Will AI Replace Writers? A Deeper Dive into the Abilities and Limitations of AI for Copywriting
After working with clients on their marketing strategies, funnels, and various types of copy, I came to a really big realization. 👀
All businesses struggle with the same things, but in different ways. Lack of time. Lack of funds. Lack of employees or other resources to help create content and drive sales.
Or, they’ve got a lot of decent marketing already in action, but they need help taking things a step (or two) further and actually get sales through the door.
Here is where AI comes into play. 🤖
Many businesses are looking to AI as the “one size fits all” solution to their marketing problems. And, to be fair, I have seen AI crank out some copy that looks decent (at first glance, mind you).
All you have to do is input a few prompts and BOOM, you’ve got a first draft in roughly 30 seconds.
Yes, you read that right. Roughly 30 seconds. 🤯
Sounds like it saves a lot of time! 🕔
But, is the copy produced by these AI chatbots really all that good? Is faster really better (AND cheaper?!)? Will artificial intelligence replace humans, especially in creative spheres like copywriting?
In short, no. And it never will.
Here’s why.
AI is limited based on data input
Have you ever entered a question into ChatGPT and the answer it spit out was WRONG?! 😲
This is due to a few things.
AI functions on a series of algorithms, coding, and pre-programmed data. All of this data has been entered into the back-end of the program by the creators of the AI. Such as OpenAI, the developers of ChatGPT.
Wait a second. Creators of the AI… meaning, by a human? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of using AI?
Sort of, yeah. 😐
Technology is only as great as the effort WE put into it.
Some common issues with AI:
Information in the system could be out of date
Information and thus, the answer provided, could be taken out of context
The answers could be biased
AI doesn’t understand the true meaning of common slang and certain types of jargon
AI has been known to “hallucinate,” or take certain statements literally
AI sometimes “misses the mark” on portions of written content, such as tone and emotions
An example of Al “hallucination” is where Grok AI falsely accused Klay Thompson of “throwing bricks” at many houses in Sacramento, CA; after many homeowners reported damages to their windows from bricks.
While it’s true that Klay was “throwing bricks,” he didn’t literally throw bricks at houses.
“Throwing bricks” is a basketball term meaning that he badly missed a shot. 🏀
Another example is when two separate lawyers used AI in their legal briefs. During these court cases, the defendant’s lawyers reviewed the citations within the briefs provided and found that the cases noted did not exist.
WHAT!? 😵
Talk about a major FAIL! And incredibly embarrassing for these lawyers. Who would want to hire them as legal representation after that?!
This begs the question — who is liable when AI provides false information?
Now, after multiple instances where AI got it wrong, AI platforms now have similar warning messages before you start chatting, such as the one below from ChatGPT.
"ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info."
While AI has been able to provide accurate information most of the time, fact-checking the answers is very nuanced. It takes a real human with a real brain to reliably check for accuracy.
AI doesn’t save you time (or money!)
The single biggest argument I hear (pretty much on the daily) is that AI will save you time and money. 💸
But how accurate is this statement?
Because AI has been promoted as the “one size fits all” approach to solving marketing problems, a lot of business owners and CEOs have made the assumption that AI will work for their businesses.
This is a BIG mistake! 🙅🚫
In my experience, the success of using AI is VERY dependent on the niche you’re in, and the type of business you are.
Because we already know that AI has trouble producing written content with proper tone, emotion, and persuasive techniques, this means that a lot of the content it produces is just downright boring. 😴
If you’re marketing to your email list, your customers, your clients… do you really want to send out an email that is boring, or distracting, and doesn’t get people to click on your website and buy your product or service?
What was the point of that email anyway?! 😡
I have yet to see an AI software that provides a solid piece of copy, with consistent and accurate knowledge of the brand’s voice and audience, and includes a crystal clear call to action.
Unfortunately, if you let AI write your emails for you, you’re going to experience a major loss in engagement and sales.
Why?
Because customers don’t want to buy products or services from robots. 🤖
The best kinds of copy, that convert into qualified leads, that eventually result in a sale, come from copy that elicits an emotional response from the reader.
Copy that tells a story. Your story. A story that your customers and clients can relate to.
So, what’s the solution then?
Copy written by a human. 💁 And guess what?
Hiring a copywriter is both cheaper and faster than working with AI. 🤑
How?
Think about this for a moment.
To get AI to produce effective copy for your business that will actually convince people to buy your product or service, you would need to build a chatbot that knows YOUR brand inside and out.
What if you’re not very tech-savvy?💻
Well, let’s say that you DO know your tech. You would have to create an algorithm, know how to code, input the information you want it to know, test it over and over again to ensure it’s working… and then ask it to attempt the copy.
THEN, you’d have to double-check the output (AGAIN!) and check for plagiarism, grammar and spelling errors, and that the copy itself actually sounds like your brand. 🫤
By now, you could have hopped on a discovery call, hired a copywriter, had them do the audience and market research required, they would then write the copy, and have that copy published.
And, they’d probably have multiple pieces of copy or projects written and ready to go for your company in that same amount of time.
So, is AI really saving you time and money? 🤔
The bottom line: AI isn’t going to replace writers (or other creatives)
The one major flaw that AI has is that it cannot feel emotions. 😶
It will never know what it feels like to experience heartbreak after a bad breakup. To feel tears running down its cheeks. Eyes burning after a long period of crying. 😭
Or that first sip feeling in the morning when your cup of joe is finally ready. ☕
Emotions and experiences are what drive the human connection. And as much as we may want to pride ourselves on being rational, we are truly wired for connection. We tend to make decisions (especially buying ones!) first on the emotional response, and then a rational one.
Your customers and clients aren’t just buying a product. They’re buying the transformation.
What does your product DO for them? How does it make their lives BETTER?
While AI has its uses within the realm of copywriting, the consensus that I’ve heard from quite a few clients now is this:
“AI is a great tool to use when you need help with brainstorming or organizing, but it will never replace the need for actual human-written content.” 🔨
And because AI has risen in popularity over the last few years, this is driving up the value of human-written work.💲💲💲💲
Because just like your dog, your clients and customers can smell an insincere, robo-typed email a mile away. 🐶👃
Back in April, the Search Engine Journal conducted a study comparing human-written ads with AI-written ads. Let’s just say, I think you already know who’s going to be the winner.
AI-Generated Ads Compared to Human-Written Ads, study as per the Search Engine Journal. April, 2024.
CTR = Click Through Rates
CPC = Cost Per Click
As we can see from the table, the human-written ads outperformed the AI-written ads by 45.41% for impressions, 60% more clicks, and an overall higher CTR of 1.33%!! 🤯🎉
Meaning, the human-written ads led to more SALES!
CHA-CHING! 💲💲💲💲
If you had the choice, I’m willing to bet you’d choose the human-written ad every single time.
And rest assured, my copy is never written using AI. It is written entirely by me.
Storytelling is important, and not just for your clients. It plays a huge role in keeping your business on track with goals, targets, and deliverables.
And it helps keep your branding and messaging consistent and on point.⚡
And who wouldn’t want that for their business or practice?
If you’re ready to take the next step and level up your business, book a Discovery Call today and let’s chat! 😃
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