The Future Of Writing: Is AI Going To Replace Copywriters?

Whenever there is a new technology, there are fears that it could displace people and their very human skills.

Perhaps in some cases, it’s right to be concerned or at least aware of the fact that some people’s jobs can be replaced with technology.

However, in other cases, these fears can be unfounded.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a form of technology that has caused a lot of concern as its sophistication has developed.

With the release of ChatGPT and similar technologies, which can write large amounts of content in seconds, copywriting is an area of particular interest to many.

Is AI going to take jobs from human writers?

Are AI copywriting tools capable of doing exactly what an experienced copywriter can do?

These are questions that both human copywriters and their usual clients are asking themselves.

The answer may be slightly more complicated than people think, but it’s unlikely that we will see AI replace copywriters—at least, for now.

 

AI can replace you only if you don’t know how to use AI.

ChatGPT has 100 million users but 99.5% of them don’t know how to use it.

Learn AI. Make yourself better. Be useful. And you’ll make money.

— Sarthak Gupta (@CopywriterGupta) April 13, 2023

What Is AI Copywriting?

AI writing includes any writing that is automatically carried out using artificial intelligence (AI).

AI tools that are designed to write content will use huge amounts of data and artificial intelligence methods such as natural language processing (NLP) and natural language understanding to create realistic text that looks like it’s written by a human.

AI is capable of writing pretty much any kind of text, and it’s more sophisticated now than it has ever been.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect, but it is more capable.

NLP gives AI the ability to understand context, which not only allows it to be used for things like voice assists (such as Siri and Alexa) but also gives it the ability to write long (or short) pieces of text.

In particular, OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has changed the landscape of what AI copywriting looks like.

What Do AI Copywriting Tools Look Like?

What exactly do content writing and copywriting look like when it’s performed by AI?

What can AI copywriting software do, and does it look the same when compared to something written by a copywriter?

It may depend on exactly what you’re looking for.

When comparing AI generated copy and something written by a copywriter, the AI text can certainly look convincing.

But what it often doesn’t do is look very human.

However, how happy you are with the results and what an AI writing tool can do for you may depend on what you’re looking for.

If you want something that meets a threshold of “good enough“, AI copywriting may satisfy your needs.

If you’re looking for more personality and a human touch, you’re going to need a human.

Another thing to keep in mind is that an AI content generator won’t always be entirely accurate when it comes to factual content.

There may be many times when they are able to get it right, but there are also occasions when AI won’t have the right answers.

When looking for a good copywriter, you can find subject matter experts who are capable of fact checking and can create compelling content that’s also factually accurate.

Why AI Matters in Copywriting

To some people, the discussion of AI in copywriting might seem like a lot of fuss about nothing.

But AI tools are significant in the field of copywriting and marketing, whether you’re a copywriter yourself or someone who works with them.

They’re probably not going to replace copywriters completely, but they still have their place.

AI Could Replace Some Copywriting Tasks

In reality, AI isn’t really capable of doing any and all copywriting tasks in the same way a human copywriter can.

If you want a long-form, informed, and thoughtful article, you’re better off hiring an actual copywriter to give it the human touch, rather than relying on AI.

But there are certain copywriting tasks that AI can be very helpful for, including rather mundane tasks and repetitive actions.

In particular, some short form copy can easily be written using AI.

Copy and content such as product descriptions, social media posts, or press releases can be great for writing with AI generated content.

Additionally, AI can help you to optimize your content by looking at what’s already out there and providing suggestions that are more likely to perform well.

You can optimize website content or a landing page with the right tools to help you.

AI is a Useful Tool for Copywriters

Creative copywriters who may be concerned about AI can address these concerns by considering what AI can do for them.

Copywriters with integrity are unlikely to consider using AI to write all their copy, but they can still use it as a useful tool.

Using AI copywriting software, copywriters can get inspiration, outlines, or even help with research.

It also pays for copywriters to be educated about AI so that they can educate their employers or clients.

Understandably, many people don’t want to pay for AI-generated content that they could just produce themselves.

But copywriters can explain how they might use these tools to help them write without actually relying on AI to write their content wholesale.

Content Generators Can Save a Lot of Time

Ultimately, AI tools can be fantastic timesavers.

Whether you are a successful copywriter who wants to streamline their work process or someone who wants to save on the hassle of hiring a copywriter for a small task, an AI copywriter can help you.

Even if you don’t use the text that’s produced exactly as it comes out, you can save time by simply editing what you’re given or using it as inspiration to help you write faster.

How to Use AI Writing Tools to Complement Human Copywriting

It’s good news for copywriters that AI writing tools are unlikely to completely replace people.

However, content generated by AI tools can certainly still be extremely useful, both to copywriters and to their typical clients.

There are many different ways to use AI copywriting tools to complement the abilities, experience, and knowledge of good copywriters.

