📊 INTEL REPORT

War Of The Words: AI vs. Human

So listen, I’ve got stats to share, insights to break down, and (a lot of) opinions to throw into the mix — but let’s be real, this issue is anything but objective.

The best study of life is how it is — not how we wish it was.

Burying our heads in the sand and pretending the world isn’t changing at breakneck speed isn’t just naive… it’s asinine, irresponsible, and ultimately… a losing strategy!

Should we shut down the internet to save libraries?
Should we ban Zoom, Slack, and Asana to keep Corpo-rat office space and cubicles viable?
Should we force kids to memorize long division just to make teachers feel useful?

People protested the calculator.
They fought the printing press.
They feared the automobile.

And yet, here we are.

Today’s breakdown might be one of the most important yet — especially if you sell products or services online (like myself)!

1️⃣ The Rise of AI Copywriting

AI-generated content isn’t just coming — it’s already here.

It’s in every ad, every email, every piece of marketing you consume.

• Run an ad on Meta? AI will suggest the headlines.

• Write an email? AI will autofill half the sentences.

• Post on LinkedIn? More than half the long-form posts you see were likely written by AI.

And this isn’t a slow-moving trend. It’s an avalanche!

Check out these stats:

• AI adoption among businesses jumped from 55% to 72% in 2024 (McKinsey).
  

• 98% of small businesses now use AI-enabled tools, with 40% using AI for content creation (AP News).
  

• LinkedIn reports that over 54% of long-form posts are likely AI-generated (Wired).

AI isn’t just writing — it’s optimizing, automating, and iterating faster than any human ever could.

Hell, I’m using it right now to fix my piss-poor grammar and my lack of a thesaurus on my desk.

(I’m sure my old English teacher would faint reading my stuff)

But here’s the real question:

Does automation mean better copy? Does it mean more influential?

Or just faster, cheaper, and "good enough"?

And if "good enough" is good enough… where does that leave human copywriters charging thousands of dollars for their services?

The shitty ones are clearly out of a job… but will the pros still have a career?

I’m not so sure… as my polling experience showed:

2️⃣ The Irony of AI Defenders Using AI

Like I said — a large number of the responses to our AI vs. Human Copywriter poll… were AI-generated.

Think about that.

Professional copywriters — people whose entire career is built on crafting persuasive, original messaging — defended their irreplaceable human touch… with words they didn’t even write.

🤯

Is it still human copywriting if these “professionals” rely on AI to defend their own expertise?

Or have they already surrendered without realizing it?

Maybe I’m being too harsh. Many copywriters today aren’t native English speakers. Maybe they’re just trying to connect with an audience of American businesses looking for this service.

But does the market care?

Because if the audience can’t tell the difference… if businesses can’t tell the difference… then what’s stopping them from completely eliminating the human component all together?

What does this say about the future of writing?

• If AI-generated responses fool experts, will the average consumer even know the difference?
  

• If AI can match (or surpass) mediocre writers, does that mean only elite copywriters will survive?

We’ve seen this before in other industries.

Automation didn’t eliminate factory workers — it eliminated low-skill workers.

Spotify didn’t kill music — it killed average musicians.

So maybe the real question isn’t whether AI will replace human copywriters.

Maybe the real question is…

Are most copywriters even worth saving?

3️⃣ The "John Henry" Parallel: Winning the Battle, Losing the War?

I brought up the John Henry story because my mom used to read it to me as a kid.

But something never quite sat right with me from that story. If the steam engine lost… why don’t we still dig tunnels and plant railroad spikes by hand?!

It was a glorious story. John Henry won. Everyone cheered.

But when you close the book cover… what happened next?

Everyone got replaced by steam engines anyway.

Human copywriters might be “winning” today, but AI’s efficiency and cost-effectiveness make it inevitable that businesses will rely more on machines.

Businesses aren’t asking if AI is as good as humans — they’re asking if it’s “good enough” at a fraction of the cost.

The same story played out in chess, translation, and stock trading: humans fought back… and eventually lost to the machines.

The arguments in my social media threads all revolved around copywriters convincing others they should keep the job and get paid for it…

They fail to realize that in the real world, businesses need to cut costs to stay competitive.

The biggest expense is its employees! Payroll!

Why pay $5-15k per month… when $20 will get you practically unlimited copy and advertising cranked out in seconds?

🧠 STRATEGY STEVE’S INSIGHTS

Endgame: What Comes Next?
The Copywriter’s New Playbook

History proves that those who adapt, survive. So what does that mean for copywriters today?

Copywriters who adapt will thrive. Those who don’t… well, we’ve seen this story before.

Agree or disagree with my thoughts here today… but here’s what human copywriters need to focus on now to stay relevant:

1️⃣ Copywriters Must Become Strategists

Copywriting is salesmanship in print.

If you’re a freelancer or consultant — you don’t get paid to write. You get paid to SELL.

AI can write. It can even persuade. It can create images. It can write scripts. It can read scripts. It can create video. It can do all of this — and more — NOW.

But You must be the one who designs the strategy that puts it all together and accomplishes the end result: a SALE.

Copywriters who think like marketers and business strategists will always be more valuable than those who just write words.

2️⃣ Speed and Execution Matter More Than Ever

AI removes the excuse of “writing takes time.”

Top copywriters will leverage AI to move faster — not fight it.

Generate 50 headlines in seconds.
Split-test copy at scale.
Use AI for iteration, not for the final draft.

If you don’t use AI, your competition will.

P.S. Do NOT copy-paste-send AI-driven copy. YOU must edit. And if you settle for “good enough” — you’ll lose.

3️⃣ What You Don’t Know… CAN Hurt You

AI is already smarter than us.

It knows everything.

You don’t.

Which is why you need to educate yourself constantly on writing styles, art styles, history, frameworks, theories, ideas — anything that could potentially come into use sometime in the future.

If you don’t reference something, AI is not going to volunteer that information to you.

“Hey ChatGPT, Please rewrite this headline 5 times each in the style of Dan Kennedy, David Ogilvy, John Carlton, and Frank Kern.”

If YOU don’t know who these legendary copywriters are… you wouldn’t receive the ridiculously valuable insights and gold-nugget headlines that could completely change your results.

4️⃣ Treat AI As Your Junior Copywriter

… at least until it becomes your boss.

You have a product or service, something you need to persuade people to buy.

You go to your favorite AI (GPT) and talk through the sales process. What steps need to happen. And then you start working on what’s the best way to get people through that process.

Discuss pain points, talk through worries, concerns, and fears. Be skeptical, push back, ask for guidance and ideas. THEN ask it to write an initial draft.

After that, rewrite it in your words, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and skills.

Send it back to your junior AI copywriter, ask it what can be improved, ask it to rewrite it if necessary. Then DISCUSS (again), each point. Ask for clarifications. Disagree when needed.

Do this process multiple times — delete all the stupid emojis. THEN you’ll have some decent copy.

Think of AI as a first draft machine. It gives you volume, but you bring the strategy.

P.S. Did I mention that you shouldn’t just copy-paste-send? I sure hope so.

Final Verdict: The Copy War Has Only Just Begun

AI isn’t coming for bad copywriters—it’s already better than them.

The 90% who never mastered their craft? They’re done.

The ones who thought they could get by with “good enough”? AI is cheaper, faster, and just as good.

But the top 10%—the strategists, the thinkers, the marketers who actually drive results?

They won’t be replaced just yet. They’ll be the ones commanding AI.

Who wins? The ones who adapt.

So what’s your move?