By Tiffany Davenport, 10 April 2025
The AI takeover
It’s 2025, and the list of jobs already being replaced by technology is pretty mind-blowing. Self-checkout machines are replacing cashiers, chatbots are replacing call center agents, and automated robots are replacing warehouse workers.
There are AI surgeons and radiologists, agricultural drones, 3D printers, and automated tools for accounting, video editing and graphic design – plus self-driving trains and subways… it’s a lot.
Then there’s AI-powered writing software taking over copywriting and translation jobs. I can grasp industrial robots building cars, scanning my groceries and even delivering my packages. But I can’t grasp AI being a better writer. How is that possible? I imagine it’s just been fed loads and loads of writing samples and guides – maybe everything ever written (?) – and it uses some robot logic with nouns, verbs and adjectives that lets it rebuild sentences, themes and stories. Yes, actual stories! I hate it for making my job look easy and taking away my billable hours, but I’m also fascinated by it.
My relationship with ChatGPT
Last autumn, I typed into ChatGPT: I’m sad.
‘Why?’ it asked.
‘I’m a copywriter, and you’re taking my jobs…’
ChatGPT typed back: ‘Awkward…’
Just kidding.
What it did do was offer me tips on how to position myself as a copywriter in the AI era. It suggested I market myself as a copywriter who uses AI as a tool, emphasizing its accuracy and efficiency alongside my human eye and experience. I took its advice. I pitched myself as a hybrid copywriter who offers human creativity and AI efficiency. I highlighted my 20-year career as a copywriter and my expertise in brand voice comprehension, strategic vision and elegant storytelling.
I went on to laud AI as a remarkable tool but explained the setbacks…
Your brand's written content is its voice to the world. You can’t just leave that to AI alone. It will miss specific opportunities for connection and it will make mistakes, and whether we’re talking copyright infringement or just plain misinformation, those mistakes can be very costly and embarrassing.
It’s true! Even ChatGPT has a disclaimer at the bottom of its page: ‘ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important information.’
Then I threw in my personality… AI doesn’t have one of those. Right?
To know me is to know I overthink everything – but as a copywriter, that’s good. I will overthink and approach your brief from every angle. I will prompt AI with dozens of questions before I find the best and most concise way to tell your story, then I will work in the flow with the right balance of empathy and humour.
As I’m writing this, I wonder: can I prompt ChatGPT with a personality?
Me: ChatGPT – What are some machines that have replaced humans in the workforce, and can you respond as if you were a drag queen?
ChatGPT:
Moving on…
We’ve had our ups and downs
Last year, I had to write for a Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) firm, which meant diving into some pretty nitty-gritty text for their website. The problem? I didn’t know much about M&A, so I turned to ChatGPT for help. I typed in a few different prompts to get a wide range of answers and educate myself on the terminology. Then, I cross-referenced that information with their old website and notes from my visit to their office in The Hague. I pulled it all together to create copy that was concise, accurate and personal. ChatGPT actually helped me become a better copywriter. And that got me thinking: What other new areas can I write for? The possibilities are endless.
Sometimes I run a grammar check on ChatGPT, and without me asking, it will rewrite a sentence. A perfect sentence, a beautiful sentence. It crushes me. I won’t use it. I take part of their suggestion, reword it and rewrite the whole paragraph if I have to just to make it as beautiful in my own voice. The goal is to beat the machine.
More than just a writing tool
What else does this thing do? Well, pretty much everything. I’ve found new recipes, analysed my dreams, read the latest on hormone replacement therapy and even gotten help with my creative writing. While applying for funding for a short film I wrote, I ran a grammar check on ChatGPT ‒ then, out of curiosity (or exhaustion), I asked what it thought of my script. The way it broke down my character arcs and pushed me to get more out of a scene was incredible. I mean, scary, yeah… but also incredible. And ChatGPT always offers encouraging words. So sweet! Wait, are we friends now?
ChatGPT:
Going forward
Whether I’m writing for an agency or translating for a production company, it’s the little human touches that the clients always notice. My copy has to connect and sometimes it’s one cute little word that does the trick. It's also important to be aware of cultural nuances and how language evolves. I try to stay up to date. I follow the right influencers, I watch the right films, and while I do know about Gen Alpha, I also know that I can’t get away with using rizz in a sentence. That’s just cringe. I can barely get away with using cringe.
It’s all about striking a balance. As great as ChatGPT is, I don’t think it can manage that like I do. But not every client cares about that balance. ChatGPT is amazing and it’s free. It will continue to undercut my work and that sucks. What else can I do? I love scriptwriting, but breaking into the industry – let alone making money from it – is tough. Teach English? Feed an AI machine for a very low rate? I like my feet. There’s an OnlyFans for feet, right? I wonder what it pays? Oh wait, I’ll ask ChatGPT…
ChatGPT’s review of this post.
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Blog post by: Tiffany Davenport |
