Why You Should Use a Human to Edit AI Copy: Part 2

In Part 1 of my short but sweet Why You Should Use a Human to Edit AI Copy series, I

explored a few questions with ChatGPT on the topic.

I quizzed it again to back up my theory that the limitations of AI copy editing tools are real –

and potentially harmful to your business.

Question #1: Which copyediting skills can't be replicated by an AI tool?

“It lacks the human qualities of creativity, emotional intelligence, contextual understanding

and adaptability that are crucial for nuanced editing. So, while AI can assist in many aspects

of copy editing, it can't fully replace the depth of insight and judgment that a skilled human copy editor brings to the table.”

Question #2: What harm can using an AI copy editor tool cause to a business?

“While AI copy editing tools can help streamline content creation, over-relying on them can

harm your business by diminishing authenticity, missing important nuances, and potentially

leading to content errors that affect your brand reputation and performance. Combining AI

tools with human oversight and strategic thinking is usually the best approach.”

Question #3: Are you a copy editor?

“While I don’t replace a human editor who might offer a more personal or creative touch, I

can certainly provide valuable assistance in improving AI-generated or human-written text.” *

* an answer that makes me wonder about the standard of the original AI-generated text

and why AI has created the need for a tool to edit it and why it didn’t produce its best

output to start with, but that’s a whole other rabbit hole…

It’s worth noting that when I asked Claude.ai to answer this second question, I think I broke

it. It politely asked me to be patient while it was ‘pondering’ and 20 minutes later, was ‘still

working on it’. Existential musings are clearly not its strength.

Back to our countdown of reasons why working with a friendly human copy editor –

especially one who’s also a copywriter – instead of using an AI copy editor tool will make

your content shine brighter.

What are the benefits of human copy editing?

Missed benefits 1-6? Read them here

7. Get concise and clear copy

AI copy can be clunky and convoluted, monotonous and machine-y, with that unmistakeable

sense that you’ve heard it all before.

Get the prompt spot-on and you can overcome some of these obstacles – another area rich

for exploration. But you can’t beat the brain of a person who actually knows the craft of

copywriting and the nuance of copy editing.

A human copy editor has the skills and experience to tighten up copy by eliminating

redundant words, deleting repeated phrases and simplifying sentence structure. All aimed

at adding the colour and flow needed to keep your readers reading.

8. Keep the tone on track

While an AI writing tool can meander from tone to tone, especially in longer pieces, one of

the skills honed by a professional copy editor is to keep that consistent at all costs. From the

tiniest grammar point to relevant vocabulary choices, it’s all about the minuscule minutiae

that only comes from a human eye.

9. Integrate SEO effectively

Some AI editing tools focus largely on checking the basic issues and could overlook SEO

strategies such as keyword optimisation.

Without that vital SEO input, you’re compromising how well your website or blog posts rank

on search engines – jeopardising your entire marketing plan.

A skilled human copy editor can ensure your content is fully optimised to engage your ideal

audience.

10. Protect your reputation

Along with the hallucinations AI copywriting tools can generate, your business’ reputation

may also be threatened by their lack of cultural awareness.

AI-generated copy can include unintentionally (because remember, generative AI isn’t

driven by morals or values) offensive or inappropriate language and ideas. Platforms like

ChatGPT can easily inherit biases from the data they’re trained on.

Putting the words ‘ethics’ and ‘AI’ together opens a whole can of worms but, in this context,

a human editor can check for plagiarism, ensure that proper citations are used and address

any legal or ethical concerns that AI might overlook.

All this makes the skilled editing offered by a human copy editor – a person with the

necessary emotional and cultural knowledge – vital when critically evaluating AI-generated

content.

11. Stay secure and private

When prompting an AI tool to write copy for your business, it’s wise to omit any sensitive

data and anonymise names, dates, locations and any other notable information.

Sharing these details not only poses privacy and security risks but also gives models data to

learn from, opening your business up to potential reputational harm.

You can then ask your AI copy editor to add in all those details to the final piece, checking

them carefully for accuracy to give you peace of mind your data is protected.

12. Keep quality forefront of mind

In Part 1 of Why You Should Use a Human to Edit AI Copy series, I explored the idea of AI

content being ‘good enough’.

Working with a professional AI copy editor with the power of critical thinking, emotional

nuance and meticulous attention to every detail, changes bland machine-generated content

into authentic human content.

This focus on quality and the human touch means you can still start your copywriting project

with an AI tool. But think of it as just that, an initial tool and not a replacement for the

irreplaceable skills, judgements and insights of a professional editing partner.

Let’s put our human brains together and use it to create unique, authentic content for your

business. Discover more about my Humanising AI Copy service

Read the first six reasons why you should use a human copy editor