It’s Obvious AI Wrote Your Email

Lavender
21 Jul 202304:45

TLDRThe video script discusses the pitfalls of using AI to generate cold emails for mass outreach. It highlights that AI-written emails can be easily detected by both humans and AI copy detectors, leading to potential delivery issues and spam classification. The script emphasizes the importance of human touch in sales, suggesting that AI should be used for inspiration and summarization, not for replacing human effort. It warns against the negative impact of AI-generated emails on brand perception and relationship building, advocating for thoughtful and personalized communication in sales.

Takeaways

  • 🧐 The current trend of using AI to automate the sending of cold emails can be easily detected by both humans and AI copy detectors.
  • 🔍 AI-generated emails have a high probability of being flagged as spam due to their detectable patterns and characteristics.
  • 💻 Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are likely using or developing tools to screen out AI-generated emails to protect their user experience.
  • 🛡️ Enterprise companies have additional safeguards to protect against phishing attempts, which AI-generated emails could resemble.
  • 🧠 Human brains are adept at recognizing patterns, making it possible for people to identify AI-written emails over time.
  • 📝 AI copy often contains long, awkwardly formatted, and overly formal text that can be a giveaway of its non-human origin.
  • 🤖 AI-generated emails may use assumptive language, overuse adjectives, and are prone to factual inaccuracies.
  • 🔑 Personalization is key; AI-generated emails often lack the thoughtfulness and relevance that human-written emails can provide.
  • 💔 Sending AI-generated emails can damage relationships and brand reputation if recipients feel tricked or undervalued.
  • 🛑 While AI can assist with inspiration and summarization, it should not replace the human element in sales communication.
  • 🌟 Being thoughtful and relevant in sales communication is crucial for building lasting relationships and avoiding being replaced by AI.

Q & A

  • What is the current trend in using generative AI for emails?

    -The current trend is using generative AI to automate the mass sending of cold emails to prospects.

  • What is the main problem with using AI to write emails as described in the transcript?

    -The main problem is that it's currently quite obvious to both computers and human readers when an email has been written by AI, which can lead to issues with email deliverability and recipient engagement.

  • What did the AI copy detector indicate about the email written to sell newspaper advertising services?

    -The AI copy detector indicated a 199.9% chance that the text had been written by a human, suggesting that the AI-generated content was easily distinguishable.

  • What was the result when the same AI copy detector was used on an email written by track gbt?

    -The detector indicated a 75% chance that the email had been written by AI, showing that even with AI, the detection of AI-generated content is still high.

  • What best practices were suggested to improve the AI-written email's authenticity?

    -The best practices suggested were to keep the email under 75 words, remove cliches and buzzwords, and follow specific instructions to make the email seem more human-written.

  • Why might AI-generated emails be a problem for salespeople?

    -AI-generated emails might be a problem because they can be easily detected by email clients and spam filters, potentially leading to the emails being sent to spam or ignored by recipients.

  • What are some of the characteristics of AI-generated copy that humans can detect?

    -Characteristics include long, drawn-out copy, awkward formal tones, jarring artificial transitions, long sentence structures, assumptive language, overuse of adjectives, lack of relevant personalization, and a tendency to fabricate facts.

  • Why is it important for salespeople to avoid using AI to generate entire emails?

    -It's important because substituting human effort with AI can devalue the work of the salesperson, hinder skill development, lower the quality of work, and potentially damage brand relationships.

  • How can AI be used effectively in sales without replacing human effort?

    -AI can be used for inspiration, generating ideas and titles, summarizing long documents, and providing time-saving assistance without replacing the thoughtful and personal touch of human-written communications.

  • What is the potential risk for salespeople who rely too heavily on AI for their sales outreach?

    -The potential risk is that it can lead to job insecurity, as being thoughtful and relevant in sales is a key differentiator that AI cannot fully replicate, and it may signal a lack of effort or authenticity to prospects.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 AI-Generated Emails and Detection Challenges

The script discusses the current trend of using AI to automate the sending of cold emails and the problems associated with it. It highlights that AI-generated content is often easily detectable by both computers and humans, using a free AI copy detector as an example to show varying probabilities of AI authorship. The script also points out that major tech companies like Google and Microsoft, which are also behind popular email clients, are likely to use or are already using AI detection tools to filter out such emails, potentially affecting their deliverability. The author emphasizes the importance of human touch in sales and the risks of relying too heavily on AI for tasks like email outreach.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Generative AI

Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that are capable of creating new content, such as text, images, or music. In the context of the video, generative AI is used to automate the writing of cold emails for sales prospects. The script discusses the limitations of this technology, noting that it is often detectable to both computers and human readers, which can lead to the emails being filtered out as spam or disregarded as unimportant.

