Artificial intelligence is never going to replace the need for quality copywriting.
In today’s society, AI can be found in every aspect of life. From advertising to grocery shopping, artificial intelligence has taken on a number of different forms and roles. Though it seems like AI will continue to power through and assimilate into more aspects of our lives, one thing that it will never do is replace the need for quality copywriting.
The reason is that nearly all of society is built on creativity and without creativity there wouldn’t be a job for a copywriter or any other profession. It’s important to remember that not all aspects of this field are about writing but rather, the entire process which includes concepts and ideas as well as working with clients to finalize these concepts into effective advertising.
In fact, an article on the Futurist website titled The Growing Threat of Automation for Copywriters gives a very thorough description of how AI will affect all aspects of this business: “Copywriters’ jobs are in danger from several quarters. Let’s look at each one separately: 1) chatbots that can serve as better customer service agents and save companies money; 2) expert systems such as IBM Watson, that may be able to develop nimble ad copy; 3) search engines like Google or Bing that increasingly predict what consumers want with uncanny accuracy” (Knight). As you can see, not only will the use of artificial intelligence automate part of a job but it might also replace it completely. It’s also important to note that while this article was written in 2016, the threat of automation has only increased as newer technology has been developed. Either way, it will be interesting to see if artificial intelligence affects the future of copywriting businesses and how deep its influence will reach into this business industry.
Is AI Really That Dangerous?
In a word: yes. While we’ve seen less examples of chatbots replacing jobs due to their inability to handle all aspects of customer service, they are already being used in businesses today and it is evident that they will continue to be used more in the future. Furthermore, artificial intelligence can now write simple articles like news stories, sports recaps along with human-like blog content which means some aspects of copywriting could be taken over by AI. Essentially, as The Future of Business states, with the advancement and implementation of artificial intelligence in the workforce “you can expect to see a whole lot less human interaction” (Sonnad). In fact, according to a study published by Narrative Science titled Artificial Intelligence Will Have a Profound Impact on Jobs: Here’s How , nearly 50% of Americans feel that their jobs have the potential to disappear thanks to automation so even if you don’t work as a writer for big companies this technology will still affect you.
However, it isn’t all bad news when it comes to how much AI will influence copywriting business because there is another side to this story which illustrates how artificial intelligence can provide a very beneficial tool for copywriters and businesses alike. As the article titled The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and How It Will Affect Businesses in 2018 points out, AI can take over repetitive tasks like managing data which allows employees to spend more time on creative projects. This should, in turn, allow them to move up the corporate ladder or just work fewer hours since they don’t need to worry about all of the tedious paperwork that comes with being an employee for a business such as this one.
When it comes down to it, no one knows for sure how artificial intelligence will affect our futures be it individuals who participate in these businesses or those who automate their processes but what we do know is that whatever happens will have an impact on copywriting so time will tell what that impact is.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/08/13/ai-will-not-replace-you-it-will-make-you-more-valuable/?sh=e33992b766d5
You can’t really set a specific date for when that will happen because it hasn’t happened yet, but AI is currently in the works and it’s clear that it has both positive and negative implications. What we can do, however, is look at professions that are currently being affected by AI and see how it’s affecting their jobs.
As this article in Forbes explains: “the most forward-thinking retail companies are using artificial intelligence to optimize pricing strategies for each of their products. The tools are designed to forecast demand in real time depending on the market conditions, competition and even weather forecasts. Thanks to these algorithms, retailers can make better predictions about what to buy and when” (Ciocca). This allows a business to write promotions for individual items instead of writing discounts or sales events for entire stores which means copywriters will need to focus more on creative projects than before thanks to this technology.
Another part of the article stands out to me but it’s not because of the way they worded this section, but rather what they left out. The phrase ” thanks to these algorithms” says that AI is able to run these programs and outputted potential outcomes on its own without any human input. This means that there isn’t a need for anyone on an administrative level like a copywriter or editor which eliminates those jobs, but does it eliminate all typing jobs? There is still going to be some work involved since companies aren’t just going to trust their entire brand management over to bots and AI yet so the future isn’t quite here (at least not completely).
However, if you have an idea about how AI will affect your industry then you can apply for work at places that will employ that type of system. For example, if you’re a writer then find a company that uses artificial intelligence and apply for work there. Even though AI is taking over some jobs from people right now, it’ll still be possible to make money by working for companies that use this technology.
As an internet marketer, I’m personally interested in how AI will affect the SEO industry because machine learning can be applied to not only assist businesses with their writing but also enhance their websites themselves so they perform better on search engines. This part of the story is really important since a business’s website needs to have well-written content to rank effectively but part of how it ranks is based on factors like its loading time which requires a developer or web designer to write coding and build the site in a way that is optimized for quick loading. This means that having AI write content for businesses (and their websites) will be beneficial because they won’t need to hire developers or web designers to help them out since it’ll allow companies to spend less money on maintenance, not to mention free up time for employees if there are any SEO/copywriting jobs available at these places.
This goes back around to traditional copywriting since if you’re working with clients who already have sites then you can offer your services as an additional resource when writing content which could lead to more work either from those current clients or others looking for someone with your skill set. If this technology takes off then copywriters may able to transition from writing traditional content to more niche or long-form formats online which is something that most businesses don’t want to write themselves so it might be a good new opportunity for copywriters who are looking for work. (I should note that in order to perform well on search engines optimally, you’d have to make sure your site has unique and compelling content along with correct schema markup which is important because Google doesn’t like duplicate pages anymore).
Ultimately, the introduction of artificial intelligence in the workforce is likely to have some degree of negative impact on certain industries. This may be due to technology replacing human workers entirely or because companies will need fewer employees which could indirectly result in outsourcing jobs overseas.
Thankfully, there are other opportunities for companies and entrepreneurs alike to prepare for this kind of future- In spite of potential problems with AI, it can also bring a ton of benefits for those willing to learn more about it and adapt accordingly. For instance, AI can drastically improve some companies’ productivity through creating content while others might find work as niche SEO copywriters online. There are even more possibilities that come from having AI help maintain our websites, such as being able to rank in Google search results for more targeted, niche searches since this type of machine learning could generate a ton of content based on relevant keywords.
Ultimately, artificial intelligence has been making its way into our workforce– potentially replacing many jobs in the near future. It isn’t hard to imagine how certain industries could be negatively impacted by this shift, as many positions require human workers that can think, reason, and plan ahead. However, there may also be some positives that come from AI replacing these jobs. For instance, businesses would be able to save money on things like content creation and website maintenance, which could translate into more opportunities for workers in other fields who are looking for a creative outlet or another way to earn income online by building niche sites or helping existing clients with their SEO copywriting needs.
That being said, it’s important to understand how artificial intelligence works and how it’ll impact the future of different industries before we can make predictions about what might happen with AI in the coming years.