Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) Going To Replace Human Copywriters?

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has left many wondering about the future of their jobs – and copywriters are no exception. As AI-powered writing tools become more sophisticated, it‘s natural to ask: will copywriters be replaced by AI?

It‘s a complex question without a simple answer. While AI is already being used to automate certain writing tasks, the technology still has significant limitations compared to human copywriters. However, there‘s no denying that AI will have a major impact on the copywriting field in the years to come.

In this ultimate guide, we‘ll take a deep dive into the current state of AI writing technology, examine how it‘s being used in copywriting today, and explore what it all means for the future of human copywriters. We‘ll look at the data, weigh the pros and cons, and provide expert tips for how copywriters can adapt and thrive in an AI-driven world.

The Meteoric Rise of AI Writing Tools

First, let‘s look at some data on the rise of AI in the writing and content creation space:

The global natural language processing (NLP) market, which includes AI writing tools, is projected to grow from $11.6 billion in 2020 to $35.1 billion by 2026 (MarketsandMarkets)
60% of marketers say AI is the most important aspect of their data strategy (BrightEdge)
82% of companies using AI generate content 5x to 10x faster (Drift)
37% of companies say they‘re currently using AI for content creation, and another 42% plan to do so in the future (Content Marketing Institute)

Clearly, AI is already making significant inroads in the world of content – and its role is only expected to grow in the coming years. The development of powerful language models like OpenAI‘s GPT-3 has been a major driver of this growth.

GPT-3, released in 2020, is able to understand and generate human-like text on a wide range of subjects thanks to training on enormous datasets. It can write in different tones and styles, understand context and nuance, and even make inferences to fill in gaps in its knowledge.

Tools built on GPT-3 and similar language models are able to handle an increasing variety of writing tasks, from simple data-driven copy like product descriptions to more creative storytelling. Startups like Copy.ai, Writesonic, Copysmith, and others offer AI writing assistance for ad copy, social media posts, blog outlines, and more.

How Companies Are Using AI Copywriting Today

Many companies are already leveraging these AI writing tools to generate copy more efficiently and at a larger scale than would be possible with human writers alone. Here are a few examples:

JPMorgan Chase uses AI to write marketing copy, freeing up staff to focus on higher-level tasks and strategy (Contently)
Clothing retailer H&M uses AI to analyze data on sales and returns, generating focused product descriptions that led to a 30% boost in click-through rates (Noodle.ai)
The Associated Press uses AI to write formulaic news stories like sports recaps and earnings reports, producing 3,700 such stories per quarter (New York Times)
Alibaba‘s AI copywriting tool produced 20,000 lines of copy per second during China‘s Singles‘ Day shopping event (Alizila)

In most of these cases, the AI tools are being used to complement and augment human writers, not fully replace them. The AI handles the more rote, repetitive writing tasks at high volume, while humans handle the higher-level creative work and provide quality control.

However, as AI writing tools continue to improve, they will likely be able to take on more and more copywriting work. GPT-4, the rumored successor to GPT-3, is expected to be even more sophisticated and human-like in its writing abilities when released.

Advantages and Disadvantages of AI Copywriters

So what advantages do AI writing tools offer compared to human copywriters? The main benefits come down to speed, scale, and cost:

AI can generate copy nearly instantaneously, while even a fast human writer might need hours or days for the same output
AI can produce a huge volume of copy in a short time, easily scaling up to meet content demands
AI tools are generally cheaper than hiring human copywriters, especially at scale

However, AI copywriters also have some significant limitations and disadvantages:

They lack the deep contextual understanding and emotional intelligence of humans
They can‘t develop and execute overarching brand strategies and campaigns
Their writing can come across as generic and lack a unique brand voice and personality
They require human fact-checking and editing to ensure accuracy and consistency
They struggle with open-ended creative thinking and developing original ideas
They can potentially produce biased, inconsistent, or nonsensical outputs

The emotional resonance factor is especially key. Great copy makes a connection and elicits a feeling – excitement, trust, curiosity, urgency. AI isn‘t great at that, as it lacks real human experiences and emotions to draw from.

