Heard about AI and how it can write copy for you?
Me too.
It got me thinking - can AI replace copywriters?
I was pretty doubtful about Chat GPT's AI capability.
But I was blown away by what it can do.
Here’s what happened when I gave it a go.
I asked it to write a specific piece of copy that I recently wrote for a client:
Write a 404 error message for a unisex baby wear brand, with humour and a touch of quirk.
In about 3 seconds, here’s what ChatGPT created:
Pretty good, right?
It’s contextually relevant in your website journey, helpful and makes you smile. But it’s wordy, doesn’t provide links/CTAs and perhaps a little twee.
What I wrote for the client:
Uh-oh! That page has disappeared like bub on a nudie run. Where to next?
shop all nooshki CTA get in touch CTA
Concise, cute, feel good. With clickable CTAs.
Next, I briefed ChatGPT to replace my copywriter brain to:
Write a 400 word SEO blog targeting the keywords "how does hypnotherapy work" for an Australian sophisticated career focused female audience. Use a relatable tone of voice. Include H1, H2 and H3 headings and a call to action.
Within 10 seconds, it gave me this (I cut it off after the H2 because I got the gist – and it was boring).
Again, a great job.
ChatGPT identified the audience, used keywords in the H2 and first chunk of the body copy. The content is logical, clear and readable.
But… it’s so literal. Repetitive. And I fell asleep mid second para.
And that is the weakness of AI copy. It lacks any human element.
Notice how there’s no cadence, flow, idiom, empathy.
Zero brand personality. Nothing memorable. No voice of customer. No word play.
For SEO copy specifically, your search ranking lives – or dies – by the human element. Look at Google’s 2022 Helpful Content Update – it’s all about how it ranks a site better when content is written for humans, not search engines.
And we all know that humans buy from humans.
Where do they buy? On your website, written by a human who brings that human to human understanding.
So, will AI take the place of a copywriter?
Chat GPT and AI could be a supportive tool in the right context, but it can’t replace human understanding.
AI is here to stay.
Ultimately, we need to learn to work with it and bring the human element it misses and fails to replicate.