I’m just wondering if Shopify has any thoughts about what the future of emarketing looks like given the tsunami of AI-generated content. How will it be possible to standout and differentiate?
Important question @user2534!
There is no doubt that AI-assisted or AI-generated content is on the rise and it can be disheartening seeing some publishers race to the bottom with little regard to quality.
The problem answers itself.
When publishers write using AI, there is little to no differentiation. At first it may feel like a cheat code or short cut until you realize that anyone can generate the same copy.
By now, many readers are able to detect AI copy and even if they can’t they quickly determine the copy isn’t worthwhile and now you’ve damaged a reader’s relationship with you. That is hard to get back because they’ll always wonder if what they are reading is of value or just quick AI.
To address your exact question, here are some ideas to think about and try:
- Avoid 100% AI copy. AI can assist your writing in so many ways, but publishing full AI copy is not respecting your readers.
- Weave in proprietary insights and data. AI can only output what it can seen before. Be the source where no one can duplicate you and or must read your article to get the true nuggets.
- People want to read human sourced copy. Be transparent and promote that your content is human sourced.
- If you implement AI for assistance, always review, edit for your audience and develop robust and value add prompt instructions.
AI can help become more efficient in so many ways, but don’t be put under a spell thinking it’s a cheat code, because it isn’t, social media is now awash in tragic case studies.
Good luck!
The problem is the users that can’t is still a LOT of people ; & merchants .
Same problem as people that can’t identify scams by simple things like obvious typos , or tell the fake download button from the real one etc.
So this creates a deeper problem, like a con-spiral, where bad actor strategy is to purposefully make the obvious mistakes to dissuade savvy users from even engaging , thinking, or even bother to report the scammers.
Leaving the less savvy to be harvested en-masse.
@user2534 This is a real problem and it’s only getting worse. But I think the framing is slightly off, and reframing it reveals the solution.
The issue isn’t that everyone is using AI. It’s that everyone is using AI the same way.
A store owner opens ChatGPT, types “write me an abandoned cart email for my Shopify store,” and gets:
“You left something behind! Here’s 10% off to complete your purchase
”
Every store gets that same email. Because every store gave the AI the same input: nothing. No brand voice, no customer context, no positioning, no product details. Generic input → generic output. Multiply that by a million stores and you get the AI slop tsunami.
The stores that will stand out aren’t avoiding AI. They’re giving AI better information.
Here’s what I mean. Take that same abandoned cart email, but first give the AI:
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Your brand voice (direct, warm, slightly technical)
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Your customer profile (health-conscious parents, 30-45)
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Your product specifics (daily nutrition mix, organ-based, one scoop)
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Your positioning (no-BS, science-backed, not a supplement bro brand)
Now the same AI writes:
“Your daily mix is still in your cart. One scoop covers what most people take 6 pills for — organs, colostrum, berries, adaptogens. No ‘proprietary blends.’ Every ingredient and dose is on the label.”
That doesn’t sound like AI. It sounds like a brand that knows its customer. Because the AI had real context to work with instead of guessing.
The practical version of this:
Build a simple brand context document - even a single page - that covers:
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Voice — 3-5 words that describe how you sound, plus 5 words/phrases you never use
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Customer — Who they are, what they care about, what language they use
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Positioning — What makes you different from the 10 closest competitors
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Product specifics — The real details, not the marketing fluff
Paste that context into every AI prompt before your actual request. The output immediately stops sounding like everyone else because it’s working from information only your brand has.
The “AI slop” isn’t an AI problem. It’s a context problem. The merchants who build their brand context once and feed it into every prompt will produce content that sounds human, specific, and differentiated. The ones who keep typing “write me a product description” with no context will keep getting the same slop as everyone else.