Who AI’s Already Replaced, Where AI Wins, Where It Fails, How Copywriters Can Stay Competitive
Table of Contents
Will AI Replace Copywriters?
Yes, we see AI replacing copywriters already. However, many types of copy still resist automation, especially when they rely on strategy, context, and real-time insight into the brand, product, and audience.
Most of the talk around AI and copywriting is either panic-fueled clickbait or recycled comfort-talk.
“Just treat it like a tool,” another Linkedin post says. “It’s your collaborator.”
Sure – until your client swaps you for ChatGPT. Or your client hands you a robot-written draft and says, “Just polish this.”
So, will AI replace copywriters?
Truth is… it already is. A working paper recently found that freelance writing jobs had the most significant drop in demand – over 30% dip (Zhu et al., 2024).
Yikes. It was an even sharper dip than the automation-prone jobs.
Yet many companies are still actively looking for copywriters.
Right now, Upwork lists over 60 active ‘Sales Funnel Copywriting’ gigs and nearly 600 general copywriting jobs – many of which explicitly require UX, SEO, or strategy skills.
AI is replacing an old version of copywriting. So what does the new role of “copywriter” look like?
That’s the conversation we’re here to have.
Because when businesses don’t understand how empathy, data, course correction, and strategy shape high-performing copy, they treat writing like a commodity.
And when AI spits out something “good enough”? They cut the human.
It’s not always malice. Sometimes it’s budget. Sometimes it’s ignorance. Sometimes – and this one stings – it’s because the copy they were getting wasn’t all that effective to begin with.
Here’s what we’ll unpack:
- Where AI is already replacing writers – and why
- Where human copywriters are still holding the line
- What skills are now non-negotiable
- Which niches AI can’t touch (yet)
If you’re a writer wondering how to stay relevant, you’re in the right place.
Let’s go.
Is ChatGPT Taking Over Copywriting?
To some degree, yes, it’s taking over copywriting. But it’s not necessarily facilitating conversions – or revenue. Copywriting was never solely about generating text.
The buzz is real. Companies aren’t just dabbling with AI. A lot are replacing writers entirely.
Freelancers are getting the dreaded “thanks, but we don’t need your services anymore” email.
Let’s take a closer look at how AI Replacing copywriters is playing out in practice.
Real-World Examples Of Replacement
Reddit user Emily Hanley, a freelance copywriter and comedian, shared that her client work dried up fast. Some switched to ChatGPT. One even hired her to train their AI – a six-month contract that ended with the tool “writing as well as she did,” just faster and cheaper. (Business Insider, 2023)
Audrey Chia, a founder and copy strategist, noted on LinkedIn that ChatGPT went from “clearly AI” to outperforming junior and mid-weight writers in less than a year – no fancy prompting needed. She’s already seen teams streamlined with AI (LinkedIn post, 2025).
One Reddit thread from u/lobotsky1413 of a CEO who swapped out their in-house writer for AI and bargain-bin freelancers. The quality tanked. Conversions dipped. Eventually, they invited the original writer back.
Copywriters are on edge about their job security. But companies are on edge about whether the cost cutting with AI will actually get them to their goals.
AI is proving to be extremely helpful in certain areas – and a waste of time in others.
If we don’t want to be replaced by AI as copywriters, we need to know what AI is doing well. This gives us strong clues around where it’s not doing as well – and new roles copywriters can create for themselves.
Where AI’s Replaced Copywriting As We Knew It
Generic Copy At Scale
AI really shines when the task is repetitive and the stakes are low. Copy rarely falls into this category, but it shows up with some kinds of copy, like product descriptions.
We’re seeing AI replacing copywriters in e-commerce brands that need a high volume of product descriptions.
Online megastores like Amazon and Alibaba use it to churn out hundreds of short, factual descriptions – freeing up human writers for higher-level work. For companies with hundreds – or thousands – of products, AI helps consolidate hundreds of reviews and product specifications. Compared to human writing, there’s often little to no decline in quality.
At such a high volume of quality output, human copywriters can’t compete with the speed and cost.
Creating Copy Variations
Copy involves lots of testing. Testing involves variations. And with AI, you can get alternatives within seconds.
A/B testing has become substantially cheaper and easier, and it lets testers get more sophisticated. Thanks to AI, you can now test lots of elements at once.
Imagine you’re testing a landing page. Before AI, you’d draft one headline variation, maybe two, then wait for data to see which performed better. Then, you’d add another variable
Now, it’s like having an assistant who can whip up ten solid headline options, three CTAs, and five different hero paragraphs. Instead of one A/B test, you can use a platform that supports multivariate tests — testing several elements simultaneously.
You’re running a full-blown experiment lab on day one, not tweak by tweak. Serious time and money saved.
