This article about AI copywriting was written partly by AI. However, it was fact-checked, edited, polished-up and given character by me, a 100% human writer.
In the same way that calculators have removed the drudge work of mathematics, AI is speeding up and simplifying the task of writing content. But it can’t operate in a vacuum. Like any creative resource, it needs to be briefed correctly and all outputs must be checked and finessed by an expert. That’s how the role of the copywriter is changing. We’ve become editors, creative directors and content curators, as well as wordsmiths.
BTW, so far none of this article was written by AI. I’ve discovered that AI models like Chat GPT and Claude are rubbish at introductory paragraphs. They lean towards the over-used vanilla phrases that won’t stop your customers and make them want to read. When you read content that contains words like ‘testament’, ‘holistic’ and ‘transformative’, you can be pretty certain it was written by AI. The real giveaway is an opening paragraph that begins with ‘Hey there!’. Eye roll…
How copywriters are harnessing AI
Forward-thinking copywriters aren’t burying their heads in the sand as AI reshapes the content writing landscape. They’re making friends with the perceived enemy and discovering it’s like having a junior writer in the office.
By harnessing AI’s word-generating muscle, writers can quickly bash out a first draft – always the most tiresome step of copywriting. Then they can use their skills, experience and creative judgement to make the draft compelling, original and on-brand. By the time they’ve finished, there’s usually very little of the AI content left.
If we end up changing most of what AI gives us, why do we bother with it in the first place? Easy. An AI first draft gets us past the blank page. It breaks the ice, so that we can mix the cocktail.
But some AI engines are quite good, right?
AI is great at untangling complex subjects and summarising long-winded interview transcriptions, but it can’t always be trusted to tell the truth. Also, it’s not consistent when applying the standards you want, like NZ spelling and usage.
Recently I edited a history book (not my usual kind of work, but I expand my scope in a recession) – more than 100,000 carefully researched words that needed to be checked and finessed before the book could go to print. My brief from the publisher was to keep the character of the writing, but apply consistent standards for commas, capital letters, abbreviations and sentence length (academic sentences can easily run to a paragraph, if you let them off the leash).
My approach was to do the first edit myself, then check it using Claude AI – after providing Claude with a tight brief about what was acceptable. Multiple times I caught Claude with its pants down. It missed bloopers I purposely left in the text and made up problems that didn’t exist. However, it’s very good at apologising when these mistakes are pointed out.
The moral of the story is, AI is a handy first draft tool but it’s prone to non-human error and it always delivers English Vanilla, so you need to add flavour and style with careful editing.
The magic of human creativity can’t be bottled in an algorithm
Despite impressive speed and verbosity, AI can’t replicate the mercurial creative spark that drives unforgettable campaigns. When faced with a brief that needs to deliver any kind of feeling, from FOMO and craving to hope and caring, flesh-and-blood copywriters bring their life experience, sense of humour and humanity to the keyboard. The campaigns that become part of our cultural fabric – from Toyota’s ‘Bugger’ dog to Pak’nSave’s stickman – spring from uniquely human neural connections that no code can replicate.
The other thing AI can’t do is pass creative judgement. Only a human creative can read a blog or look at a poster and say whether it’s hitting home or not. The best flesh-and-blood copywriters instinctively know how to shatter convention and weave narratives that lean towards the unexpected. And they also know that a bland, average kind of communication that doesn’t get noticed won’t work as hard as one with the WTF factor.
Symbiosis is the way forward
The future of copywriting isn’t about AI replacing humans or humans rejecting AI – it’s about collaboration for improved productivity. As AI handles the heavy lifting of first drafts and technical tasks, human writers are freed up to do what they do best: inject personality, apply judgment and create that unmistakable spark that makes content memorable. This symbiotic relationship means copywriters aren’t becoming obsolete; they’re evolving into more sophisticated creative directors who know how to wield AI as a tool rather than fear it as a replacement. AI might help mix the ingredients, but it takes a human to know what the cocktail should taste like.
How much of this was AI written?
About 10%. I changed nearly all of my AI-generated first draft. Typical…
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