AI Copywriting: My 3 Ethical Rules for Using AI Writing

AI is here, and it isn’t going away. For anyone who writes or pays for writing, that leaves two choices: learn to work with it, or get left behind by people who do.

I’ve chosen to work with it, carefully. So here is what you need to know about AI copywriting, and the three rules I follow when I use it in my own work and in client projects.

The problem with AI copywriting

AI copywriting is genuinely useful. It speeds up workflows, produces fresh ideas on demand, and fills in the blanks faster than any junior writer.

The problem is the belief that it can do the whole job. You’ve seen the results:

• Soulless, generic content
• Lazy LinkedIn comments
• Redundant SEO articles
• Cold outreach that sounds like every other cold outreach

That’s the flood of low-effort AI content filling the internet, and it adds very little for the people reading it. There is a better way to use these tools.

My 3 rules for ethically using AI copywriting

If you want to use AI without turning into a corporate robot, these are the rules I follow. They’re less “best practices” than the difference between AI working for you and AI working against you.

Rule 1: Be transparent about using AI

Why it matters: Transparency builds trust. If AI is part of your workflow, say so. Clients deserve to know what they’re paying for, and nothing damages a relationship faster than a shortcut they find out about later.

What goes wrong when you hide it: If a client discovers you’ve been cutting corners without telling them, you lose their trust and their future work.

For the record, I’m open about how I use AI. I use it to help edit and tighten my own drafts, including this post.

How I use AI in client projects

I use AI tools, mainly ChatGPT and Claude, to:

• Brainstorm ideas, because every project starts with a spark.
• Critique my drafts, like a back-and-forth with a second pair of eyes.
• Write and debug code for the websites I build.
• Speed up research on niche topics, so I can spend more time on strategy and writing.
• Rewrite awkward sentences.
• Test alternative headlines to find the strongest one.
• Try different tones, such as punchy, serious or conversational.
• Give me a second opinion on ideas I’m unsure about.

Behind the scenes, AI plays a big part in my day-to-day work, and it helps me deliver better results for clients. Here is how.

Rule 2: AI amplifies, it doesn’t replace

Why it matters: AI can handle the grunt work, like brainstorming, drafting and tweaking, but human insight is what gives content its edge. The good results happen when AI works alongside your expertise, not instead of it.

What goes wrong when you lean on it too hard: You get bland, generic content that doesn’t connect, and a brand voice that’s indistinguishable from everyone else’s.

I use AI to amplify my strengths, not to skip the creative process.

AI needs oversight, just like people do

In any business, someone checks the work. When the job is done right, it’s business as usual. When it isn’t, there are consequences: missed deadlines, lost trust, sometimes lost clients.

AI is no different. It needs to be scrutinised and fact-checked to avoid plagiarism, copied content and credibility-damaging mistakes. Every chatbot carries the same warning for a reason: it can make mistakes, so check important information.

AI is unreliable at sourcing real data, and worse with statistics. It will confidently give you numbers that don’t exist. Without careful oversight, that can undo your credibility in a single post.

That’s where my background in biomedical sciences helps. I was trained to research, check sources and dig for what’s true, and that habit carries straight into fact-checking AI output.

Rule 3: Never publish AI output without humanizing it

Why it matters: AI can help with the words, but people add the heart. A great brand connects through humour, empathy and nuance that only people bring. Without them, content feels robotic and forgettable.

What goes wrong when you skip it: Publishing raw AI output isn’t only lazy, it’s bad business. Audiences notice cookie-cutter posts, and your competitors are happy to take the attention when yours falls flat.

For me, AI is just the beginning. I refine, edit and polish every piece so it matches your brand voice and speaks directly to your audience. Too many businesses paste a vague prompt into an AI tool and publish whatever comes back. If you can’t guide the tool with your brand’s voice, strategy and unique insight, you’ll get something that could belong to anyone.

How to humanize AI content

1. Start with strong prompts. Precise, thoughtful instructions point the tool in the right direction from the start.
2. Edit like a professional. Refine every draft with a critical eye until it reads like it came from a person.
3. Add a personal touch. Humour, stories and cultural nuance are what make the final piece reflect the brand and the audience.
4. Double-check for credibility. Verify every statistic, fact and detail, and make sure it supports your business goals.

In the end, it’s about connection

AI can do a lot, but it can’t do everything. Great copywriting builds relationships by making your audience feel seen, understood and inspired. That’s the part I keep human.

If you’d like to see how this plays out in practice, read my thoughts on why AI will never replace human copywriters and my guide to using AI for writing website copy⁠.

What is AI, anyway?

A simple explanation, even if you’ve never used it.

AI stands for “artificial intelligence.” It’s a broad name for computer programs that learn from patterns. The tools behind most AI writing, such as ChatGPT and Claude, are built on something called a large language model, or LLM. Think of it as a model trained on a huge amount of text, which it uses to predict what words should come next.

That’s the important part: an LLM doesn’t understand what it writes. It is very good at predicting what comes next in a sentence, which is also why it sometimes makes things up. It isn’t lying. It has no way to know the difference.

If you need help getting AI to work for your business, or you’d like to hire me for a copywriting project, take a look at my copywriting services⁠, or start with a landing page roast for $100⁠.