Why Digital Marketing Agencies Still Need Real Writers (Even in the AI Era)?
- Shruti Bhatt
- Jun 17
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 19
It’s a Friday morning, your inbox looks like: 5 reels, 10 blogs, and an email sequence, and all needed yesterday.
So, you start researching AI tools as they are fast.
76% marketers are already using Generative AI for content creation and writing copy.
It can speed up and scale your content production, helping to cut costs. But it has its limitations.
Why AI Cannot Replace Your Writers (Yet)?
When ChatGPT became a rage in 2022, most of my clients shifted to ChatGPT.
However, they quickly realized that ChatGPT delivers fast but produces generic and sometimes wrong content.
In a Salesforce survey, 31% of marketers said accuracy and quality were their top concerns while using Generative AI tools.
So, why do AI tools generate incorrect content?
GPT models are trained on vast pattern-based data. They predict the next words based on probabilities.
When it cannot find the exact answer, AI fabricates plausible-sounding but wrong content.
They are optimized for specific goals, which may not align with yours.
For example, your goal is to enhance audience engagement by building an authentic brand-audience connection.
However, the AI tool will produce clickbait content as it has the highest engagement.
But AI tools do provide speed.
They can generate a 1000-word article on your client’s topic within a few seconds.
But here’s the thing, speed doesn’t mean quality.
You have likely heard about the “Unattainable Triangle”: Speed, Cost, and Quality — you get to pick only 2 at once!
In content marketing, Speed + Quality is expensive!
However, your role is to provide quality content within a fixed budget. (Cost + Quality)
Now, AI can generate free content, but not quality content. And that’s where you need a human writer’s creativity.
Human writers outperform AI when it comes to:
Original Thinking and Storytelling
All AI tools pull content from existing internet data.
So, you end up with generic content that will not impress your client’s audience.
To stand out, you need originality.
Human writers can study your client’s audience, conduct research to find the exact data, and use storytelling to connect.
They identify the pain points and tap into real-life experiences, cultural references, and age or gender-specific emotional triggers.
AI can mimic structures, but it lacks intuition and empathy — two vital ingredients that build a strong brand-audience connection.
In fact, a recent experiment proved that people preferred human-written stories over AI-generated stories. However, with AI evolving, it’s too early to say something definite.
Timely Content and Domain Knowledge
AI lacks subject matter expertise.
That’s why, especially during the consideration and decision stage of your client journey, you should rely on human-written content.
They capture industry nuances, insider perspective, and experience-based insights.
For example, your client requested an original article on the X best finance management tools in India in 2025.
This topic requires extensive research, timely insights, and user feedback data.
Unlike human writers, AI cannot conduct interviews, gather real user data, or incorporate trends and changing context.
Moreover, its data is limited by a cut-off date.
Creative Style and Unique Brand Voice
All your clients have a distinct brand personality, which AI cannot capture naturally.
However, your human writers can, especially if they are the ones behind building the brand personality.
They can adapt to the style, tone, and emotion that fit the brand’s identity.
Plus, AI cannot understand briefs or feedback like “make it POP” or “maza nahi aa rha hai”.
But your human writers can, and they deliver!
To sum it all up, here is an AI vs Human Writer Comparison Table.
Aspect | AI Writer | Human Writer |
Speed | Delivers 1000-1500 words of content within a few seconds | Delivers 1000-1500 words of content in 2-3 days |
Research | Uses existing internet data only available up to a cut-off date | Does online and offline research through interviews, surveys, and studying research papers. |
Creativity | Delivers unoriginal, generic pattern-based content | Delivers original, audience and industry-focused innovative content |
Editing | Produces grammatically accurate content. Can fix basic structures as prompted | Edits content for grammar, structure, brand alignment, and strategy. |
Strategy | Uses template-based strategies | Prepares customized content strategy |
Fact-Checking | Does basic verification. May deliver false and biased facts. | Does accurate citation and source validation |
Innovation | Cannot develop innovative ideas | Develops out-of-the-box creative solutions |
How to Combine Human Writers and AI for Scalable Content?
Human writers deliver high-quality content, but you cannot dismiss the AI tools. These tools help in:
Brainstorming topics
Repurposing content
Creating buyer personas
Doing basic data analysis, and more.
But they only work if used correctly.
No wonder why 48% of marketers are pursuing professional AI courses.
So, to stay ahead, upskill your content writers to use AI tools efficiently.
How Digital Marketing Agencies Can AI-Proof Their Content Team?
AI isn’t replacing your content team now, but you can future-proof your team and stay competitive by:
Hiring AI specialists
Restructuring your content team
Using AI tools for repetitive tasks
Upskilling writers into content strategists
Creating an internal AI + Writer task segmentation guide
Despite the AI hype, its limitations can affect your business. AI is an evolving technology, and it will require human oversight.
You may invest in a few AI tools based on your budget that fit your team’s requirements and workflow.
Plus, you can and should look for AI skills during hiring, but human writers remain irreplaceable.
Here are a few common questions agency owners like you ask about AI and human writers:
Frequently Asked Questions
Will technical writers be replaced by AI?
No, technical writers will not be replaced by AI. AI lacks domain-specific technical knowledge.
Are content writers being replaced by AI?
No, content writers are not being replaced by AI. AI lacks the subject-matter expertise, storytelling, and creativity needed for strategic content.
Are writers losing their jobs to AI?
Not exactly, there are other macroeconomic factors. 33% of marketers see AI as a challenge in job search.
What is the future of content writers?
Content writers who blend AI, SEO, and storytelling will lead the future.
Can ChatGPT replace content writers?
No, ChatGPT cannot replace content writers as of today. ChatGPT has limitations such as a word limit, incorrect citations, and unoriginal ideas.
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