Hello, I'm back. Now I see you're waiting to read the email. Could it be me? No, I'm not having an existential crisis (I hope not!) but I will be testing out a new gadget this month. Hopefully, it'll work!*
*This was written by a robot.
Yup. It’s a bit creepy, right?
I can assure you that from now on, unless I say, it’s me writing, not a robot. I promise.
Here’s what my first paragraph looked like before I put it into the AI copywriting generator Wordtune:
Hello, I’m back… jumping into your inbox again. But wait, is it really me? No, I’m not having an existential crisis (I don’t think!) but I’m just testing out a new gizmo which I want to focus this edition of Digital Wisdom on. Hopefully it works!
How did it do? I let the robot copy edit me. I’ll give it a 3/5, I think. But it’s pretty interesting/scary, isn’t it!?
What is AI copywriting?
In a nutshell, AI copywriting is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to write copy for you, using natural language processing tools.
The most well-known AI copy generator is GPT-3, developed by Elon Musk’s OpenAI project.
It can be very helpful in creating headlines, CTAs and other micro-copy. It’s proven to be both quick and effective, as JP Morgan Chase found out in a test of humans vs machines writing CTAs. Yes, human CTAs led to considerably fewer conversions.
Here are some pros and cons of using AI tools to write for you:
Pros
It can save you time.
AI tools can analyse data much quicker than humans can. This means they can instantly generate full articles or alternative versions of the same copy, to give you immediate options.
It generates ideas
If you’re stuck with writers’ block, an AI copywriting tool can help you with ideas and ways forward again.
Cons
It can be dangerous
In the wrong hands it can write convincing fake reviews and fake news articles. Amazon has been the most high profile case study here, with claims of a ‘bot army’ writing falsified reviews. How do we know who to trust, eh?
It can’t replicate human emotion
‘When it comes to consumer buying behaviour, feelings are more influential than any other variable,’ says Neil Patel on his self-titled blog.
Robots – at the time of writing! – can’t process and replicate human emotions.
End of story?
Earlier in the summer, I heard a fascinating discussion on the Digital Marketing Institute’s Ahead of the Game podcast.
Kerry Harrison, from the agency Tiny Giant, told the podcast that AI copywriting has both benefits and limitations, ‘It’s not great at doing narrative. It’s great at subject lines or social posts, but when it comes to storytelling it’s not so strong,’ says Kerry. ‘I think we’ve got a way to go before we get anything equivalent to a human.’
‘AI will not replace copywriters, says Carla Lynn, writing for the Unbounce blog, ‘But it will change how they do their jobs.’
I think they are a helpful tool, and not to be feared. As someone who writes copy as part of their job, I find that even on Google Docs or Gmail it's helpful to have the auto-suggest feature turned on – it saves time.
Rory Sutherland, vice-chairman of advertising agency, Ogilvy, told the BBC ‘AI can't hurt if it generates interesting suggestions, but it's like satnav in a car. Great for directions but you don't allow it to drive the car!’
Simply not the best
The welcome reality is that these AI tools can only get better. Better but not the best. That domain belong to us humans, and I think always will.
I’ll leave you with some lines from Shakespeare, fed into Wordtune for our smug enjoyment:
“O Romeo, Romeo! What are you doing?" Deny thy father and reject thy name, or, if thou prefer, swear my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet.
Actually not bad! (Original version here)
Drop me a comment below and let me know your thoughts on AI copywriting. Yay or nay? Concerned or basking in the new freedom AI tools allow you?
See you again soon, I hope!
Andrew.