Anyone else like the AI description feature?

[tealt]

Until about a week ago I had always (for 24+ years) written my item descriptions in html (the for-dummies variety).

I currently have 70+ antique thingies to list of the same era and material, but each one different. This requires a different item description, item specifics, and photos for each one.  I'm using Sell Similar, but still wanted to reduce my listing time per item.  So I decided to use the AI description feature.

I am liking using the AI descriptions because:

1) It does save me some time. 

2) It picks up bits of important information from both my title and item specifics.  Thus the AI paragraph is usually accurate about facts.

2) It is a bit flowery, which is not my taste as a buyer, but I don't assume that my taste automatically appeals to all potential buyers.  Some folks like flowery and might be more inclined to buy.

3) It is completely editable.  I can eliminate words like "perfect", "excellent", "wonderful" and any other over-the-top adjectives that I would never, ever use in a description.  I can eliminate whole sentences and add whole sentences of my own (e.g. repeating the item condition).

So far the IA doesn't seem to be off putting to buyers, and I'm hoping that since I no longer have html in my descriptions, eBay isn't hiding my descriptions under an addition link.

I'd be curious to hear from anyone else who is using AI or has at least tried it.

[chapeau-noir]

I've tried it and I can write faster.*

As long as you edit it for accuracy after it's done churning the copy, that's all really that matters.

*I'm including the fact that one must have to read through the AI and make any changes and check for accuracy as the reason I can write faster - I know the AI scrapes the content pretty quickly.

[richard1rst]

At the risk of being hyperbolic I view AI as being the baby Skynet taking that first breath.

Even AI admits in an answer to a direct question that repeatedly using AI will generate a diminution in the creative writing skills of the user. Eventually every post for a particular product will look the same and you will be nothing more than a Waldo lost amongst a sea of Waldos.

[tealt]

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@richard1rst wrote:

At the risk of being hyperbolic I view AI as being the baby Skynet taking that first breath.

Even AI admits in an answer to a direct question that repeatedly using AI will generate a diminution in the creative writing skills of the user. Eventually every post for a particular product will look the same and you will be nothing more than a Waldo lost amongst a sea of Waldos.

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What you say would be quite true for me…

If there were duplicates of what I am listing already on eBay, and there are not.

What I’m listing is ultra long tail and will appeal to a tiny, tiny audience. Thus I’m not worried about getting lost in any sea of duplicate descriptions

[tealt]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

I've tried it and I can write faster.*

As long as you edit it for accuracy after it's done churning the copy, that's all really that matters.

*I'm including the fact that one must have to read through the AI and make any changes and check for accuracy as the reason I can write faster - I know the AI scrapes the content pretty quickly.

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You  make a good point.

I think if I had your talents, AI would not be as useful for me. 🙂

Besides having arthritic fingers, my brain doesn’t come up with descriptions that might appeal to a certain type of buyer.

Those are my limitations that AI helps me with.

[joliztoyco]

You can use it and it does save some time. For some items.
You have to go through it and remove some of the goofy hyperbole. But it's still faster removing a few sentences than writing a complete description.
Whether you choose to write your own description, or get an assist from AI,  you decide what works best for what you're selling.
And you don't need a "creative writing" degree to do your own listings.
Most buyers want an accurate description, not some flowery prose.

[inhawaii]

I love the AI description feature.

I hope my competitors all continue to use it.

[luckythewinner]

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@richard1rst wrote:

Even AI admits in an answer to a direct question that repeatedly using AI will generate a diminution in the creative writing skills of the user.

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What does "AI" based that answer on?

[bashort]

My opinion is that a item description should inform the potential buyer of the pertinent details of the item in the fewest words possible.

I tested AI on one listing, a electrical connector and it spit out a whole paragraph with terms like "sleek silver finish" but failed to mention the gauge of wire that the connector works on.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@tealt I've played around with it. I think it is like most tools here: useful for some sellers, less useful for others. And it must be used with care (review and revise). 

That said, this tool is in its infancy, and similar tools elsewhere are far more robust, with the "writer" instructing the tool to use a certain tone of voice, or a certain style, etc. If ebay continues to refine the tool it will become more useful. And, since it clearly draws a lot from item specifics, savvy sellers will likely learn to add more custom Item Specifics to enhance the description.

If writing a description is the sort of thing that comes easily to a person, then this is of limited use at present. For others, it is a useful even valuable tool. And will probably only get better.

If I were giving it a grade , I'd probably give it a "C"...but that's a whole lot better than the Ds and Fs I'd give to many sellers (including the seller whose description of a book read "book.")

So, onward and upward....if it helps , use it, but always remember to review and revise (if necessary)

[djvp53]

I use it to start most of my listings and I usually keep a sentence or two. Since I first started using it, I think it has improved a little bit by incorporating more from the listing specifics. Unfortunately, it usually does so in the most stilted and awkward way, so I generally rewrite the whole description. It only takes a couple of seconds to let the AI get the first poke at a description and with so little to lose, I'll keep trying.

As a buyer, I can generally see the pure AI listing descriptions and I am leery of those. If the seller is so lazy as to just accept whatever nonsense AI spews, I doubt they took great care in writing their description or that they will take great care in packing and shipping.

[redmodelt]

Personally, after seeing how AI described a vintage/antique item (mantle for Alladin lamp in this case), it should never be used where the item is used or old stock.  AI cannot see or feel the item so in no way could it properly describe the items nuances from a photograph. 

[itsjustasprain]

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@djvp53 wrote:

As a buyer, I can generally see the pure AI listing descriptions and I am leery of those. If the seller is so lazy as to just accept whatever nonsense AI spews, I doubt they took great care in writing their description or that they will take great care in packing and shipping.

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Its garbage-in-garbage-out (especially if you got your Item Specifics wrong). IMHO nothing says 'lazy' like a big vapid flowery AI description paired with minimal Item Specifics and only 3 photos - 2 of which are out of focus and one is sideways. As soon as I see an AI description in a listing my radar goes up and I start doublechecking everything else in the listing. I cannot trust the description anymore because it is obvious that the seller did not write it.

Its kind of like sellers in the past who would list a used item but have only stock photos of a new example that they scraped from someplace else. We would tell them that if they had taken their own photos of the actual item they were selling then they would not be complaining about a Not As Described return coming back at them. AI descriptions are like that but for text instead of photos. Do your own work and you will produce the best description of your item - even if your grammar is not perfect.

[richard1rst]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@richard1rst wrote:

Even AI admits in an answer to a direct question that repeatedly using AI will generate a diminution in the creative writing skills of the user.

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What does "AI" based that answer on?

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https://chatgptt.me/

QUESTION

Will repeatedly using AI to write product descriptions have any effect on the writer's own communication skills?

ANSWER

Repeatedly using AI to write product descriptions can have an impact on a writer's communication skills. While AI can generate coherent and contextually relevant text, it is important to note that it is still an automated system and may not capture the nuances and creativity that human writers possess. Relying solely on AI for writing can potentially limit a writer's ability to develop their own unique writing style, adapt to different audiences, and exercise critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It is advisable for writers to strike a balance between utilizing AI tools and actively practicing and honing their own communication skills to maintain a well-rounded approach.

[chapeau-noir]

@richard1rstwrites: Even AI admits in an answer to a direct question that repeatedly using AI will generate a diminution in the creative writing skills of the user.

And given that large language models basically scrape the internet for fodder, which then often has the end product tilled back in, we can end up with endless recursion.