AI-Generated Content for SMEs: Leveling the Field or Navigating a Hype Trap?

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face a persistent competitive disadvantage in the digital marketplace, where consistent, high-quality content across text, image, and video formats is essential yet resource-intensive to produce. The advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools promises a solution, posited as a great democratizer that can level the playing field against larger competitors. This paper critically investigates this promise, asking whether AI-generated content truly serves as an equitable field-leveler for SMEs or constitutes a strategic "hype trap" replete with hidden costs and risks. Through a comparative analysis of AI tool capabilities and a synthesis of emerging literature on ethics, quality, and strategy, we develop a practical framework for SME adoption. Our findings indicate that AI is not an automatic equalizer but a potent amplifier; it efficiently scales content production but introduces significant challenges related to authenticity, strategic oversight, and ethical compliance. We conclude that successful navigation—avoiding the trap and harnessing the leveling potential—requires a deliberate "human-in-the-loop" strategy where AI augments, rather than replaces, human creativity and brand stewardship. This paper provides SMEs and researchers with a critical lens and actionable guidance for integrating generative AI into content workflows responsibly and effectively.

کلیدواژه ها:

AI-Generated Content ، Generative AI ، SMEs ، Content Marketing