There‘s also the issue of copyright and plagiarism. While AI tools generate "new" content, they are really remixing and building upon their training data (existing online content). As Helen Lee Bouygues writes for Forbes, "AI systems produce seemingly authentic content but do not have any original ideas – they simply remix content and ideas that already exist."

The Future of Human Copywriters in an AI World

Looking ahead 5-10 years, it seems likely that AI writing tools will become increasingly widespread and sophisticated. The most rote and formulaic types of copywriting may indeed become fully automated.

However, AI is unlikely to fully replace human copywriters anytime soon for higher-level, brand-focused, and emotionally-driven creative work. Copywriting is both an art and a science, and the "art" part is much harder to automate with AI.

Skilled human copywriters who can harness the power of storytelling, develop unique brand voices, create powerful emotional connections, and think originally and strategically will remain in demand. If anything, these "soft" creative skills will become even more valuable as AI eats up more of the "hard" technical copy skills.

I predict that the most successful copywriters of the future will be those who learn to wield AI as a tool and collaborate with it intentionally. Rather than being purely a wordsmith, the copywriter of the 2030s may look more like a "conductor" – overseeing the overall content strategy and then delegating certain writing tasks to AI while focusing their own efforts on the highest-impact work.

Here‘s how that human-AI collaboration might play out:

The human copywriter develops the high-level creative concepts, key messaging, and brand voice guidelines.
They use an AI writing tool to rapidly generate a large volume of rough copy variations and ideas.
The human copywriter reviews, edits, and refines the AI-generated copy to align with brand standards.
They fact-check and proofread the AI content thoroughly to ensure accuracy.
They add a layer of emotional resonance, unique personality, and original thought to the copy.
They oversee ongoing content performance and adjust course as needed based on their expertise.

In this workflow, the AI does the heavy lifting in terms of raw copy generation, while the human provides the strategic direction, quality control, and creative magic that makes the copy really shine and connect on an emotional level.

How Copywriters Can Prepare for an AI-Driven Future

To remain competitive in a field increasingly influenced by AI, today‘s copywriters should focus on developing the skills and knowledge that will set them apart from the machines. Here are some key areas to focus on:

Master storytelling and creative writing: Hone your ability to craft compelling narratives, develop unique voices and personalities, and use language in emotionally powerful ways.
Develop your strategic thinking: Work on seeing the big picture, understanding audiences on a deep level, and developing brand strategies and campaign ideas that connect.
Become a subject matter expert: Go deep on a particular industry, audience, or type of copywriting, building the kind of nuanced contextual knowledge that AI lacks.
Learn to use AI tools: Experiment with AI writing assistants and learn how to use them effectively. Get comfortable incorporating them into your workflow.
Focus on empathy and EQ: Practice putting yourself in the shoes of the audience. Tap into the human insights and emotional understanding that AI can‘t easily replicate.
Collaborate cross-functionally: Work closely with teammates in strategy, design, UX, and other disciplines to create cohesive brand experiences that go beyond just words.

Above all, remember that copywriting is both an art and a science. While AI may be able to handle more and more of the science and the technical skills, it will be a long time before it can match the human art of creative expression and connection.

In a 1958 essay, the philosopher Hannah Arendt described the advent of artificial satellites and space flight not as a way for humans to escape the Earth, but as an opportunity for us to view our world from a new perspective and "think about it in new ways."

In the same way, the rise of AI in copywriting is not a signal for humans to retreat, but rather an opportunity to view our craft from a different vantage point and elevate what makes our writing uniquely human. With the right approach, human copywriters can thrive alongside our new AI tools and take our work to new heights.

The machines are here to stay – but so are we. The future of copywriting is human, enhanced by artificial intelligence. Those who learn to adapt and collaborate with AI while doubling down on their own creative gifts will be poised for success for many years to come.