TikTok Lessons: Why AI Can't Replicate the Power of Human Creativity and Surprise

The arrival of ChatGPT (and other uses of OpenAI) has been the Haute topic du jour as of late, particularly in content and marketing circles. But, if tools such as these can create reasonably informed blog posts, web copy, and headlines, what implications will this have on content marketing and, ultimately, for those who make content?

Let me suggest a few things here:

1. If you’re hearing about these tools for the first time, your challenge is not AI taking your job/business. Instead, it’s much more profound.
2. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time on the changing winds of how we create, disseminate and consume content.

And to that end, I believe TikTok has given us a masterclass on how this wave is breaking in culture.

“Digital Crack Cocaine for Your Brain”

I’m not here to pick apart the pros and cons of what TikTok and other social media are doing to our brains. But it is doing something. As Forbes ’ John Koetsier pointed out, it can be addicting. Nothing new on that front; social media all carry some element of this. But TikTok’s 1B+ users spending an average of 89 minutes daily is something to consider.

And the consideration is not just the addictive properties but why it’s so addicting. The secret lies not only in the content itself (which I’ll get to in a moment) but also in how the content is delivered.

TikTok’s algorithm is optimized for serving you dopamine, not in a constant drip (which would bore you and require more and more dopamine for the fix). Instead, the algorithm is created to serve unpredictable rewards, increasing activity in the brain's reward region. Because the reward was unpredicted, your brain gives you a lovely dose of dopamine. Even more interesting, however, is that your brain adapts to this unpredictability and will preemptively serve you dopamine based on an anticipated risk (created by the unpredictability).

Nathalie Nahai refers to this as a dopamine loop.

The Form is the Medium

Because TikTok is so optimized for this unpredictability, it has shifted our viewing preferences towards unpredictability. The brain looks for signs of predictability, and one of the most telling signs on TikTok is the production quality of a video. Slick, hyper-produced, or ad-like content has historically underperformed on this platform.

Make no mistake, many of the most successful content creators on the platform use a very high level of planning and execution. It’s simply that they have recognized that the form is the medium.

Success on TikTok (and across the entire content creation landscape) depends on optimizing for viewers' desire for unpredictable dopamine hits.

There are implications we could discuss for DAYS for content creators, but for now, I’ll wrap by suggesting this:

The influx of AI into content creation lacks the ability to surprise us. While it will satisfy past algorithmic models (such as writing copy that might increase your website’s SEO), it cannot (currently) touch where our brains are at culturally. While we refer to these platforms as artificial intelligence, there is nothing intelligent or artificial about them. More accurately, they are machine learning tools — consuming extraordinary amounts of data, and outputting their learning. By this name and design, these tools are inherently uncreative and unable to surprise audiences. They’re simply rehashing the absolute best (already) available data on a subject.

This is an opportunity for content creators and marketers. You have the opportunity to create genuinely creative content that surprises and delights your audience. Want to create the best content in this environment? Create content that no one else can — disseminate the lessons that life and experience have taught you. Tell the stories of your lived experience.

If you’re creating content for a brand, map out and tell the stories that only your brand can: life change, humor, transformation, and levels of connection. Machine learning and AI models can write fiction from other people’s stories, but they cannot replace what only you uniquely offer.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you see the landscape shift? How are you changing your content creation approach in this environment?