What could ChatGPT mean for copywriters?

We’ve come a long way since SmarterChild.

Late last month, OpenAI released a new chatbot, ChatGPT, which can do things like write code, answer questions, and provide very specific copy using AI technology. According to OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman, the site reached 1 million users within its first five days.

Since its release, conversation has blown up on social media and in various media outlets on what the implications of this new technology could be on everything from search engines to college essays to the field of law.

Within the marketing industry, the questions seem largely the same as earlier conversations on AI image generation: What does this mean for creatives?

Not so fast (or is it?)

While some copywriters may be worried by posts and articles that indicate AI could be a cost-saving replacement for their positions, there are some caveats to consider:

• Brockman tweeted that ChatGPT is “not ready to be relied on for anything important” yet.
• The New York Times spoke with the “data scientist and professor whose work inspired the creation of ChatGPT,” who said it was not immune to mistakes. The Times also noted that new chatbots “do not always tell the truth,” can sometimes “fail at simple arithmetic,” and can “blend fact with fiction.”
• Search Engine Journal noted that ChatGPT “has built-in biases” and does not take into account any content or information created after 2021, among other limitations.
• A reply to a post in r/copywriting on Reddit noted that, as of now, ChatGPT can’t exactly write “humor/cheeky” copy as well, but can be used as an ideation tool.

As with DALL-E 2, optimists in the industry seem to agree that rather than acting as a replacement for copywriters or content marketers altogether, ChatGPT could be a way to speed up work and potentially make it easier for them to brainstorm—similar to what experts told us earlier this year about DALL-E 2 for graphic designers.

• A strategist at the digital agency Juice told us last year that he estimated AI allowed him to cut his actual copywriting time in half.

And if you don’t believe that marketers are safe (at least for now), take it from the robot itself: