Back in 1995 I published my first website. Those were the early days of the web as a place for business.
That year there were just 16 million people online.
It wasn’t until 1998 that the number of people using the web hit 100 million.
From zero to 100 million in a little over 3 years.
That rapid rate of change was deeply disruptive to traditional, bricks-and-mortar businesses. Companies were struggling to keep up and adapt.
Now let’s fast-forward to November 2022, and the launch of ChatGPT.
It took ChatGPT just 60 days to get 100 million users.
Just 60 days.
Why the huge difference in the speed of adoption?
The main reason is that the web was a new technology, and was being built from scratch.
New infrastructure, new software, new services. It was all new, and took time to develop and deploy. Plus, many of those 100 million people had to go out and buy their first computer and dial-up modem.
With ChatGPT and other AI tools, they run on existing technologies. We access them through our favorite web browser. Other than a huge investment in compute power, AI doesn’t need new hardware.
The moment ChatGPT launched, we could immediately access it with the computer we already had, through the browser that was already open.
The second reason is that these tools are so easy to use. They use a simple interface with an invitation to chat. I simply type in my question or request in natural, everyday language. No need to learn a new software tools, or complex online services.
A third reason is that these tools were immediately and obviously incredibly useful. Million of people rushed to use them, because they could see the benefits.
This insane rate of adoption presents a challenge to all companies, large and small.
Companies had just 60 days to adapt to a world where over 100 million people were using ChatGPT.
Again, just crazy.
This is a tool powerful enough to upend entire industries, but your 12-year-old daughter can also use it for her homework.
Whether you’re Bill Gates or the 12-year-old, you get access to the same tool, with the same power, for the same price.
Now, a year later, companies are still struggling to figure out how and where to deploy AI.
They’re anxious to figure out how best to maximize the upside of AI, while mitigating the risks, some of which are obvious, others not so much.
And every company, organization and country is scared of being left behind in this fast-moving AI arms race.
There is a particular challenge here for writers and copywriters.
While these tools can do many things now, including coding and design, their first use case was writing.
That makes total sense, because these are essentially writing machines. You write a prompt, and the AI comes back with written text.
And as anyone who has spent much time with these tools will tell you, if you give them a good prompt, they write very well.
Is the copy and content created by ChatGPT perfect? Is it as good as the writing of a skilled and experienced human writer? No, it isn’t.
But that misses the point.
Is a pair of sneakers you buy from Foot Locker as good as the hand-crafted, bespoke leather shoes made by John Lobb of St. James Street, London? No, they aren’t. But you can buy the sneakers immediately, and at one hundredth of the price.
Same with AI-generated writing. You get it almost immediately, and the price is negligible.
So don’t be surprised if companies leap at the chance to use these tools to create copy and content for pennies a page.
Next steps for digital copy and content writers.
If you’re a professional online writer or copywriter, and you’ve decided to ignore or dismiss AI, you’ll be in a defensive position from now on.
The adoption of AI isn’t going to slow down any time soon. And if you don’t keep up, you’ll always be losing work to writers who are leaning into this technology.
Plus, these tools will become more and more sophisticated, and companies will learn how to use them in more and more ways.
And those companies will be looking to partner with people who are keeping pace with AI and everything it can do.
That includes us, as copy and content writers.
If we’re not at the leading edge of this wave, our prospects will look past us to writers who are.
That makes sense, right? Companies can’t afford to align themselves with suppliers and partners who dismiss or ignore the power of AI.
Your next steps…
I encourage all writers and copywriters to lean into AI. Get ahead of the crowd. Show your clients and prospects that you’re ready to help in this new and fast-moving world.
If being an early tech adopter doesn’t fit your personality, then learn from people who love to be on that leading edge.
Myself, I’ve always tried to lean into change. It’s how I came to publish my first website in 1995. I’m fascinated by what’s new. I like to try new stuff, and quickly get bored with old stuff.
Little wonder that I’m all-in on AI. I find it amazing, scary and fascinating.
And I’ve poured a lot of that enthusiasm and energy into my latest course, Futureproof Copywriting.
The course goes deep into using AI as part of your writing process. But it goes further than that. It also shows you how to make AI-generated writing even better, by infusing it with Emotional Intelligence.
Why Emotional Intelligence? Because that’s the weak spot for AI tools like ChatGPT. They don’t do emotion very well.
In other word, my course will show you how to use AI to the max, and then to make it better by adding human emotions.
There’s a value here that will be very attractive to your clients and prospects. “AI, made better”.
One way or another, don’t get left behind. AI isn’t going away. You need to lean in and embrace it.
As your next, essential step, learn all about my course, Futureproof Copywriting…