Handling Elements Of The Copywriting Process
Many writers lean on ChatGPT for different aspects of the process: headline brainstorming, analyzing data, research, editing, generating copy variations.
It’s like a faster whiteboard session.
While not classic “copywriting,” it’s expediting a writer’s efforts. A single copywriter can now do the work of an entire team. They’re handling strategy, editing, and research at an astonishing volume and speed.
Writers who refuse to use it are competing with those who do – and that’s a hard gap to ignore.
Where AI Falls Short – And The Costs People Miss
Getting Good Copy From AI Still Takes A Lot Of Human Effort.
It struggled in the past, but now AI can reproduce tricky elements like brand voice, empathy, nuance, and the science of persuasion.
But it has to be fed lots of context and be constantly steered.
Analytics, testimonials, upcoming launch details, current microniche trends… Who gathers that context and feeds it to AI? More importantly, who understands what’s actually relevant to gather? And where to find it?
Whether it’s a human or AI, it takes a lot of training to get these details right.
Hallucinations & Inaccuracies Are Still Common (And A Liability)
AI has a knack for presenting all answers confidently, even bogus ones. It can look like bad links, correct citations of poor research, or even totally fictitious research.
When disclaimers are off, testimonials are made up, specs are incorrect, the cost isn’t just factual – it’s legal and reputational.
The same goes for bad research. There’s no excuse for intentional 404 links or made-up statistics and studies.
Yes, AI is taking over parts of the copywriting process – especially the parts that are:
- Repetitive (think product blurbs, micro copy)
- Low-stakes (like internal updates or quick outlines)
But when nuance matters – when brand, timing, and trust come into play – AI isn’t a consistent player.
The bigger issue? Not that AI is getting better. It’s that some businesses never fully understood the value of good copy in the first place.
Are Copywriters Losing Jobs To AI?
Yes. Freelance writing gigs have dropped substantially. But as demand for traditional copywriting goes down, demand for new copywriting roles goes up.
You’re not wrong – AI’s pulling the rug out from even some of the best copywriters. But it’s more complicated than “AI is stealing all the jobs.”
AI is melting down and reforging the marketing world – and the buyer’s experience. Traditional copywriting isn’t rolling over because consumer habits have completely changed. People are extremely wary, and a customized buyer’s journey is the bare minimum they expect.
AI is automating low-complexity work and forcing writers to move upmarket.
If your writing isn’t strategic, specialized, or deeply aligned with business outcomes, it’s vulnerable.
Simple Writing Gigs Are Disappearing
A Harvard Business School study found that automation-prone jobs (like writing), had dropped by 21% since ChatGPT’s release (ResponseSource, 2024).
There’s a significant decline in demand from employers. Obviously, many are cutting down staff in favor of AI. But another reason is that many marketing strategies aren’t working like they used to. Google, Meta, and TikTok have been shifting faster than strategies can evolve.
It’s hard to spend money on great copy when ads, content, and launches keep getting thrown off by unpredictable algorithms.
The Market’s Growing – But Shifting
Even with AI replacing copywriters, freelancing as a whole is booming. It’s projected to hit $500 billion by 2025, with over 90 million freelancers by 2028 (Client Manager, 2025).
But growth is tilting toward AI-adjacent skills – like prompt engineering, data analysis, or content operations – not traditional copywriting. Upwork reports a 70% year-over-year spike in AI-related job demand (Upwork, 2025).
Copywriting work is now AI copywriting work.
Editing AI Output Is Its Own Job Now – But It Pays Less
On platforms like Fiverr and Upwork, “editing AI output” is a real gig category.
The rates? Often $0.008–$0.04 per word.
Frustrating enough, because AI editing can take longer than just rewriting, the math doesn’t always make sense. Meanwhile, creative copywriting still pays – but mostly to writers who can prove they add something AI can’t.
Competitive Copywriters Are Leading With Strategy
If you’re not tying your work to customer insights, A/B test data, or conversion metrics, AI will look like a cheaper alternative. Copywriters who bridge words and business outcomes win.
Don’t underestimate how dominating a microniche helps you build great marketing strategies for your clients.
Having a deep understanding of a sub-niche gives you access to customer insights that AI struggles to access. That kind of knowledge is what separates strong strategies from generic ones.
For example, Joel Klettke built his reputation as a B2B case‑study copywriter. He parlayed that niche expertise into founding Case Study Buddy, which only makes high‑impact case studies for SaaS and other B2B clients (Foundation Inc., 2024). He’s the SaaS case study guy.
That’s the kind of strategy that makes you irreplaceable.
Competitive Copywriters Own a Niche (Or Microniche) That AI Can’t Imitate
AI craves relevant content to provide its users. But it gets harder to serve them as the information gets more specialized – because that info’s limited and harder to access.
