AI Impact on Curation - CM #18
Benefits and drawbacks of AI impact on content curation. Curation tools. Curation monetized business ideas framework and real-world examples.
Hello, welcome to a new issue of Curation Monetized.
The focus this time is on AI, and its impact on content curation.
Are curators on the way out? Will they be replaced by AI-assisted algorithms? Will curation be automated and made scalable thanks to AI impressive capabilities?
My answer is: No.
None of the above is going to happen.
Curation is deeply and inextricably connected to a human being and his sensitivity/viewpoint/culture/values.
That’s what you indirectly value when you appreciate someone’s curated content. That uniquely original take, focus and ability for certain insights within a certain space.
The moment you separate the two, the magic disappears.
Do you want slowly arrived-at insights, discoveries and realizations or do you want some fresh Google News?
The value is in the specific human filter you choose.
While AI may evolve super-rapidly, by definition it will never possess such character.
AI curation is the byproduct of an algorithmic, averaged out mix of perspectives and values that tend toward finding the most efficient common denominator and not the rare, little-known pearl/insight/parallel nobody has noticed yet.
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In this issue:
Content Curation Insights
Benefits and Drawbacks of AI Impact on Content Curation
Content Curation Tools
Six new interesting tools worthwhile checking out
How To Monetize a Business Directory [Video]
(for Premium subscribers only)Curation Monetized Business Ideas Framework
(for Premium subscribers only)Real-World Examples of Curation Monetized (3)
(for Premium subscribers only)
Enjoy!
Robin Good
Content Curation Insights
Is AI going to impact curation?
Will it take away the curator job?
Will it enhance it?
Given the present status of AI and what I have learned by using it, my view is that AI will indeed enhance curation, but in ways that are not so obvious as one may think.
AI can be a fantastic research assistant, editor and illustrator, but it can’t give me the type of insight, research abilities and experience needed to uncover hidden gems or to make parallels between totally unrelated things.
In addition, AI, by definition, does not have the unique filtering profile of a human being (with all its pros and cons), which is the key element in my view to build lasting trust between those who search and those who help them what they are looking for.
Here below what I think are the key pros and cons that AI brings to the world o content curation. It is in between these that you should be looking to find interesting opportunities for innovation, learning and business.
1) Benefits of AI Impact on Content Curation
1) Content Discovery
Facilitate, assist, complement authors / writers / curators in discovering related relevant content. Much better than present-day search engines once trained as it can do repetitive task, vet and verify according to your own rules, report in an efficient and well structured way in record time.
2) Collect and Analyze Data
Analyze large volumes of content or data to identify key patterns and trends. Helps curators see what otherwise would be invisible to the naked eye.
3) Dolby Effect
Provide a baseline against which to stand out with quality original ideas and writings.
“AI-produced content will create a massive opportunity for skilled writers and marketers to rise above what might well be an impending onslaught of lazy, mediocre copy.”
Source: Adam Tanguay - “What Google’s new guidelines for AI-produced content mean for SEO”
4) Organize and Structure
Sort, classify, label, tag and order ideas, content and resources in meaningful ways. AI-powered tools are often much more effective than humans when it comes to categorizing and organizing content, as they can analyze data objectively without the biases and subjectivity that can affect human curators.
5) Critical Analysis
AI can be your best assistant editor, legal counselor, proofreader and translator. Not only. AI can be asked to critically evaluate your ideas and writings to find weak points while suggesting refinements and improvements or altogether different ways to look at any issue.
6) X-Ray Something
Identify and illustrate the deep structure of an existing idea, the reasoning behind a scientific law or the exact steps needed to execute specific tasks. AI can be like an x-ray machine for ideas, concepts, visions, capable of exposing their inherent logic and key components and providing great potential value to those looking for insights and for what lays below the surface.
7) Find Relevant Resources
While its search abilities and selection criteria clearly depend on Google and other search engine own limitations, AI can be of great assistance in doing basic research, aggregation and collecting work. It can rapidly find relevant books, lessons, guides and videos and data on just about any topic. (e.g. Perplexity AI, Consensus)
8) Identify User Problems
AI is a giant semantical mirror of human society and its thinking. Its intelligence is based on what we as humans have written and shared publicly. For this very reason AI can be tremendously useful in identifying and uncovering specific human needs, as well as typical problems people face, as it is built on their experiences written and shared online.
9) Finding Experts
While I would be wary of using AI in place of a true human expert, I would have no hesitation in using it to start identifying who are the respected and listened-to experts in almost any field. While it may leave out some important ones it will provide you with a good working base to start with.
10) Finding Similarities
Finding parallels, similarities and analogues in other fields should be one of the key traits of a great curator. But there’s nothing wrong, when one comes short of such references to ask AI to go out in its infinite library and look for some good ones.
11) Synthesizing / Summarizing
Synthesise, structure and summarize just about any body of content.
(See: Glasp AI Summarizer, Simagizer)
12) Illustrating
Illustrate, visualize, map, chart and diagram curated data and resources. Generate mindmaps, knowledge graphs and concept maps from any data / content.
(See: Infranodus - video intro)
2) Drawbacks of AI Impact on Content Curation
1) Lack of Original Ideas
Today, AI-generated content is noisy, redundant, and more often than not a regurgitation of what others have already said. You can verify this yourself by asking AI to come up with original ideas in your very field of expertise. While AI may likely bring to the table some ideas you may have not considered before, this goes more to uncover your limitations than showing AI intrinsic innovation and creative abilities.
2) Lack of True Expertise
One thing is to know by having read other people’s discoveries and insights, another is to be an expert whose expertise is based on extensive real work, on many errors, failures and confrontations with real-world challenges. AI is king at crowdsourcing the expertise of others and making it look like it’s providing you with new insight.
