A Copywriter’s Honest Thoughts on AI Copywriting

July 15, 2025

“Are you afraid AI will replace your job?”

I’ve been asked this on airplanes and phone calls. I’ve heard it at restaurants, coffee shops, libraries, and dog parks.

Everyone is curious about the future of AI, and who better to ask than writers? With the rise of AI copywriting, we’re one of the first professions that’s been hit (yippee 🙄). 

So, how would I answer this nuanced question?

It’s not that I’m not afraid AI will replace human creativity. (It can’t.) 

I’m far more concerned with how quickly AI has impacted the perceived value of our human creativity, and how little we seem to be questioning it.

The shadow side of AI copywriting 

As a decade-long, solo-by-choice copywriter, my stance on AI won’t shock you.

There are far more written in favor of AI than not, and this is not that. We rarely hear from people who are willing to question its ethics and assess its drawbacks.

You won’t find many of us on social media, and we’re quite scarce on LinkedIn (*shudder*), but we are out there. And it’s time we talk about it.

AI shrinks our critical thinking

AI is actively rewiring our brains to believe work shouldn’t be hard. Why should we sit in silence for a good idea if AI provides multiple outputs within a few seconds? Why should we wait for our brains to catch up?

As more people rely on AI, we become digitally dependent. We lose the ability to think for ourselves. We settle for work done quickly rather than work done well.

Emma Tarp, a fellow copywriter and dear friend, writes that “good writing starts with good thinking.” And good thinking results from embracing quiet moments of solitude, allowing space to challenge ourselves and think clearly.

A new MIT scientific study on ChatGPT confirms this, proving that ChatGPT users “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.” After several months of using AI, users were said to have gotten “lazier with each subsequent essay, often resorting to copy-and-paste by the end of the study.”

Think of it this way. When AI does the heavy lifting, we don’t need to flex our creative muscles. Much like our physical body, when we stop using a muscle, it undergoes atrophy. We no longer use the muscle effectively due to its inactivity.

AI has the same impact on our creativity. That’s why we must limit our reliance on AI, because time is not our enemy; speed is.

AI saves time, but at a great cost

Most arguments in favor of AI copywriting come from people who say it saves time and money. To a certain extent, I can see their point, but that means we value efficiency over effectiveness.

Consider the content farms from the early 2000s. By quickly producing low-paid, low-quality content, content farms took a “quantity over quality” approach in hopes it would help them better rank on Google. Spoiler: It didn’t.

In early 2011, Google took action against content farms, adjusting its algorithm to deprioritize sites with “shallow” and “unoriginal” content. (Sound familiar?) 

Because search engines care about keeping our attention, they’re only interested in ranking the highest quality content available. And all copywriters know content creation takes time. We’re talking about research, strategizing, outlining, writing, re-writing, editing, publishing, and promoting.

I’m not against technology making these steps easier, but eliminating our creative input seems unwise. Speed has never been the greatest metric of success, and content created in a hurry rarely makes a lasting impact. 

If speed becomes more important than connection, we may also forget about the power of writing what Ann Lamott calls a “shitty first draft.” 

In her book Bird by Bird, Ann says, “All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts.” She reminds us that no one “writes elegant first drafts,” not even the most beloved authors. 

I know AI enthusiasts may counter this by saying AI can produce a shitty first draft for you, but then AI sets the tone of your story. It determines where your narrative goes. In turn, you surrender your position as the captain of the ship. 

I’m not willing to give that up when crafting a story, and I don’t believe I’m alone.

AI is derivative by nature  

AI has become an essential brainstorming companion for many creators. Some call AI their “partner” or “second brain.” Others have back-and-forth conversations with AI as if it’s simply another team member.

By using AI, we may reduce the friction of ideation, but it doesn’t mean we get better ideas. We actually get more of the same.

There’s a lot of talk about how easy it is to see through AI-generated content. Copywriter Laura Belgray noticed AI typically relies on “formulaic phrases, vocab quirks, and try-hard humor.”

The consensus is that AI copywriting is a turn-off, yet it’s still widely used. Why? Because it promises an easier road to success, even if you end up sounding like everyone else. Yes, even like your competitors.

