Are you a copywriter worried about being replaced by AI? You're not alone. But before you start polishing your resume, read on. We explore the rise of chatbots, the limits of AI, and why copywriters still have a secret weapon that no bot can replicate. Find out why the answer to "Will AI replace copywriters?" is not a simple yes or no.
As someone who’s spent most of the past 20 years writing copy to pay the bills, I’d be lying if I said I felt totally relaxed about the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots. And I’m not alone; it seems the question on everyone's mind is, 'will AI replace copywriters?'
Will AI Replace Copywriters? Here's the Debate
A lot has been written about the capabilities of programmes such as ChatGPT and Copy.ai of late. I’ve lost count of the number of articles I’ve read since December about how an AI platform has authored a word-perfect tome on one subject or another in the style of the King James Bible (always the King James Bible) and isn’t it amazing but also terrifying because these robots are coming for our jobs.
But are they? Will AI replace copywriters? Here’s my unsolicited two cents’ worth (and, spoiler alert: it’s not a simple yes or no answer).
The Rise of AI in Copywriting
As you’re probably aware by now, there are a growing number of AI tools capable of generating high-quality copy in a matter of seconds. All you have to do is type a question or message into a chat interface like you're texting someone, and the bot responds. And they’re pretty damn clever — OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for example, tells me it takes its ‘extremely large dataset of over 45 terabytes of text from various sources such as books, websites, and social media.’ Alright, show-off.
All that data means the bots can answer almost anything in virtually any style of writing. Already, AI chatbots can take on some of the more basic, repetitive copywriting tasks – for example, writing product descriptions for online shops, or coming up with formulaic ad copy.
These are the high-volume jobs that a junior copywriter would have once carried out. And while no one could claim junior copywriters have ever swallowed up huge portions of anyone's marketing budget, it's now quicker and cheaper to let a bot take on the grunt work.
What’s more, as these AI tools continue to analyse data and user behaviour, they’re only going to get more powerful. Take ChatGPT; it was trained on data up to September 2021, so can’t yet analyse live information. It couldn’t write a 500-word report on one of this Saturday’s Premier League games based on an analysis of Tweets posted during the match. But in a year’s time? Don’t bet against it.
Why AI Will Not Replace Copywriters
So far, so Orwellian. But before all the writers and sports journalists out there start thinking about jumping out of the nearest window, it’s worth considering how AI might make us that bit better at our jobs. Here's why AI will not replace copywriters.
Boosting Creativity with AI
Let’s start by entertaining the idea that the bots could actually boost our creativity.
That’s something Rick Rubin believes, and he’s a man who’s clearly mastered the creative process having spent nearly 40 years getting the best out of artists such as The Beastie Boys, Jay-Z and Johnny Cash.
The bearded visionary — who’s also written a book titled The Creative Act: A Way of Being — believes writers and other creatives should see platforms such as ChatGPT as tools that can give them “a seed to build from.”
In an interview with author Tim Ferriss, Rubin said that he doesn’t think the ‘making’ is the most important part of the creative process. Rather, he believes that using our human instincts to pick out the most interesting sights, sounds and sentences is the key to creating work that evokes an emotional response.
To explain this, he gave an example of how he might use AI in his production studio.
"I might consider having a programme constantly making music and then listen for hours and hours, all day, having it playing in the background. And then anytime there's a moment that catches my ear I'd sample that moment and build something — with human taste.”
In a similar way, writers can use AI programmes to generate lots of content ideas, based on specific prompts, then pick the most interesting ones and turn them into something more polished and written in their own personal style.
Using AI for Editorial Feedback
Here’s another thing: every now and then I get hung up on the wording of a sentence. I know what I want to say, I just have trouble arranging the words so that they make sense and land with the desired impact. This tends to happen on days when I’m tired and my brain’s a bit foggy.
In the past, I’ve spent 15 minutes or more meddling with problem sentences, but inevitably the words start to lose all meaning in my head. I then have to get up, walk away and return to my work with a fresh pair of eyes sometime later. Now I just ask a bot to improve any troublesome sentences and it provides immediate suggestions.
But hold on, isn’t this cheating? As a writer, isn’t it my job to be able to construct the perfect sentence?
I’d argue it’s no different to asking another writer or editor for feedback on my work or even using a software tool such as Grammarly. Ultimately, my goal is to communicate effectively with my target audience, and if using an AI chatbot can help with that, I’m going to take advantage of it. My workflow is streamlined, and I’m more productive. What’s not to like?
The Limits of AI in Copywriting
Ok, now I’ve spent a bit of time blowing smoke up the bots’ bottoms, it’s time to talk about where they fall short.
While ChatGPT and other AI platforms might boost our creativity, their output often lacks it. That’s because the work they produce is based on pre-existing data, patterns and templates, so there's virtually no chance of them coming up with something that no one's ever thought of before.
The bots also struggle with cultural nuances. You'd struggle to find one that could articulate a deep understanding of what it's like to grow up in a rural village in Somerset in the late 1980s. Or make a really subtle comedic observation about travelling home on the N3 night bus to Penge in the early hours of a Saturday morning.
Then there are issues around accuracy, of which there's no better example than the awkward moment Bard, Google's AI platform, spooked the tech giant's investors by making a gaffe in a promotional video.
Finally, there’s the problem of bias. An AI tool will struggle to deliver a comprehensive answer on a topic if its training data doesn't represent a broad range of perspectives and experiences.
Of course, these problems aren’t exclusive to the bots; the internet can also be a source of misinformation and bias. As a rule of thumb, we should always question and critically evaluate information – not simply take it at face value.
Will AI replace copywriters? The Verdict
As AI chatbots become more advanced, there's no denying that they have the potential to impact the copywriting industry. But will copywriting be replaced by AI completely?
Well, the bots might be able to handle some of the more basic, repetitive stuff (in fact they're already doing it). But don't start packing your bags just yet, writers.
Let's face it: AI will not replace copywriters (in the short term at least) because the tools remain limited in their capabilities. Yes, they can churn out some decent content and make our lives easier with their fancy machine learning and whatnot. But when it comes to crafting truly original and compelling copy, the bots fall short.
Where word-savvy humans have the advantage is our creativity. We can take a topic and spin it into a tale based on our own unique experiences. We can inject humour and wit into a piece of content that would otherwise be as dry as a toast at a teetotaller's convention.
And let's not forget that bots need to be briefed by us in the first place. Without our expertise and linguistic prowess, the machines would be lost in a sea of words. And, given AI platforms' problems with accuracy and bias, I reckon we may even see a boom in sub-editing jobs.
Of course, that's not to say that writers can just sit back and relax. As AI technology continues to evolve, we need to up our game and keep pace with the changes. But as long as we keep our focus on adding the human touch — emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and empathy — there will still be a demand for copywriters.
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