Use AI to Get Ideas

One of the key uses of content creation tools is to produce ideas for copywriting.

AI can produce ideas to help with all kinds of copy and content, from emails to blog posts or ad copy.

Writer’s block can be a real problem, whether you’re approaching a subject you write about regularly or tackling something new.

When you need ideas, AI software can give them to you, offering the inspiration that you’re looking for to overcome writer’s block.

This could be as simple as generating some blog post titles or a blog post intro, both tasks you can complete using Optimo.

You can easily get a list of ideas to get your creative juices flowing, with both topics and language that could spark whatever you need to write.

Or you could get Optimo to create some email subject headers for you to inspire your next newsletter.

When you use an AI generator to help you find ideas, it can look at existing content and copy that performs well.

You can combine the ideas you get from your chosen AI tool with other tools, research, or existing skills and knowledge that you have.

Use AI to Create Outlines and Briefs

If you want to go a step further than simple ideation, you might use AI copywriting tools to create outlines and briefs.

This can be useful for writing copy and content yourself or if you want to send a brief to a copywriter you’re working with.

Once you have an outline or brief, it can make writing the actual copy a lot easier.

For example, with Optimo, you can simply provide some topics and keywords to create a blog brief for you or someone else to follow.

This can make preparing content a lot quicker, especially if you are putting a content calendar together or preparing any content or copy in bulk.

AI tools can help you to prepare content and copy in other ways too.

For example, they can help you with SEO so that you know what keywords you should use in your content.

You can get AI to help you with writing optimized SEO titles and meta descriptions or even get ideas to help you plan your marketing campaigns.

Use AI to Optimize Content

For many copywriters, the best way to use AI tools is to help them optimize content.

They might not be asking AI to do the bulk of their writing, but they will use it to get suggestions for outlines, keywords, headings, and other language they should use for optimization.

This could include optimizing for search engines, or it could mean optimizing your content for your audience and even personalizing content.

For example, Surfer SEO is a popular app for search engine optimization.

It can give you an outline, heading suggestions, research, and natural language processing phrases based on the keyword or title that you provide.

Using their content score, you can ensure your writing is as good as or better than what’s already out there.

AI tools can also be used to help correct spelling and grammar, ensuring your writing looks professional.

Or they can provide suggestions for how to make sure your writing is readable and has the right tone and language.

It can be important to be careful when using these tools and assess their suggestions carefully.

Overuse could have the opposite effect to what you want, making your writing sometimes seem less personal and more like it’s written by AI.

Make the Most of Artificial Intelligence in Copywriting

AI writing tools are definitely impressive and they can help with a number of writing tasks.

In fact, 82% of marketers think that content generated by AI and machine learning is just as good or better than what a human can do, according to a survey by Capterra.

However, only almost half say that AI or ML software is “very successful” at producing content that is clear or easy to read.

In particular, respondents rated AI the worst for creating accurate content that’s free of errors.

It’s clear that while AI can be useful, it’s not a magic solution that can completely replace copywriters.

Use AI as a Writing Assistant

So how can copywriters and those who work with them get the most from artificial intelligence?

At the moment, the best thing you can do is think of AI as an assistant or a toolbox that can help you to be faster, more efficient, and even more creative.

It can help you to optimize what you write (or what your copywriters write for you), but won’t always be a replacement for experienced copywriters.

Know When to Use AI Copywriting Tools

Sometimes, an AI tool can write copy or content you’re happy with, without the need for too much editing or tweaking.

However, there are certainly times when AI isn’t really appropriate for writing entire pieces of content.

AI can’t give a human opinion, although it can pretend to be doing so.

It can’t really provide the personal touch that you may often need when trying to engage your target audience or emulate human creativity.

Nor can AI accurately portray human emotion or create an emotional connection in the same way a real person can.

But it can be useful for many things, from short ad copy to quick blog posts.

Knowing when to use it and when to rely on talented copywriters is important.

Find the Right Tools

It’s also essential that you find tools that work for you.

Not all AI writing tools will work well for everyone.

You need to find the tools that you feel are most useful and help you to streamline your work process.

That might mean you use a tool that provides you with blog title ideas, or you might be using something to write hundreds of words for you.

You might also benefit from using tools that help you edit and optimize your content to make it even better.

Everyone can find that different tools offer them different benefits, so it’s worth exploring what’s available.

AI as a Powerful Copywriting Tool

AI probably won’t completely replace writers, but it can do some of their jobs.

The best thing to take away from what AI can do right now is that it’s a powerful tool for copywriting and using as part of your writing process.

Although it may not be able to impersonate a copywriter perfectly, it can help with a range of copywriting tasks.

Whether you need copywriting services or you’re a content writer or copywriter yourself, AI can be by your side when you want to produce good copy.

If you’re new to using AI as a copywriting tool, start with Optimo to help with many of your copywriting tasks.