AI copy | Human writing or AI writing for content marketing?

A common term in content marketing is “copy,” meaning a piece of written text that will be published. It is used in designs, ads, articles, press releases, and white papers. But what does the term “AI copy” refer to? It relates to the intrusion of generative languages into written online texts.

Until now (and by now I mean a long period of time), we understood writing to be a very human task. But copywriting, on the other hand, is an accident of mass production of written content. So, do we continue to integrate it into copywriting efforts (another very human marketing task)?

Let’s define what these AI copies are and try to understand the direction that copywriting and written content on the internet are taking.

What is an AI copy?

This is a piece of content written by artificial intelligence. Rather than “writing,” it is the regeneration of the language. It emulates human writing for prompt-driven requests. It uses content filtered from massive amounts of information through databases. The result is a polished, artificial text model that replicates a piece of content.

We recognize an AI copy because of:

• Neutral writing styles, consistent tones, with no real opinions.
• Contains repetitions and redundancies with online content.
• Basic content structures with a lack of depth.
• Generic data, and in some cases, with inaccurate or outright false statements.
• Contains numerical attributes (not visible to users) that can be tracked with AI detectors.

In functional terms, AI copies are ideal for mass content campaigns. They are generated in seconds and could be adapted to various devices, platforms, campaigns, and visual assets. But of course, if quality is generic and repetitive, so are the results. They could potentially be a deluded mimic of its own production.

Qualities of high-quality copy vs. AI copy

Today, we associate “quality” with human production. What was once considered “organic content”, “high standards” or “attractive content” in digital marketing has evolved (or devolved) into content created by people (something that was a rule before).

The production of content creators, influencers, or authorities in a field prevails and ranks highly in digital media. AI copy, or any artificial intelligence-generated content, has secondary value. This does not necessarily mean that it is bad or of lesser value. What I mean is that human content (sitting down to write; sitting down to edit) has greater value for both algorithms and users in general.

The qualities that make such human copies stand out are:

• Real content, thought out, considered, organized, by a person.
• Content that expresses opinions, mistakes, or criticism, taking a stance on something.
• Content that is influential due to its impact.

AI copies can even be humanized and widely accepted. To do this:

• They must be heavily edited and adapted to a brand identity.
• They must be engaging; they must say something beyond the generality of common AI.
• They must be integrated in a hybrid way with human production.
• The quality and accuracy of such content must be verified.

Human writing or AI writing for content marketing?

It depends on your company or your project. Marketing specialists, such as the NP Digital agency, believe that joint efforts are necessary. In other words, use AI, but with human input. Why? Because:

• Content automation is becoming the norm. Its use is imperative to remain competitive in the digital market.
• Genuine brand engagement with users focuses on one-to-one interaction. This is only possible with a person. Even if content is entirely generated by artificial intelligence, the human touch (in editing, scriptwriting, strategy) must come from a person. 

Generative AI will not replace people’s charisma and mischievousness. Whatever brands may say, I believe that corporations’ apparent preference for AI over investors is temporary. Even if the world becomes less creative and more monochromatic, we as a species know how to identify quality. A good creator, thinker, and writer can infuse their productions with that quality with ease.

AI copy will be very prevalent in our publications. There are ways to utilize any AI in an ethical manner. Don’t feel guilty about creating a hybrid text. Utilize AI to automate processes or enhance your workflow. But out of responsibility for your own production, always keep your creative hallmarks on your side. Use your imagination, your experience, and your memory to create. Let AI assist you; don’t let it do the work for you.