Be the Human In The Loop… And dramatically increase your value as a freelancer.

You have a lot of choices when using AI to write copy and content.

First, you can choose between the major Large Language Models, like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude3 and others.

Then you have dozens, if not hundreds of new AI-writing platforms, most of which are using these models as the engines that drives them.

It’s little wonder the web is being flooded with new AI content, most of it sounding like it was written by a well-meaning robot.

The content isn’t badly written. With some decent prompts, most of these tools will give you a very passable first and second draft.

But there IS a problem.

There’s no human in the loop. And that means most AI writing lacks the human touch. It doesn’t appeal to us or engage with us at an emotional level.

It has zero emotional intelligence.

And that’s a problem, because it’s emotion that grabs our attention, builds loyalty, and increases conversion rates.

This is why you need a Human In The Loop (HITL)

Yes, HITL is a real thing. I didn’t just make it up.

Often applied to the learning cycle of an AI, HITL can also be used to describe human involvement in the AI output of copy and content.

Ethan Mollick devotes a few pages to this in his book, Co-Intelligence – Living and Working with AI.

The point being, the output from these tools really is lacking the human touch. As much as companies might love the idea of maxing out on automation, you do need a human or two in the loop.

First, you need a human to review all the AI-generated content, and then to create a final human-centered draft, rich in emotional intelligence. That may be the person also responsible for fact-checking, and watching for AI hallucinations.

Second, you need a human or two to review the text from a legal, privacy, and ethical standpoint.

You can’t leave it all to the machines. Well, you can. But you shouldn’t.

The conversations you should be hearing, and having.

Within companies and organizations around the world, managers and leaders should be asking:

“As we dive into using AI, how many humans do we need in the loop, and what should they be doing?”

As a freelancer, you should be reaching out to your clients and prospects, saying:

“When it comes to copy and content, I can be your human in the loop.”

This is a powerful message, and a great way to market your services, particularly if you start early and are among the first to talk to a company about the need for a Human In The Loop.

Of course, to do this, you’ll also need to be proficient in the craft of adding layers of emotional intelligence to AI-generated drafts of copy and content.

Which is why you might want to take my course, Futureproof Copywriting.