The words above were said by George Tannenbaum, Founder of GeorgeCo., LLC, at a recent Branding Mag live masterclass.
The one hour and 30 minute session was titled, Why human-crafted messaging will never go out of style, and it was the first time I witnessed an adult conversation about AI. Mostly because it was free from tech bros telling us it’s the future – all while their bank accounts get bigger.
Instead it was a panel of top-of-their-game copywriters (the aforementioned George, Vikki Ross and Eddie Shleyner) openly discussing the fast-changing media landscape with Branding Mag’s Editor-in-Chief, Flavia Barbat.
At the outset, Flavia said she launched the masterclass to fill the space with practical advice for copywriters. But what most stood out to me was the difference of opinion towards AI tools between men and women.
Disclaimer: there’s nothing scientific about this. I simply came to this conclusion by reading the comments in the chat and listening to the panellists talk.
For example …
Vikki said she doesn’t use AI in her process. Mostly because “the process” is how she gets results.
Flavia said: “I’m yet to touch the thing.”
Eddie said he uses it for research and brainstorming.
George sees a shift in society with technologists being placed on a pedestal (hence, the quote above in the title).
And, in the chat, there seemed to be more men expressing positive opinions about the tech than women, with some saying they use it like an “assistant”.
All of this points to two camps emerging in the ongoing debate about AI and copywriting: either it’s already a part of your writing process, or you’re watching it suspiciously from afar.
Personally, I’ve tried it (gotta keep an eye on the competition) but I wasn’t impressed. I like using my brain and, like Vikki, I believe the process is just as important as the outcome.
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Hayley Maguire 