3) Lack of Insight
While AI excels in processing vast amounts of data, its lack of insight compared to human curators stems from its inability to grasp context, emotions, and nuanced understanding. Human curators bring empathy, intuition, and cultural understanding, enabling the discovery of deeper meanings and connections that algorithms might overlook or not even consider.
“[AI] may struggle to produce content that pushes boundaries or offers new perspectives, instead relying on existing data and patterns to generate content. This could lead to a homogenization of content, where AI-generated content becomes formulaic and lacks the unique voice and perspective that human curators can bring.”
Source: Sigal Samuel - “What Happens When ChatgPT Starts To Feed His Own Writings?”
AI “will take and regurgitate what you feed it, delivering no value beyond aggregation. You’re giving users nothing new.”
Source: Adam Tanguay - “What Google’s new guidelines for AI-produced content mean for SEO”
4) Lack of Style
AI often lacks the nuanced writing style found in human-curated content due to its inability to fully understand context, emotions and cultural nuances deeply. While AI can generate coherent and professional-looking texts, it often lacks the unique flavor and characteristics that each writer naturally places into their work, making it less engaging and relatable to readers.
5) Bias - Inaccuracy
While AI algorithms can analyze and categorize content efficiently, they may struggle to understand the context and nuances of the content. This can result in the presentation of biased or inaccurate information to the audience.
6) Lack of Personality / Voice
Use of AI in curation can also lead to a lack of personal touch and emotional intelligence. This can result in content that is less engaging and less likely to resonate with the intended audience. While AI is generally based on data and patterns, human curation is based on one’s own subjective experiences and perspectives and this is what makes human-written content valuable, original and unique.
7) Lack of Accountability
AI algorithms tend to escape accountability as their internal evaluation criteria and decision-making process are generally invisible. This lack of transparency can lead to a lack of trust in the content being curated as it can’t be assessed if it is accurate, relevant, and unbiased. To address this issue, AI algorithms should be fully transparent and show AI decision-making and recommendation processes.
8) Lack of Ethos
Human curators are guided by their own ethical and value frameworks, which they use to evaluate the content they curate. For what I know, AI algorithms are not capable of making ethical judgments (if not on the basis of invisible rules to which we have no access) and can easily perpetuate biases and act as fully undetectable propaganda machines.
9) Lack of Serendipity
AI algorithms seem to have difficulties in making serendipitous discoveries and unexpected connections. While AI leverages predefined criteria and patterns, human curators are driven by their own curiosity and openness to new ideas.
10) Limited Understanding of Context
Present-day (2024) AI models show a limited understanding of the nuances of human language, cultural traditions and communication patterns such as sarcasm, irony, or figurative language, and struggle to understand the context in which language is used.
N.B.: The above - it should be noted - are present-day (April 2024) AI limitations. It may well be that some of these limitations will soon disappear or in some cases get even worse than they are now. Who is to say?
3) Advice and Tips
1) Disclose
If you are using AI for curation say it.
2) Be skeptical of AI ideas
What most have said, in many cases, is likely not to be the most original or innovative idea to share. But that’s what - unless differently specified - AI is going to give you.
3) Verify yourself
Curators verify. Without delegating other individuals or organizations to do it for them. Other individuals or orgs may have vested interests in the matter. In that case fact-checkers are worse than trusting gossip.
4) Send AI out to explore unfamiliar terrain
Make AI do research and collect jobs in areas that you’re not familiar with.
5) Make your own AI ASAP
As soon as it becomes available create and customize a personal AI that follows your own values, rules, bias and specific preferences because these are the elements that give value to what you share.
Curation Tools
Speare
All-in-one solution for writing, note-taking, and personal knowledge management.
Leverages databases as well as “workspaces” and “stacks” which can contain all kinds of info, resources, tasks and notes. Simple to use.
Free 14-day trial (no credit card).
Pro is $120/year (30-day money-back guarantee)
.Soju
Save and organise all your bookmarks. Supports collections, tags and notes. AI-assisted auto-tagging. Share collections publicly. Video intro. Chrome clipper extension.
Free 14-day trial. Pro is $37/year.
.Bookshelf
Share your favorite books, reviews, related notes and highlights in a unique way. Interactive 3D bookshelf. Import your Goodreads book list or create one manually.
100% free. Video intro..
Ebookany
Web-based app easily converts any online content (blogs, list of links or any RSS feed) into a standard ebook format. Customize format, style, and layout. Include images. Supports ePub, PDF, MOBI, and more. Kindle support. Syncing across devices.
Free plan. Pro starts at $5/mo or $30/one-time.
.Affine
Downloadable cross-platform software (Mac, Windows, Linux) creates workspaces with fully merged docs, whiteboards and databases. Content blocks. Kanban boards. Infinite canvas. Task management and tracking. Collaborative.
100% free version for individuals. Pro starts at $7.99/mo
.Wiser Media
Pinterest for knowledge - Best podcasts, newsletters, and videos on any platform, all in one place. Hand-picked by experts and insiders with similar interests. Built with AI and human curation. Offers AI-enabled features (auto-tagging) that allow users to easily save and organize the content they want. Users can also access other users’ libraries, save them and get content recommendations that are both personalized and hand-curated.
Web and mobile (iOS and Android). Demo
Freemium.
1) How To Monetize a Directory by Selling Featured Listings (for Premium subscribers)
14-minute video illustrating in simple terms the strategy and tools needed to create a profitable online directory
2) Curation-Monetized Business-Ideas Framework (for Premium subscribers)
A simple framework to identify potential business opportunities built around the collection and organization of existing resources/info.
3) Curation Monetized: Real World Examples
(for Premium subscribers)
Library of Popular xxxxx Examples
Examples Library of Great xxxxxx
Catalog of xxxxx Tools