I also find it interesting how many business gurus have changed their tune over time. The same influencers who made millions off of telling us to discover our voice and embrace what makes us unique are now the first ones selling courses on AI copywriting. I can’t be the only one seeing the irony in this, right?

Someday, I hope we’ll reach a point where everyone will crave what feels human again, but until then, writers and artists must keep creating because that’s what we do best. 

AI is unethically trained

Since AI is unable to create anything original, it must get its information from somewhere. Therein lies one of our biggest ethical dilemmas. 

If you have published your work online—blog posts, website copy, you name it—you have likely trained AI bots without knowing it.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Some online platforms are rolling out optional features where you can block AI training, but they are few and far between. Unfortunately, selecting this setting on Substack means you’ll “limit your discoverability” on their platform—all because you want to protect your IP. 

Without AI regulations, creators like you and I are stuck in a lose-lose scenario. Our entire body of work can be taken without notice or permission. Today, it’s our words and ideas; tomorrow, it’s our designs, photography, and art.

And it’s not just our online work that’s at risk.

My friend and author Cait Flanders recently wrote about her feelings after learning both of her novels were stolen by Meta AI, along with 183,000 other authors. And this is only the beginning. Editor and author Stephanie Duncan Smith calls this a “creative break-in,” a copyright violation that hits close to home.

Ignorance is bliss, so perhaps the public isn’t aware that their AI tools are trained from stolen content or that it negatively impacts our environment. But once we have an understanding, we get to decide how we respond.

AI cheapens the human experience

By now, you realize AI only knows how to take what makes us human and manipulate it. 

It can’t share personal anecdotes. It can’t feel emotion or delight in a sensorial experience. It can only mimic what it’s given. 

Your experiences. Your stories. Your emotions. That’s what matters. That’s what endures, yet we forfeit our voice when we give creative control over to AI. 

Maybe you’ve seen the trend where people ask AI to give them a pep talk or summarize their voice and personality in a few sentences.

Some creators are making monumental decisions in their lives and business based on what AI says, allowing it to influence their mood and thought life. But just because something sounds good and feels good doesn’t make it right. 

If AI has no voice, why are we so quick to trust what it says?

Why be dependent on a tool that can only spit out what you feed it?

I’m aware this may sound like a crusade against AI, but my greatest hope is to ignite an open conversation. I believe we are meant to question these advancements, especially with how quickly AI technology is progressing.

What can we do to combat AI copywriting? 

The future is still largely unknown, but one thing’s for sure: AI is here to stay. 

While AI grows stronger and more sophisticated every day, we have an opportunity to respond differently. It may feel like we’re fighting an uphill battle, but there are many things we can do right where we are.

Eliminate (or reduce) your AI use

• Sit in silence until an idea appears, even when it feels uncomfortable. 
• Brainstorm with a pen and paper, even if you can type faster on a keyboard. 
• Read physical books and long-form content, even if you feel bored. 
• Test your theories and ideas, even if you’re tempted to use a formula.
• Go to a trusted friend or coach, even if they don’t give you a quick answer.

Boldly share your beliefs on AI

• Start an open conversation on social media.
• Write your honest thoughts through a blog post (like this!) or email newsletter.
• Have private conversations with other friends in your industry.
• Share your unique perspective during a podcast guest interview.
• Wrestle well and respect other creators who view AI differently.

Partner with like-minded clients and collaborators

• Ask client leads how they view and use AI within their business.
• Transparently share how you use (or don’t use) AI in your creative process. 
• Create a referral list of partners who similarly value human creativity.
• Simplify and strengthen your creative process with other value-aligned tech. 
• Create a memorable, personal client experience that AI could never offer.

This list isn’t exhaustive, but I hope it serves as a starting point for those who want to take practical, daily actions. 

So, where does this leave us, individually and collectively? We get to decide—even if it feels like the world has already made its decision. And there’s power in that.

If you want to have an open conversation about AI, let’s talk on Instagram, or we can connect through my email newsletter, where I’ll write more on this subject.