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AI, copywriting and the end of authenticity 6 June 2025

Does AI mean the end of authenticity in copywriting and marketing? Perhaps.

But what do I mean by authenticity anyway? I’m talking about a business with a credible and clearly defined voice. A business that has a marketing identity that draws directly on the specialist knowledge of the people behind it. Authentic in this context refers to the kind of organisation that has genuinely striven to understand its customers’ concerns and to communicate that insight in a meaningful way. In short, its tone of voice is human and unique, with the potential to reach the right people.

Faceless content

AI-generated content is generic by its very nature. It has to be; it’s being created at a distance from a business, drawing on commonly available content, rather than individually held expertise that informs an effective copywriting strategy and process. Generic is the opposite of unique. A lack of “human features” naturally makes this type of content lifeless and bland, despite the fact that a huge factor in relationships between businesses and people is, well, relationships. That all-important rapport is undermined by the “samey” quality of so much AI content.

Individual or infinite?

Compare the style and tone of this blog article, written and developed by me, Camilla Zajac, on my laptop, drawing on my own experience and knowledge as a freelance copywriter, with something created on the same topic by AI. Then multiply that automatically generated content a million-fold. The prospect is daunting. One person’s unique perspective will always be more individual, with the benefit of real-life expertise and insight. While there might be some similarities and common themes between, for example, two or more copywriters blogging about a topic, a mass of AI-generated articles on the same subject will be more generic and faceless. Because they haven’t been created by a human being, with a human point of view.

Written or generated?

The sheer volume of AI-generated content feeding on itself into infinity is an obstacle to meaningful connections between brands and people. Because the more widespread the use of AI copywriting, the more the widespread the presence of bland and characterless content. And the bigger the volume of content competing for attention. In a survey where people explored how they felt about reading AI-generated content on different platforms, 26% of participants said they would perceive the brand as impersonal if the copy didn’t feel as if it was written by a person.

Transaction vs interaction

In the same survey, for social media copy that appeared to be AI-generated, rather than developed by a copywriter, for example, 25% of people said they would feel the brand was impersonal, 20% said untrustworthy, 20% thought they would feel they were lazy, while 19% said they would think they were uncreative.

This isn’t just about the perception of the content itself, but the perception of how the content was written. In some instances, people connect with AI content but on discovering that it is AI, they immediately feel more detached from the brand. It’s like having a conversation with someone on the phone and realising afterwards that you were speaking to a robot the whole time. Interaction has been demoted to transaction.

Stay human

I recently saw a well-respected SEO expert listing on X some specific aspects of punctuation in social media posts that she felt were a “dead giveaway” for ChatGPT. That can also be extended to blog article content and other types of web content. Those little tells highlight content that has been produced by an algorithm rather than through a carefully executed copywriting plan. The result of that? It all becomes more than a little uncanny valley.

Having a voice and having it heard is a precious thing in any context. Yes, time and pressure make outsourcing that voice to AI seem like a helpful option. But convenience almost always comes at a price. That cost is the loss of individuality. The knock-on effect is to risk the loss of connection and rapport with the very people you want to reach, just as they are increasingly overwhelmed by choice and a sense of disconnect from brands.

Mind the gap

But hey. There might be silver linings. Like the theory someone has that AI will actively drive positive change in copywriting and marketing. They think that the need to stand out in a sea of generic will motivate businesses to develop more individual content. Sounds good, but we’re not there yet.

That’s why at a time when many are considering using technology to crank out content, it’s important to be even more human. To write for humans and write as a human. To communicate authentically and relatably about the challenges that people face in an increasingly complex world. To nurture connections, rather than transactions.

When the siren call of AI is changing almost every landscape, it is vital that businesses mind the authenticity gap.