AI Won’t Replace Copywriters Anytime Soon
Image by DeepMind on Unsplash
Listen up folks
'cause I'm about to drop some hot knowledge
Think you can just replace a copywriter with some fancy AI tool?
THEN THINK AGAIN
Sure, ChatGPT and other language models can spit out some decent text, but they just can't replicate the unique perspective and creative flair that a human copywriter brings to the table.
Let's not even get started on their lack of understanding of context, ability to incorporate feedback, or cultural sensitivity, and don't even get me started on SEO, niche expertise, and adaptability.
Bottom line AI tools—while remarkable—can't replace the human touch and understanding that a real-life copywriter brings to the process.
Let’s take a look at just a few of the reasons why
Complex Creativity: Copywriters often bring a unique perspective and creative flair to their writing, which is difficult for a language model to replicate.
A copywriter creates unique and compelling ideas and turn them into engaging and persuasive copy.
An AI writing tool can’t replicate true creativity.
Contextual Understanding: ChatGPT, like other language models, is not able to fully understand the context in which it is generating text.
This means that it may not be able to fully capture the tone, audience, or purpose of the writing. A human copywriter, on the other hand, can take these factors into consideration when crafting their copy.
AI tools just don’t have the cognition required to truly understand or apply contextual meaning.
Feedback and Revision: A copywriter can work closely with clients to understand their needs and preferences, and revise the copy based on feedback.
ChatGPT doesn’t have the ability to understand or truly incorporate feedback quite like a human can.
Brand Voice: A copywriter can help to define and maintain a brand's voice and tone across all of its communications.
This is something that a language model currently can’t do, as it only has the ability to emulate an existing tone and can’t readily embody a brand's values and personality.
Human Touch: Copywriting is a form of communication between humans, and the human touch is often the most important component in creating effective and engaging copy.
While ChatGPT and other language generation models can assist with generating text, they cannot fully replace the unique, nuanced creativity and understanding that a human copywriter brings to the process.
Cultural Sensitivity: A copywriter takes into account cultural and societal elements and expectations when crafting copy, ensuring that it is appropriate and respectful.
A language model doesn’t have the same level of cultural understanding and risks generating culturally inappropriate or offensive content.
Persuasion and Salesmanship: A skilled copywriter knows how to craft persuasive and compelling copy that encourages readers to take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.
This requires a deep understanding of psychology and the art of persuasion, which is difficult for a language model to replicate.
Search Engine Optimisation (yet): A copywriter who is familiar with search engine optimization (SEO) can ensure that the copy they write is optimised for search engines and will rank well in search results.
While they can have a decent stab at SEO, AI tools don’t have the ability to optimise copy for SEO in the same way that a human can.
Niche Expertise: A copywriter who specialises in a particular industry or niche may have a deeper understanding of the terminology and concepts specific to that industry.
This allows them to write copy that is more accurate and authentic, which can be important for building trust with readers.
While an AI tool can be trained on text relating to the niche, they can’t generate original ideas which link areas of experience and expertise.
True Adaptability: A copywriter is able to easily adapt their writing style and approach to meet the changing needs and goals of a project.
A language model, on the other hand, is limited to the text that it has been trained on and may not be able to adjust to new or unusual situations as easily.
Editing and Proofreading: A copywriter is able to carefully edit and proofread their work to ensure that it is free of errors and reads well.
AI writing tools often generate text that contains linguistic and syntactical errors, and regularly lacks the polish of professionally, human written copy.
Client Collaboration: A copywriter can work closely with clients and other team members to ensure that the copy meets the needs and goals of the project.
AI language models don’t have the ability to collaborate in the same way, and might not ever be able to effectively integrate feedback or suggestions from others.
Strategic Planning: A copywriter can help to develop a strategic plan for content marketing, including identifying target audiences, defining messaging and branding.
Language models just don’t have the ability to think strategically in the long term the same way that a human can.
Legal Compliance: A copywriter can ensure that the copy they write complies with any relevant laws, regulations, and guidelines.
Laws are often subtle and interpretive.
Even though AI can be quite convincing at times, language models don’t have the ability to understand laws or adhere to legal requirements in the same way a human can.
At worst, they could get you into real legal trouble.
Deep Personalization: A copywriter can personalise copy to speak directly to the needs and interests of a specific audience.
Language models aren’t often able to tailor their output to engage, surprise and delight individual readers in the same way a copywriter can.
While ChatGPT and other AI language generation models can assist with generating text, they are not likely to completely replace the need for human copywriters.
Copywriting requires creativity, contextual understanding, feedback and revision, brand voice, cultural sensitivity, persuasion and salesmanship, SEO expertise, niche expertise, adaptability, editing and proofreading skills, collaboration, strategic planning, legal compliance, and the ability to personalize content.
These are all skills that are difficult for a language model to replicate, and are important for producing effective and engaging copy.
ChatGPT and other language models assist with generating text, but they aren’t a replacement for the expertise and insight that a human copywriter brings to the process.