Areas that are technical or ultra-niche super AI-resistant. Think tech-heavy whitepapers and pillar pages with insights directly from experts in the field.
Once copy has to be extremely practical and specific, you need to source original data. That is, insights from actual people.
AI has access to insane amounts of data, but none of that matters if the data isn’t relevant.
As a copywriter, your ability to collect fresh, firsthand testimonials and original insights from real experts gives your copy a depth AI simply can’t generate.
Competitive Copywriters Stack Skills That Play Well Together
Today’s new copywriter isn’t just a writer. Think:
- Copy + funnel mapping / content playground planning
- Copy + doing technical optimization for AI visibility
- Copy + planning and creating visuals
- Copy + content repurposing strategy
- Copy + customer research synthesis
- Copy + prompt engineering for AI writing
- Copy + analytics tracking & interpretation
- Copy + video scripting & editing
- Copy + email automation workflows
- Copy + webinar/slide deck narrative flow
Copywriting skills are built on an understanding of human psychology, then shaping their shopping experience around it. It naturally rolls over into many different supporting skills.
The modern copywriter lets copywriting evolve out of the box.
What Copywriting Jobs Are Safe from AI?
Copywriters that handle lots of original data and complex strategy are pretty safe.
Not all copy is created equal. The closer you get to strategy, specificity, tight regulations, or technical nuance, the harder it is for AI to compete.
AI can generate a landing page. But it can’t access the testimonials to include.
Or the strategy you’re using.
Or the analytics from your successful pages in the past.
Or the highly-specific expert knowledge around the product.
This is where skilled copywriters still win – and will keep winning. They know how to get that info, and they know how to use it.
Here’s where we’re not seeing AI replacing copywriters:
AI Visibility Copywriting – “AI SEO”
As giants like Google lean into AI Overviews, featured snippets, and structured answers, the rules of SEO are shifting.
SEO is still relevant, but it’s not humans who are using it. It’s AI. Humans are using AI to do their searches, but SEO still helps the AI retrieve content.
Copywriters who understand:
- How AI indexes content
- How to write for question-based surfacing
- How to integrate schema markup or live data
…are positioning themselves to win in this next era of visibility.
The real danger isn’t just that AI replaces jobs. It’s that it floods the market with generic, soulless content – and teaches businesses that “good enough” actually is.
It chips away at trust, credibility, and performance – one bland paragraph at a time.
Earning human trust and building authority in the eyes of AI algorithms are going to be nearly identical games.
Copywriting That Prevents Plagiarism, Hallucinations & Trust Decay
AI doesn’t cite sources reliably. It rephrases. It hallucinates. It creates a patchwork quilt of other people’s work.
You might get a confident-sounding section that’s straight wrong – or just as bad, one that quietly lifts phrasing from real writers without credit.
The risks for brands?
- Legal trouble – especially in medical, legal, or financial content
- Loss of trust – when a customer reads something that feels off
- Reputation damage – when patterns get noticed and credibility drops
Unchecked AI content isn’t just low-quality. It’s reckless and dangerous. And AI isn’t a reliable quality controller of itself in these areas.
High-Performing Direct-Response Copy
Copy that converts may be “well-written.” But more importantly – it’s informed.
It’s built from:
- Customer interviews and testimonial mining
- Behavioral data from launches or user sessions
- Technical elements like schema markup and micro-interactions
AI doesn’t do any of that without heavy input.
It can’t pull a moment of emotional gold from a customer quote.
It’s not going to recommend a funnel fix based on drop-off rates.
It just predicts the next word.
If a business doesn’t understand that, they’re flying blind.
Copywriting Stacked With Highly Relevant Skills
You don’t win by becoming a prompt wizard. You win by combining skills AI can’t.
Those skills are usually strategy and execution skills.
You know stuff AI doesn’t, and you can accomplish tasks it can’t.
Here’s what that stack looks like:
- Conversion Psychology – tapping urgency, pain, proof, trust, calling to action
- Funnel Mapping – knowing where content lives and why it matters
- Technical Fluency – schema, UX writing, interpreting analytics
- Microniche Audience Insight – relentlessly going after what real customers are saying
That’s your edge. That’s what AI can’t fake. That’s your moat.
We see AI replacing copywriters already, despite the optimistic articles you’ve seen from copywriters on Linkedin.
That’s not theory. Especially in roles where writing is seen as interchangeable – or where the writer hasn’t made their value obvious.
But the question isn’t binary. It’s not “replace or don’t.”
The modern copywriter isn’t “just a writer.”
You’re a:
- Researcher
- Strategist
- Conversion architect
- Trust builder
- Life-long student
You synthesize data. You sharpen positioning. You embed insight into every sentence.
And you stack skills that drive decisions.
And remember. AI’s replacing a lot, but it’s not replacing the buyers or sellers.
It makes sense that AI will need human help with marketing.