“Write like a human” is advice we regularly offer up to clients. By which we mean: get rid of clunky language, and use words you’d actually use in conversation. But a conversation we’re having on the sidelines revolves around AI and the speed at which it’s being developed to write, well, like a human. Welcome GPT-2 and GPT-3 – the next generation of robo-writers.
Should human writers worry? In an opinion piece for The Drum, Martin Kihn describes some of GPT-2’s ideas as nonsensical: “One of its ‘Wow no cow’ completions was ‘Wow no cowbell can be quite like the best in the universe.’’ Minda Smiley, writing for Adweek, agrees that AI won’t be replacing copywriters anytime soon. “While these experiments have proven that AI’s ability to ‘learn’ mass amounts of information give it a unique advantage when it comes to churning out copy, it’s also become increasingly clear that there’s only so much the technology can provide from a creative perspective.” Cue the hilarious Burger King advert that plays robotic copy written by AI, culminating in the end line: “Tastes Like Bird.”
The truth is, yes, AI robots like GPT-3 or GPT-2 can write like humans do (although their names might belie this fact). It’s their job to analyse words, sentences, articles and books to imitate writing styles. The New York Times tasked GPT-3 to write a Modern Love piece, which it did so with familiar sentiment. But perhaps knowing that the story’s premise was drawn from ‘data’ rather than emotion and feeling makes the experience of reading it a little deflating.
This self-referential Guardian piece was written by GPT-3, recognising that its “brain is not a ‘feeling brain’. But it is capable of making rational, logical decisions. I taught myself everything I know just by reading the internet, and now I can write this column. My brain is boiling with ideas!” Can we equate a non-feeling brain “boiling with ideas” to years of human experience?
Ultimately, there’s a difference between mimicking creativity and being creative. Perhaps in the future, we’ll ask AI to help us get the ball rolling, but it can’t be trusted as the gatekeeper of creativity. As brand writers, we create copy. AI creates copies.
The Advice
“Text generation – or robo-writing – has made startling leaps in the past few years, moving from punchline to something that may deserve a seat in the creative lounge. Believe it or not, the best robo-writers are almost the equivalent of that most annoying/wonderful phenomenon: the eager beginner, completely inexhaustible but creatively uneven.”
Taken from a piece written for The Drum, titled "Do Robots Belong On Your Copywriting Team?"
The topic of AI writing (and the fear it would put us out of a job) came up a lot in our sessions with trend forecaster Jill Hawkins. We brain-mapped how technology would impact our industry and even wrote stories about the future of brands, featuring voice-activated dating apps and hovercrafts (original). “It’s a very scary thing to think about the future, as it’s not really possible to predict, so it can feel completely outside of our control,” Jill tells us. “All we can do is use information and experience to anticipate what could possibly happen next.” We spoke to Jill about why we need to pay attention to trends and what ‘future thinking’ really means.
Hands up if you didn’t think of Grammarly as AI? Grammarly describes itself as a ‘digital writing assistant’, an AI-powered product that supports mistake-free writing that goes beyond just grammar. It’s a celebrated tool for all kinds of writers (whether you’re a journalist or a doctor – emails still count). And while we pride ourselves on our sub-editing skills at S&T (shout out to Rae, our in-house content writer and sub), there’s always room for human error. What we love most about Grammarly is its awareness outside of just the product. As a brand, Grammarly creates content to support all aspects of writing, from articles on Language To Protect Your Mental Health to understanding The Basic Clauses In English. The brand is all about communicating clearly and effectively, so it’s great to see its content, messaging and tone of voice reflecting that.
Write a detailed campaign brief for a new product launch or brand mission for an AI 'robo-writer' to follow. Consider that it will need as much information and data as possible to analyse.
The brief should include some example copy, an overview of your tone of voice and the format of the final outcome (is it a video script or a tagline? Will it be written or spoken?).
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