Robert Allen – How To Become an AI Engineer

Hey copywriter friend,

If you’re not already, you might want to grab a seat.

Because I’m writing you with some very sobering news…

AI is coming to replace you.

Well…

“Coming” probably isn’t the best word to describe exactly what’s happening…

Because it is replacing writers, like you. Right now.

I first heard ripples of this news when a very talented copywriter I’ve worked with before was let go by one of his long-standing clients.

Now if you’ve worked with clients before, you know this is nothing new. Copywriters lose and change clients all the time.

But it was the reason he was let go that made this story unlike any I’d heard before..

The client planned to replace him with…

You guessed it, AI…

Which was crazy to hear by itself.

But then, a few days later, I got wind that an owner of a fleet of 7-figure ecommerce stores was letting go all but 1 of his 6 copywriters on staff…

(And the one copywriter left got a shiny, new addition to their job role:To wield the AI.)

Of course, these were just anecdotes.

You know… The kind of stories that instantly spread in the copywriting community and don’t always represent what’s happening in the world at large.

But gradually, the echos reached further into mainstream media outlets breaking stories about writers being replaced by AI on even bigger stages.

For example, Buzzfeed.

They recently announced a plan to go full steam ahead on using ChatGPT to create content over writers … while quietly laying off 12% of their staff (180 people)

And the part that makes this extra alarming to me is that investors loved this news!

Buzzfeed’s stock jumped 92% the day they announced a plan to use more AI. 

Now if you’re thinking: “Rob, why are you being a finance nerd and talking about stock gains to copywriters???”

I get it.

At first, I didn’t think it had much to do with copywriting either.

But as I looked closer, I realized it actually has everything to do with it.

Because investors always put pressure on management teams to cut costs, eliminate extra headcount and hand shareholders even better returns.

And if you can let go of 12% … 20% … or even 80% of your writing team (as many are doing) with no drop in work quality…

…What do you think is going to happen next?

And none of that even hits on the most disturbing truth yet:

All these changes are happening with the current version of ChatGPT — made available to the public just 4 months ago.

The next iteration —  ChatGPT 4.0 which just came out— is poised to be at least 500 times more advanced. Leaving some experts frightened not just about what 4.0 will be capable of, but what about 40.0?

Now, I’ll be honest with you.

Back in December, when I first saw some of the emails, sales copy and much of what the AI was producing, I scoffed. “THIS IS WHAT YOU THINK COPY IS?”

Because all I saw was cheesy openings like “Dear reader, are you tired of…”

Or stale, trite copy like “introducing the most cutting edge” …

But that changed rapidly.

And funny enough…

It was all thanks to a random run-in with Samuel L. Jackson.

Yep, the good ol’ Snakes on A Plane hero changed my opinion on AI forever…