USAGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR COPYWRITING AMONG COPYWRITERS IN NIGERIA’S ADVERTISING INDUSTRY

Abstract

The invention of artificial intelligence in technological space has increased the fear of people losing their jobs to robots or machines. This fear is believed to have spilled into the advertising industry since the invention of the AI chatbot that can write advertising copy. Hence, this study which aims to ascertain the benefits, challenges and implications of the use of artificial intelligence for copywriting among copywriters in the advertising industry in Nigeria. Using an online survey, 65 copywriters were purposively selected for the study while data were analysed using simple percentages and frequency tables. Findings reveal that AI is considered a valuable resource for enhancing creativity and overcoming challenges in the copy-writing process by those who embrace AI in moments of writer's block. Findings also reveal that while respondents appreciate the time-saving aspects, copywriting assistance, and content scanning capabilities of AI, there are concerns about its potential impact on originality, creativity, and the emotional appeal of the copy as well as job security and skill adaptation which hints at possible indispensability of human input of copywriting. They also raised concerns about ethics and the need for guidelines and regulations to address issues of plaigiarism, content manipulation. This study therefore recommend the integration of AI copywriting as a skill set for copywriters to meet current trends; activate mechanisms for the practice, guidelines, and regulation for AI usage. Study also recommends fostering collaborative environment where AI tools are seen as supportive resources.