💡Cold Emails

Cold emails are unsolicited messages sent to potential customers or clients who have not previously expressed interest in a product or service. The video script highlights the use of AI to generate these emails and the issues that arise when the recipients can identify the emails as being AI-generated, which can lead to a lack of engagement or even negative reactions.

💡AI Copy Detector

An AI copy detector is a tool designed to analyze text and determine the likelihood that it was written by an AI rather than a human. The script mentions using such a tool to test the authenticity of an email written to sell advertising services, revealing a high probability that the text was AI-generated.

💡Spam Detection

Spam detection is a process used by email clients to identify and filter out unwanted or unsolicited emails. The video discusses how AI-generated emails may be flagged by spam detection algorithms due to their promotional nature or other detectable patterns, potentially leading to these emails being relegated to a spam folder or ignored by recipients.

💡Human Brain

The human brain's ability to detect patterns is highlighted in the script as a factor in recipients' ability to identify AI-generated emails. After seeing AI-generated content a few times, people begin to recognize certain characteristics that suggest the content was not written by a human, such as awkward phrasing or overuse of adjectives.

💡Phishing Attempts

Phishing attempts are efforts by cybercriminals to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security. The script mentions that enterprise-sized companies have safeguards against phishing, and AI-generated emails could potentially be mistaken for such attempts, leading to further distrust or filtering.

💡Brands and Relationships

The script warns that using AI to generate emails can damage brands and destroy relationships. If recipients feel that an email was not genuinely written by a human and instead was a mass-produced, impersonal message, it can lead to a loss of trust and a negative perception of the sender's brand.

💡Thoughtful Email

A thoughtful email is one that is personalized, well-considered, and shows genuine interest in the recipient. The video emphasizes the importance of human touch in sales emails, arguing that AI-generated emails lack this quality and can be easily identified as such, which can lead to disengagement from the sender.

💡Job Security

The script suggests that relying on AI for sales outreach, including cold emails, could put job security at risk. It implies that being a good salesperson involves being thoughtful and relevant, which AI may not be able to replicate, and that failing to demonstrate these qualities could make a salesperson's role more susceptible to being replaced by technology.

💡Lavender.ai

Lavender.ai is mentioned in the script as the website of the company that uses AI in a limited way, not for generating entire emails but for inspiration, ideas, and titles. This example illustrates a balanced approach to using AI as a tool to support human effort rather than replacing it.

💡LinkedIn Posts

The script mentions receiving AI-generated comments on LinkedIn posts, indicating that the use of AI is not limited to emails but also extends to social media interactions. This serves as an example of how AI-generated content is becoming more prevalent but also more recognizable to users.

Highlights

Current trend of using generative AI for mass cold emailing is detectable by both computers and human readers.

Free AI copy detectors can identify AI-written texts with high accuracy.

AI-generated emails have a high chance of being flagged as spam by email clients.

Google and Microsoft, known for Gmail, Outlook, and LinkedIn, are likely using AI detection tools to filter emails.

Enterprise-sized companies have additional safeguards against phishing, which AI-generated emails might resemble.

AI copy often contains patterns that humans can detect after seeing them a few times.

AI-generated emails can be long, awkwardly formal, and full of mistakes.

Buyers are adept at spotting AI-generated emails due to the volume they receive.

AI-generated emails can lead to mental spam filters, reducing the chance of engagement.

Attempting to trick recipients with AI-generated emails can lead to a loss of trust and damage to the brand.

AI should be used for inspiration and summarizing documents, not for generating entire sales emails.

Human element in sales is crucial and substituting it with AI can devalue the work and lower quality.

Using AI for cold emails and outreach can put job security at risk.

Being thoughtful and relevant in sales is key to not being replaced by AI.

A good cold email should be personal and thoughtful, not mass-produced by AI.

Lavender.ai uses AI for inspiration but not for generating entire emails to maintain quality and personal touch.