me — at least not yet. 

Yes, robots will eventually be able to mimic my voice — or yours. 

But you can’t train a robot to mimic your voice until you establish your voice — until you learn how to create captivating content that is uniquely you. 

That’s what I do. And that’s what I can teach you to do.

One last thing…

The robot wrote Post #1.

How’d you do on the test?

Reply to this email to let me know (and to share your thoughts about robots and such).