The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is changing the world, especially the way we work. AI has the potential to end many jobs, but it can also make some jobs more efficient and help brands expand their reach to wider audiences. Many believe that writers are one of the professions most in danger of being replaced by AI, although a closer look reveals that AI can be leveraged to make writing, especially copywriting, more engaging and productive. Brands that understand how AI can be utilized to make their message clearer and more memorable, and how to distinguish AI writers from human writers, will find they are better connected to their core consumers, ultimately creating a better customer experience.
The release of ChatGPT in late 2022 led to increased public interest in the potential of generative AI, as companies and brands have already been designing how to use this new technology for some time. With that said, not all businesses understand AI and those who do are struggling to harness its potential. A report by KPMG shows that 94% of the businesses surveyed indicated that they will need to adopt AI to remain competitive but nearly the same percent question AI’s trustworthiness.
These numbers indicate that the technology of AI and attitudes surrounding it haven’t quite synchronized yet, which can be a problem in some ways but present new opportunities in other ways, because those who stay ahead of the curve and learn how to leverage AI for their brands will stand to benefit. Copywriting is a major component of any brand’s success, as it relates their messages and connects them with loyal as well as new consumers. An examination of the background and trends in AI and copywriting reveals that instead of ending the careers of writers, AI has the potential to elevate their work, make brands more visible, and ultimately provide consumers with better products.
AI and Writing So Far
Because AI technology has only been made available to the public recently, and it’s constantly evolving, its applications are still being worked out in terms of copywriting. With that said, programs known as “AI writers” are available and have made an impact. AI writers can write texts and help writers accelerate the writing process, but they still have to be fed considerable amounts of information. Writers have used AI writers to partially or completely write blog articles as well as a number of other academic and instructional content.
AI has also proven to be helpful in research by identifying trends that may be of interest to specific reader demographics. Generally speaking, AI software can be utilized by brands and companies as efficiently as academics use it and in a way that sets human writers apart from AI. As AI is becoming a useful tool for brands to connect with consumers, its use in the private sector has acquired a unique term – AI as a service (AIaaS).
Benefits of Leveraging AIaaS
Small and medium sized business may find the most benefits from AIaaS in the short term, which will ultimately benefit copywriters as well as consumers. AIaaS can improve companies’ efficiency by saving time and money while maintaining a consistent brand image. Because branding is important, even for small companies, AI’s ability to stay on message across multiple platforms and media will help. AI will also be able to provide better search engine optimization (SEO) for brands by focusing text around particular keywords in a way that human writers can’t. This will make a brand’s webpage, documents, blogs, and articles easier for consumers to find.
Finally, AI will improve the quality of copy and help copywriters improve their craft. A major problem that brands face is poorly written articles that have been outsourced for lower costs. Often, these are short, simple articles to begin with, so their low quality and unreadability can be a major turnoff for readers, but AI can write such easy articles at a fraction of the cost. AI can also be utilized by more seasoned writers to overcome writer’s block by offering suggestions on anything from content to grammar.
All of this will create a better user experience for consumers, as it will make their navigation through web content and other written media much easier. Also, when used effectively, AIaaS will likely reduce costs for companies, which they can pass on to their consumers. Clearly, copywriting AI can offer brands, writers, and consumers many benefits, but there are some limitations and drawbacks to consider.
Limitations of AI in Copywriting
Currently, most AI writing programs focus on editing and revision with few offering users or writers help about more nuanced details of the writing process, including proper research techniques, flow, and adjusting copy for different audiences.
Another problem that brands and consumers may face is distinguishing between AI and human written content. As AI improves, it has become more difficult to determine the difference at times. As an example, OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, no longer offers it AI classifier/detector due to its “low rate of accuracy.” With that said, some detectors are more accurate than others and have been programed to “look for” an abundance of common words in a text – such as “the,” “it,” or “is,” – versus more erudite words. The rarer the word, the greater the chance the text was written by a human.
Future Trends in AI Copywriting and AIaaS
Companies that already use AI in their day-to-day operations have found that AIaaS is very efficient at doing one task versus several tasks. As brands learn this, look for them to assign AI to more copywriting tasks, including translation. The AI program Wordtune uses natural language processing (NLP) to translate complete texts from other languages into English. So far, the content that Wordtune has created is far ahead of Google Translate and other similar programs because it can translate much larger blocks of much more complex texts.
AI programs such as Wordtune will allow writers to put their ideas into any language, making copywriting a more global profession. This can apply equally to native English speakers who are writing non-English content, which will offer brands many new opportunities. For example, a brand has a great new product and some captivating content to go with it, but no one in the company can write or speak Mandarin, but by using an AI translator the company can instantly gain access to potentially millions more consumers.
Another trend to expect in the AIaaS space in the coming years is more transparency. This trend will probably begin in academia before making its way into the business world where consumers will demand to know if content they are reading or purchasing was produced by a human or AI. Because of this, expect to see more texts with watermarks and other signifiers that they were written wholly or partially by AI.
Finally, expect businesses to leverage the process of detecting if content was written by a human or AI. As more businesses and consumers demand to know the difference between AI generated or human written content, more businesses will fill the space to meet that need. The successful businesses though, will have to keep up with the technology by creating effective programs, which may be time consuming and expensive.
The advent of AI has led many to believe that it will eliminate many jobs, especially content copywriters. Although it’s true that copywriting will never be the same thanks to AI, forward thinking brands can use it as leverage to create better content that successfully connects them to a greater consumer base. The space of AIaaS will also offer consumers greater savings and more opportunities to connect with their favorite brands and develop new relationships with brands they’ve found through AI.
About the author:
An industry leader and influencer – Rudly Raphael specializes in all aspects of research logistical design involving quantitative methodology, implementing internal system infrastructure to streamline business processes, channelling communication and developing innovative research solutions to ensure Eyes4Research remains a competitive force in the marketplace. An entrepreneur, inventor (patent holder), blogger and writer – his articles have been published in various magazines such as Medium, Ebony Magazine, Bussiness2Community and also cited in various journals and academic publications.