We’re not saying we told you so.
We’re just saying that our instincts on how AI would affect our industry were on the money.
Back in 2023, we argued that generative AI’s strength was in quantity, not quality.
It could churn out copy, but it couldn’t produce content that was fully fit for human consumption.
We – and many others – warned that while GenAI had its uses, AI-generated copy would need human intervention. That it would need editing, fact-checking and polishing before it could be shared with the world. Now, that’s exactly what’s happening.
The industry even has a name for it.
AI cleanup.
AI cleanup is the increasingly necessary business of cleansing machine-written copy of its LLM fingerprints. Thereby bringing it into line with clients’ brand standards.
It usually includes:
Many businesses rushed into AI adoption in 2023–24. It’s easy to see why. The technology promised a dreamy combination of scale, speed and savings.
Now the honeymoon is over.
That’s not to say that companies are abandoning AI. They are, however, changing the way they see and use it.
Fortune and Computing report the first decline in business adoption of GenAI since 2023. Instead, those companies are spending more on human writers to rewrite AI copy.
A report from the freelancing hub Upwork shows a surge in fact-checking work. So much that it is now among the platform’s top 10 AI-related skills. Meanwhile, the platform has seen a 15% increase in copywriting jobs.
This isn’t a wholesale rejection of AI among business leaders. Rather, a sign that decisionmakers have realised that machine copy needs human oversight.
Who’s best placed to provide that oversight?
Agencies and professional writers, of course. The people who already understand branding, strategy and storytelling. Whose skills can be enhanced by AI, but not supplanted.
Let’s be clear. AI still has its uses.
LLMs can generate drafts, help with ideas and produce text at scale. They can even be augmented with your brand resources, creating custom GPTs that deliver more authentic copy.
Nonetheless, this technology continues to go wrong in predictable ways:
As we said years ago, the limitations of AI platforms are innate. Therefore, human writers will always play a crucial role in editing, interpreting and enhancing machine copy.
It’s easy to see what makes AI copywriting tools so appealing. Especially in a precarious economy.
Fast, cheap, scalable and ever-present in the news headlines. Who wouldn’t be tempted?
As they bump up against the limitations of machine-written outputs, the false economy becomes clearer. Businesses come to see that the initial savings are often an illusion. Paying an agency to fix low-quality AI output often costs more in the long term.
Worse, it risks brand damage if poor copy slips through unchecked.
AI cleanup is creating new demand for human skills. Welcome news for the skilled writers who’ve spent years fearing for their livelihoods.
Writers and agencies skilled in brand storytelling can strike gold in the new frontier of AI cleanup. They can generate more value for clients by offering new services:
The relationship between businesses and AI isn’t over. It’s just evolving.
Leaders no longer see GenAI as the solution to all their problems. Instead, they’re working with the writers and agencies to create intelligent hybrid workflows. Systems that leverage AI for volume and talented writers for quality.
Many copywriters survive or thrive based on their volumes. As such, they may assume that their value lies in writing large quantities of copy.
The mass adoption of GenAI, has proven otherwise.
It’s reminded writers that their true USPs are their insight and creativity.
Things that AI will always struggle to replicate.
For agencies, this is a chance to boost our value proposition. Positioning ourselves as strategic partners. We can do more than just fix AI’s mistakes, we can build smarter and more efficient ways of working.
For clients, it’s a wake-up call. The allure of fast, cheap content has become a mirage. Now, the hidden costs are coming into view, and the value of human writing skills becomes clearer.
AI hasn’t killed copywriting. It’s redefined it.
The challenge for businesses isn’t whether to use AI, but how to use it effectively. The challenge for writers and agencies is to master the art of hybrid copywriting.
To become part creator, part editor, part strategist.
As Lisa Simpson once told Homer, the Chinese word for “crisis” also means “opportunity”. It’s not quite true, but one that continues to strike a chord.
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s how AI is the ultimate “crisitunity”.
