Has AI killed copywriting? This is the question heard in creative circles, posted in Facebook groups and asked outright by anxious freelancers.
Creators gonna create, but the death of value is what creatives fear most. That the skill we have spent years honing, that pays our bills and shapes our identity has suddenly been replaced by a machine that works faster, cheaper and without getting sore wrists or brain fog.
As someone who has worked as a freelance copywriter for over a decade and who has identified as a writer since my original book ‘The Princess’ was deemed award-worthy when I was six years old, I have lived through the rise of AI rather than commenting on it from the sidelines. I have definitely felt the fear, the frustration and the uncomfortable reality of watching my industry shift overnight. I’m not the first person this has happened to and I won’t be the last, but man, did it feel personal.
Buckle up… this is my story and my argument that no, AI has not killed copywriting, and never will.
In short:
- LLMs don’t write, they regurgitate
- If you rely too heavily on ChatGPT etc, you risk your copy being generic and unoriginal
- Copywriters are still 100% necessary, but their skills have had to evolve, and fast
- If you want your brand to stand out, investing in a copywriter makes more sense than ever
What LLMs/Large Language Models actually do
To understand the panic about AI killing copywriting, it helps to understand what AI tools like ChatGPT really are.
They are large language models, often shortened to LLMs. In simple terms, these platforms are trained on vast amounts of text from books, articles, websites and other sources. They learn patterns in language and use those patterns to predict what words should come next in a sentence.
They do not think.
They do not understand meaning in the way humans do.
They don’t have opinions, lived experience or intuition.
They generate text based on probability. When you ask an LLM a question, it is essentially saying, based on everything I have seen before, this is the most likely string of words that fits your prompt.
Yes, it’s impressive technology. It can also be deeply misleading if you assume it is doing more than it really is.
Why People Think AI Has Killed Copywriting
Suddenly, anyone can open a browser, type a prompt and get a blog post, website page or email in seconds. For businesses that previously paid copywriters for that work, the temptation to skip the human input is obvious.
When AI first went mainstream, the narrative quickly became that copywriting was dead. Why hire a professional writer when software can do it for free or close to it?
The launch of ChatGPT saw my clients start asking uncomfortable questions. Some stopped asking me anything altogether… they were too busy tinkering with their new tool.
I’m not gonna lie, when ChatGPT showed up it felt like the rug had been pulled from under my entire profession. The same has happened to animators, graphic designers, voice over artists and videographers. The past few years have been hugely painful and humbling for anyone who takes pride in being a creator.
What LLMs cannot do
Here is the part that often gets lost in the panic. LLMs are powerful, but they are limited.
They cannot truly understand your audience. They don’t draw on lived experience. They cannot make nuanced strategic decisions based on brand voice, commercial goals and emotional context.
They also have a habit of repeating themselves, stating the obvious and producing writing that is flat and generic. And what’s more, they don’t care about originality and will ‘spit out’ the same words for you as the next person, especially if you’re a lazy prompter. If you’re writing website copy or articles and hoping to rank well in SEO and AI search results, this is a problem.
Accuracy is another major issue. AI tools can and do make things up. They hallucinate facts, statistics and sources with complete confidence. If you rely on them without checking, you risk publishing content that is wrong or misleading.
My story as a copywriter in the age of AI
I was a professional freelance copywriter for ten years before AI entered the picture in a meaningful way. I had forged a steady flow of clients, strong referrals and a reputation that kept my business healthy.
2022 was my best ever year and I felt untouchable. Then AI arrived and, to be completely honest, my livelihood died almost overnight.
Clients dropped me without notice.
Enquiries dried up.
Where I was once the darling of my business networking groups, people stopped calling on me. Some even told me they felt sad for me. A couple laughed in my face and said, “What are you going to do???” Boy did that sting.
It was incredibly stressful. I lay awake at night worrying about money, but also about something deeper. The skill I relied on, the thing that formed a huge part of my identity, suddenly felt worthless. The idea that a robot could do what I did and that people believed it could do it just as well took a massive toll on my emotional wellbeing.
I have cursed the people in tech who thought they were doing a good thing by erasing my value as a person. I wanted to scream in their faces, “Don’t you realise???”. If I could flip the switch and erase AI completely, I definitely would.
What really hit home was that in the past when I have been at a career crossroad, I’ve had back up plans. But the last back up plan was writing. And there’s nothing under it. Nothing I love so much. Nothing that feels right to me and no other way that I want to contribute to the world.
