Will AI Really Replace Copywriters? The Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence

You're here because you're wondering why you would need a copywriter when you have the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In fact, everyone's worried. We'd be lying if our brains didn't immedietly go to the Will Smith movie - iRobot. Will AI really replace copywriters?

AI has been revolutionising industries across the board, and copywriting is no exception. With AI algorithms becoming more sophisticated, businesses are now able to leverage machine learning to create compelling and engaging content that resonates with their target audience. If that's the case, why do you need someone like me? And it's not just my job. Clearly people are worried when they're Googling and You Tube'ing stuff like this:

It's true - AI enables marketers, content teams and copywriters to generate high-quality content in a fraction of the time, mere seconds. It is infinitely speedier and what used to take hours is now done in a flash. Not only that, these tools leverage natural language processing (NLP) and deep learning algorithms to produce captivating and somewhat convincing-enough copy.

I'll unpack the potential of AI in copywriting, discover the ways it is shaping the future of marketing communication and highlight the pros and cons for you. But ultimately, like any other technology, it has limitations. We can leverage it, it can be a really good friend, but it will not replace the need for human copywriting.

First, the pros.

The pros of AI in copywriting

Copywriting has moved beyond simply stringing words together to promote products or services. It has become an art that combines creativity, psychology, and data-driven insights to engage and convert audiences. Behind the words produced by us, lie hours of ideation, research, planning, organisation, writing, editing, proofreading and then distribution and seamless marketing.

AI streamlines this entire process. AI-powered copywriting tools and platforms have emerged rapidly (beyond chatGPT), offering a range of functionalities to assist copywriters at various stages of the content creation process. These tools leverage AI algorithms to generate ideas, conduct research, optimise content for SEO, and even write complete articles. They analyse vast amounts of data to identify trends, understand consumer behavior, and creates persuasive copy that resonates with target audiences.

Copywriters like me, now have access to powerful tools that can help generate ideas, optimise writing, and analyse the performance of the content. It is no longer manual and time-consuming. It has been hugely helpful particularly when AI copywriting assistants are stiched into SEO platforms, where I can take the keywords and use those to generate the structure and bones of an article in under two minutes.

When tools like this exist, you may be wondering why you would ever need a copywriter and instead just subscribe directly to an AI tool.

Well, here's why and here are the drawbacks.

The cons of AI in copywriting

Despite the numerous benefits and the fact that AI can automate certain aspects of the copywriting process, it cannot replicate the creativity and strategic thinking that human writers bring to the table. AI is a tool that can assist copywriters or your marketing team, but it cannot completely replace their expertise and unique perspective. There are a few cons in AI copywriting and here are my observations on it:

• It produces swathes of text that are repetitive and flat. I've used AI in this article for example and it lacked the personality. It was incredibly repetitive and mimicked what copywriters without much SEO expertise used to try and do to get ranked in Google search engine results - keyword stuffing. Much of the time, I've noticed that it also reads like, well erm, a robot.

• From AI outputs, thorough copyediting is still required. Without proper grammar and punctuation, it can read poorly.

• While AI can provide recommendations for SEO optimisation, it is up to the copywriter to strike the right balance between SEO and readability. Copywriters should ensure that the content flows naturally, engages the audience, and provides value, while also incorporating SEO best practices recommended by AI-powered tools.

• It lack the creativity and ingenuity that only a human being can provide. It cannot storytell and is much less personal. It can't use metaphors or analogies that are so useful in writing blogs like these. It's like a baker or chef, who has all the Joseph Joseph tools at their disposal. The process is sped up but it still needs the chef for high-quality ingredients, quality control, hygiene checking, and finally the decoration and presentation. See what I did there ; ) Used a metaphor to enhance connection and understanding. AI cannot yet do this. Humans are still needed to inject authenticity.

• It's excellent in assisting with ideation, structure, keywords and spitting out the bones of what you need, but the meat of the copy still needs proper meaning assigned to it.

• It may not align with your brand voice, style, tone and values. True, AI is getting better with NLP, but it still needs trained to speak and write the way we want it.

• It's great, but it's not excellent. AI can't yet match up to be the persuasive copy that you need or the conversion copywriting that will help generate leads.

Studies and other blogs have shown it's excellent for generating social media ads for example because the patterns are easier to learn. And because AI relies on training and the data it has already been fed, it can churn out impressive social media and ad-type content. but for long-form type content such as blogs, brochures, eBooks and whitepapers, human copywriters are still your best bet.

Both AI and human copywriting have their strengths and limitations, and finding the right balance is key to achieving optimal results. And even still, I strongly believe a copywriter's skillset will expand to becoming an AI Operations Manager as much as anything else! You still need someone to manage, oversee and edit what AI is producing.

Human copywriters bring a unique perspective, creativity, and emotional intelligence to the table. We have the ability to think critically, understand complex concepts, and tailor our writing to specific audiences.

The key is to leverage the strengths of both AI and human copywriting. AI can assist with data analysis, optimization, and idea generation, while human copywriters can add their personal touch, creativity, and strategic thinking. By combining the power of AI and the expertise of human copywriters, businesses can achieve the best of both worlds and create compelling and effective copy.

Embracing the power of AI in copywriting

While some may fear that AI will replace human copywriters altogether, the reality is that AI is a powerful tool that complements and enhances the work of human writers. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, AI frees up copywriters to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their work. This collaboration between human and AI is the future of copywriting, where the strengths of both are leveraged to deliver exceptional results.

If you hire me as your copywriter, I'll ensure that we leverage some of the most useful tools on the market, at no cost to you and with all the benefits our combined talents can produce for your brand. Check out my experience here and brands I've worked with.

Reach out for a free 1-hour discovery call at any time.