Credit: Possessed Photography
Writing copy is already becoming the domain of artificial intelligence (AI) but there will always be a need for original ideas, according to Australian creatives.
Agencies are turning to AI to quickly develop and test ideas, making the process faster and more cost-effective.
While some might be worried, industry insiders revealed that AI is only helping copywriters accelerate workflows and slash production hours.
AdNews asked creatives whether they are concerned that AI will take the jobs of human writers in the future.
Cyndall McInerney, senior copywriter at Today The Brave, said there are two factors at hand: how highly society continues to value creative thinking and the public’s opinion of what constitutes “good” writing.
“If our industry retains its core value of craft and ‘the big idea’ then copywriters have nothing to worry about, but it’s not as simple as that,” she said.
“There are two components of copywriting–the choice of words, and the idea behind those words. If a copywriter uses lateral thinking, they’d arguably be the best source to express that unique thinking.
“If we continue to value the big ideas behind copywriting, us copywriters can breathe a sigh of relief. However, in times of uncertainty, there’s always the risk that brands will become more safe, nervous and passive–abandoning ‘the idea’.
“In this case, AI can and will nab our jobs. Which means we need to be pushing for ‘the idea’ now more than ever, if we want to maintain our relevance.”
Psembi Kinstan, chief creative officer at DDB Group Melbourne, said AI is helping every part of the conceptual copywriting experience, but no sensible creative agency is going to replace human writers with technology.
“In most creative agencies, DDB Group Melbourne included, the role has never been about plowing through reams of long copy for brochures, websites, edms, catalogues or product info,” he said.
“But where those roles exist, they’re absolutely being affected. I’ve heard plenty of first-hand accounts where one writer is now responsible for generating the output of an entire team, with plenty of redundancies in the process. But not at creative agencies.
“The role of copywriters in many creative agencies has been improved by AI. There are no redundancies. Writers now have the AI tools to speed up their writing or check if it’s on brand or find more points of reference faster or visualise it to a good standard themselves before working with an art director to elevate it further.”
Toby Cummings, creative partner at By All Means, said the inherent beauty of copywriting is something that AI is still missing.
“A good copywriter is a neurotic paranoiac with a good old-fashioned dose of self-loathing, fear and doubt. Her nerves are teased, his eyes water with malfeasance and the notion that he’s not good enough,” he said.
“So yes, of course, we are fearful of our livelihoods because THE MACHINES ARE COMING TO TAKE OUR JAAAAARRRRBS!”
“In fact, they probably already have. Those pesky LLMs are writing headlines, creative rationales and bod cop. Heck, they’re even spitting out ideas now… but could those faceless, heartless, soulless boxes of chips and wires meet with a client and sweat? No, no they couldn’t.
“And also, they can’t worry things into excellence… the world would be so incredibly boring without people who think they’re not good enough to write things but write them anyway.”
Lisa Jackson, senior copywriter at Connecting Plots, said the copywriters who bring feeling, personality, and soul to a brand will always be in demand.
“You see, the key to standing out isn’t just sounding clever; it’s making people feel something. It’s finding the truth in a brand, lifting it off the page, and giving it a voice that resonates,” she said.
“Sure, AI can churn out words at lightning speed. But words alone don’t make people care. They don’t make them laugh, cry, or feel seen. Good copy translates emotion into words that move people to think differently about a brand, care about a message, and act on it. And that skill can only come from the messy, beautiful nuances of lived human experience.
“So yes, AI can write. But it can’t replace human emotion. Copywriters who nail that? Irreplaceable.”
Pete Ogden, creative partner at Havas Host, said there’ll always be a place for human writers.
“I have been a copywriter for more years than I care to mention, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that your own voice is unique," he said.
“Yes, I’ve had sleepless nights after reading LinkedIn posts written by certain AI CEOs, boasting with giddy excitement that human beings are no longer required to spit out 125 characters for a Facebook ad.
“But while there are, of course, many day-to-day uses for AI to make life easier for creatives, I am pretty confident AI couldn’t come up with ‘Somewhere on an airplane a man is trying to rip open a small bag of peanuts’ for Harley Davidson.”
Thabani Tshuma, copywriter at Think HQ, said AI won't be replacing creatives anytime soon.
“Writing has evolved from oral tradition, to papyrus, to print, to the haptic screen swipe of the trusty notes app. AI marks the next step as another tool we can use to elevate our craft,” she said.
“The poet in me believes AI can’t (or won’t in my lifetime) possess the same love for language that good writers have. Understanding writing from a technical POV is great, but feeling the musicality of words and the alchemy behind them is something unique to our weird little brains.
“To quote Pixar’s hit 2007 film, Ratatouille, ‘Anyone can cook.’ AI has the ingredients, and the recipe but lacks the magic touch that comes with being human.
“Rather than replacement, my biggest concern is that popular standards will shift. More AI-generated/assisted writing could lead to growing client demands for copywriting that’s functional and turned over faster, but ultimately generic and unremarkable.”
Josh Newnes, senior creative at Fuller, said if AI has done anything, it’s pushed copywriters to think bigger and bolder.
“Everyone can write. AI is no different. But what makes standout writing, stand out, are the ideas behind the words. The human subtext between the lines,” he said.
“The occasional willingness to break the rules of language to say something that goes beyond words. AI is a wonderful ally in the writing toolbox. It can blog, summarise, level-up your SEO game, make you sound professional, and probably even write a script.
“Can it capture the soul of a brand in a three-word tagline? Or create messaging for a campaign that engages differently with different audiences, on different mediums? Can it bring deep human insight to life through a 30-second spot? Copywriters are thinkers. Not just writers.”
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