I kept thinking about the ice delivery man, or the man who made a living selling Encyclopadeias door to door. When the fridge came in, the ice man’s days were numbered. The internet killed those encyclopaedia sales. Both had the choice of opting out, or buying into the latest iteration of his industry.
People still need things to be cold. They still want information. It’s just that the products and delivery methods around these needs have changed.
I saw a lot of copywriters drop out and start doing other things. I decided to start selling fridges.
Credit: Shutterstock
AI & Copywriting: If you can’t beat em, join em
At first, I refused to use AI, but eventually I reached a point where I realised that refusing to engage with it was not helping me make money and live my purpose.
So I started experimenting. Slowly, cautiously and with plenty of scepticism. What I discovered surprised me.
Using AI well is a skill in itself.
You still have to think.
You still have to know what you want to say.
You still have to shape the message, check the facts and apply judgement. Most business owners do not have time for that, nor do they want to learn how to do it well.
I began using AI to create terrible first drafts. And I mean terrible. Rough, messy starting points that I could then refine, rewrite and turn into something genuinely effective. It sped up my process without replacing my thinking.
That meant I could work faster, take on more projects and keep my prices competitive without sacrificing quality.
Slowly, the business owner clients I had lost started coming back. They realised that even though ChatGPT can turn a five hour job into a two hour job, that’s still two hours they don’t have. So, just like before, I’m here to help.
So, has AI killed copywriting???
After living in an AI-driven world for several years, my answer is NO.
While I still daydream about turning back the clock, the cat is out of the bag. AI is here and it’s not going away.
But…after three whole years there is still work coming in. There are still businesses that need clarity, persuasion and connection. This moment is an opportunity for writers to expand their skillset rather than abandoning it. For example, the way we write for SEO and GEO requires a completely different approach, but this gives companies the chance to leapfrog the competition, which is actually very exciting.
(I made a video about how to rank in ChatGPT and AI Overviews… you can watch here)
For other copywriters: If you are willing to adapt, learn and stay human in your approach, copywriting is very much alive. You can still build a thriving and rewarding career, especially if you keep an open mind.
For business owners: Generic emails and basic website pages are fine to create with ChatGPT. But the important stuff still needs investment. It is always better to hand the job to a pro rather than attempting to be a jack of all trades. Trust me, your audience will notice.
Visit www.copywriterfreelance.com to hire a copywriter or learn more about becoming one.
Has AI Killed Copywriting: FAQs
Do I still need to hire a copywriter when I can just use AI?
You can use AI, but that doesn’t mean the copy will be good, interesting or valuable to your audience.
AI can generate words quickly, but it cannot decide what matters most to your audience, what to leave out or how to position your offer in a way that actually drives action. Most businesses simply do not have the time or headspace to prompt, edit, fact check and refine AI output properly.
A copywriter saves you time, protects your brand and helps you avoid publishing content that is generic, inaccurate or off brand. Many copywriters now use AI behind the scenes to work faster, but you are paying for their thinking, judgement and experience, not just the words on the page.
What can copywriters do that AI can’t?
Copywriters understand people. They read between the lines of a brief, ask the awkward questions and spot what is really going on in your business. They bring lived experience, emotional intelligence and commercial awareness to the work.
AI cannot truly understand your brand voice, your customers’ objections or the nuance of your industry. It cannot interview you, challenge your assumptions or spot when something sounds wrong even if it looks fine on paper.
Most importantly, copywriters take responsibility for the outcome. They are accountable for accuracy, clarity and results. AI, for the time being at least, can’t be held responsible for what it comes up with.
How do I choose a copywriter in a world of AI content?
Look for someone who talks about strategy, not just outputs. A good copywriter should be able to explain how they think, how they approach your audience and how their work supports your goals.
Ask about their process and how they use AI, if at all. Transparency matters. The best copywriters are not pretending AI does not exist, but they are also not relying on it blindly.
Finally, trust your instincts. If their writing sounds human, specific and confident rather than vague and formulaic, that is a strong sign you are in good hands.
How do I start my copywriting career in an AI world?
Same as before. Practice, read books, learn and ask. You can ask AI to help you but hopefully you have a natural flair for writing that always shines through.
Check out courses, books and podcasts for copywriters, read blogs specifically for copywriters and take at least a small step each day to grow your business.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clea Jones is an award-winning freelance copywriter who has created content for hundreds of brands for the last 15 years. Her greatest success is having the flexibility to be home for her kids while also enjoying a 6-figure+ income.