What Value Do Human Copywriters Have in 2026?
I have bad timing when it comes to choosing industries to work in. I was a trainee mortgage advisor in 2008 when the financial crisis hit, then I moved into print journalism when that was wheezing its last breaths, and so on I moved to copywriting.
In fairness that was 16 years ago and I’ve had a decent career at agencies (and a few other places) since then, but last year after a pair of redundancies I decided to go freelance.
Thankfully it’s been a successful year, but recently I began to wonder, as AI writing tools become more and more prevalent, whether my famous timing had killed another industry - is copywriting on the cusp of oblivion?
To address this worry I decided to try and clarify to myself the value that we as human copywriters have in 2026. And that’s how this blog post came about - a thought experiment into what AI tools can and can’t do, where they can genuinely help human copywriters, and what our USPs are.
What can AI do?
Write cogent (if dull) copy
Collate information from multiple sources and combine it fairly well
Write an OK (but generic) first draft
Action small-scale feedback fairly well, much of the time
What can’t AI do well?
Write in an engaging way
Sound like a human
Understand what it’s actually doing - it’s building patterns of words rather than really writing
Add in unique insights, opinions and data
Understand whether something is true or false
Truly understand a human audience
Write polished drafts
Manage client and colleague relationships
Really understand a content strategy
Write in a unique, original way
Properly use conversion copywriting to achieve business objectives and goals
Be relied on to write technical content where accuracy is vital (especially in regulated industries)
How can AI legitimately help copywriters?
Speed up research - provided you check all sources carefully
Write a first draft - which should be rewritten. My approach (if I use AI for a first draft) is to highlight the key points and then rewrite the piece completely, making the AI draft more like a detailed brief
Action minimal feedback - but not substantial changes without thorough human editing
What can we do that AI can’t? (Our USPs)
Write engaging, human-sounding, original copy
Understand what we’re writing and why
Understand the audience and their pain points/needs/desires
Know truth from falsehood
Discover and include unique insights, opinions and data
Write polished copy that clients will be happy with
Communicate with colleagues and clients and understand their wants and needs
Write conversion-focused copy that persuades and encourages action in a sensitive way, without putting readers off
Edit with insight - more essential than ever for AI-generated content and something that shouldn’t ever be trusted wholly to LLMs
Hope for humanity?
I’m not sure about you but I’ve found this post fairly reassuring! AI writing tools can do some impressive things - but there are plenty of things they can’t do.
Yes, some companies will replace writers with AI and knock out large quantities of low-cost content - but it won’t be very good and it won’t achieve what they want it to because AI just doesn’t have the ability, expertise or human understanding that we do.
When print journalism was wrapping up a colleague told me that there’ll always be a job for a good writer and I still believe that to be true. Now more than ever copywriting needs the clarity of the human eye, and the knowledge of what it is to be a complex, messy, insightful, creative and actually intelligent being.
About me: I’m Sam and I’m the Founder of Northern Words, a copywriting agency that provides scalable support for marketing and SEO agencies and consultants. While we use AI to help us be more efficient, our real value lies in our extensive copywriting and agency experience, as well as our even more extensive experience as human beings.
Need some words? Get in touch.
