Is AI a Threat to Copywriters?

Honestly, I’m not worried. Not one bit. 

“But how can you not be worried when they’re creating robots that can do your job for you in a fraction of the time?”

Eh, well, that’s the thing. AI (Artificial Intelligence) will never be able to do my job for me. Let me explain. 

What Exactly Is AI Powered Copywriting?

AI copywriting technologies write marketing text automatically after being fed some information and parameters to work with. AI should not be confused with machine learning or deep learning. Instead, consider AI to be a form of automation that allows computers to perform jobs without human involvement if given the right sets of data.

An AI copywriter is a machine-learning-powered technology that generates copy according to a specific set of inputs. It can produce material ranging from long-form blog pieces to social media captions. If you give the AI a blog post title and outline, it will generate a handful of paragraphs.

Here’s the thing though. Out of all of these AI tools, none are capable of producing high-quality content that doesn’t need a human polish. That sounds ominous, but I mean that AI can’t do it alone. Unless you want content that is absolute nonsense. Nonetheless, an increasing number of brands are relying on some of these AI copywriting tools. Let’s dig a little deeper. 

Why AI Is Not a Threat to Copywriters

To address complex problems, AI copywriting software will seek to emulate human thought processes. Each AI system has a goal, and engineers and computer scientists establish pre-determined processes to achieve goals. 

This is done by collecting millions of web pages and identifying patterns for natural language creation, which is then used to generate material on a specific topic.

However, no matter how much data is fed into AI, it will never be able to realistically replicate human thoughts, emotions, memories, and language. Why, you ask? 

AI writers can’t provide the human element

We, as copywriters, aim to create sets of words that pique people's interest in a product, service, or idea. One of the most damning disadvantages of writing like a robot is that humans cannot relate to it, no matter how hard these robots will try. AI just isn’t able to recognise and replicate style and tone like we can. 

Copywriting is a conversation, and AI doesn’t know the language

Copywriting is an art form as much as it is a means of selling a product. But, more importantly, it is a means of communication. An AI copywriting tool like Jarvis, for example, cannot properly reproduce the sense of connection between individuals; it just does not have the same empathetic capacities as humans do.

Machines may be able to simulate human communication, but they will never be able to produce it on their own. When authentic communication is replaced with stale communication devoid of any personality or originality, the result looks and sounds like a parody of what humans generate - dull and uninspired words produced by robots. Your customers will be hugely unlikely to fall in love with your brand then, don’t you think? 

AI copywriting is terrible for SEO

If you were hoping to rank higher on Google with AI copywriting, stop right there. These things are terrible for SEO. In fact, Google issued a statement in April 2022 outlining its position on AI content: "At the moment, everything is in violation of the webmaster guidelines." So, from our perspective, if we came across something like that, the webspam team would classify it as spam."

Honestly, SEO loves the human touch. And you’re never going to get that with AI copywriting. 

The Bottom Line

Copywriting is more than just churning out content. But it’s understandable that as copywriters, we could feel threatened by the promise of instant content. 

Let’s just keep in mind that as copywriters, we have a distinguished voice, we know how to express topics in a way that makes them enjoyable, and interesting to read. That’s something AI can’t do. See what I mean? 

Oh, by the way. I’m Amelie, I’m an experienced copywriter based in the UK. Want a chat? Let’s talk! Book a call with me.