The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has made it possible for us human beings to rely on automation to simplify processes for… literally everything. But does AI really make our lives easier? For copywriting specifically, an AI writing tool can be a double-edged sword if used carelessly even though it’s practical to a certain extent. And before you start wondering, no, this article was – thankfully – not crafted using an AI writing tool.
How an AI writing tool can be helpful
Copywriting can be a grueling task and even the most articulate writers sometimes get writer’s block. An AI writing tool can be useful when you need to explore a different perspective for your content or rewrite something but can’t seem to find the right wording.
Similarly, an AI writing tool is a great place to draw inspiration for new ideas, especially when creating a brief or content outline. Writing on a certain topic occasionally requires a ton of research, and many people simply may not have the time to do this from scratch.
However, AI writing tools are not the be-all, and end-all, and won’t replace human copywriters. Here are several reasons why.
Lacks human touch and proper tone of voice
When used for marketing in particular, copywriting should make an impact, deliver the message, and ideally achieve a business goal while engaging the reader. It doesn’t matter if it’s a call to action for a purchase of a product or service, or to tell a story of how the business came about.
That’s where the problem lies – content produced by an AI writing tool may not necessarily convey the proper tone of voice of a business in the right way, and the content might not have the emotional nuances needed to leave a strong enough impression on readers.
When the content delivers the tone of voice of a business properly, the business is able to communicate and connect with its readers, which helps it differentiate itself from competitors and build its brand identity. As a result, readers will be more inclined to take action.
Prone to errors
While AI has indeed come a long way, it’s far from perfect. Oftentimes, you will find errors in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, or even in the general coherency of the content produced by an AI writing tool, which isn’t capable of abstract thinking.
AI writing tools ingest data and follow basic grammar rules. They may not be able to piece information together in a logical way that makes sense to a reader. Instead of taking action, the reader may be left feeling confused and lose trust in your company.
At the end of the day, you’ll have to thoroughly analyze and refine the content on your own. It may require rearranging sentences so that it flows nicely and sounds coherent. You might even have to cut out redundant, generic, and irrelevant information to perfect it.
Risk of plagiarism and outdated information
Can you be sure that the content produced by an AI writing tool is of high quality, 100% original, and contains the most up-to-date information? Unfortunately not. An AI writing tool collects data from various sites and sources, but doesn’t fact-check and verify this data for the best results.
For this reason, you may end up with content that is outdated, inaccurate, and even plagiarised. Needless to say, this will look bad on your business, particularly when a more complex topic is involved, like technology, medicine, or something science-y.
If you’ll have to double-check every sentence for accuracy and make sure that it is in fact current and not plagiarised, you may as well hire a copywriter to ensure you receive the highest quality of work that requires minimal to no double- or triple-checking.
A writing aid, not a replacement
We cannot stop technology from booming, and AI will constantly be evolving. And even after weighing out the pros and cons, we’re certain that AI writing tools, such as ChatGPT, should only be used as a writing aid that supports your content, rather than replacing a real copywriter.
Think about it – your business needs to always be credible. Are you sure you should be copying the content produced by an AI writing tool directly onto your website and other marketing materials? Probably not. It is still a machine after all.
Hiring human copywriters makes sure you receive high-quality and compelling content that is innovative, creative, original and has the human touch. This also means delivering an accurate brand tone of voice that connects and relates easily with other human beings.
Our verdict? AI writing tools aren’t the answer to lowering costs for your marketing efforts. You could actually lose out, in terms of your marketing efforts when only using AI writing tools. At this point in time, they could very well come up short and likely won’t generate the results you’re after.