Who needs copywriters anyway? There’s AI! Is there?

The copywriting industry is currently undergoing an exciting transformation. There’s no denying it. AI systems like ChatGPT are stirring up the world of words. While some are jumping for joy, others are watching the development rather sceptically. After all, will copywriters still be needed in the future for blog posts, websites and mailings?

One thing is clear: AI has its strengths. It does a damn good job with weather reports, sports news and product descriptions for online shops. It can also be helpful for brainstorming and structuring text. But as soon as more demanding content is involved, the digital text machine quickly reaches its limits.

This is where human copywriters come in: developing original ideas, with a feel for linguistic subtleties and striking exactly the right tone for different target groups. Their strategic thinking and expertise make them indispensable partners in content marketing.

With the increasing use of AI, there is also a risk that content will somehow become interchangeable if everyone uses the same AI tools. Of course it is not copy and paste, of course every AI text is slightly different. No question about that. But the database is often the same. Furthermore, creating high-quality AI content usually requires a lot of fine-tuning and post-processing. Because in the end, the customers, the editors, have to give the OK and approval for good content – for the right words.

The future (at least for a while) undoubtedly lies in a combination of human expertise and AI support. AI tools will become aids for professionals, enabling them to concentrate more on creative and strategic tasks. And perhaps we will soon see specialised AI models that can accurately reflect the individual language style of a company. A lot is already possible, but it currently involves a lot of rework.

Instead of fearing the development, copywriters should use the chance to further develop their special skills. Creativity, strategic thinking and the use of AI tools will become the new key competencies.?
New fields of activity are already emerging: prompt engineering, the art of controlling AI systems with precise instructions, for example – or editors who critically review AI texts and bring them into an authentic form will continue to be needed.

For companies, new possibilities are now opening up in content marketing. The combination of AI efficiency and human creativity makes it possible to produce more relevant content in less time. If we’re not careful, this could lead to an information overload. It will be all the more important to stand out through quality and originality. Because that’s what counts and makes the first out of equals.

AI can undoubtedly be very useful in journalism, too, for example in data-based research. However, storytelling and the critical classification of facts remain tasks for people. An exciting concept in this context is ‚post-editing‘ – the revision and refinement of AI texts by human experts. Incidentally, this is not only useful for all forms of text creation but also in other creative professions and job categories. This new activity combines the efficiency of AI with the precision and sense of style of human copywriters.

For the future of the copywriting industry, this means that  further training is a must. Copywriters should learn how to use AI tools effectively.

• Genuine creativity will become more important than ever.
• Strategic expertise will gain in significance.
• Post-editing will become a key skill.

The art of writing is simply evolving – as it should – to include a technological component. Those who are open to new ideas and develop their skills will continue to be successful in the future – whether as creative authors, strategic planners or experts in AI-supported text production. There is a need for copywriters, no question about it, just a little bit different than before?

You can listen to a »DeepDive‘ podcast about this article« (15 min). Let me know what you think!