The A.I. revolution

: evaluating impact and consequences in copywriting

Abstract

The dawn of artificial intelligence (A.I.) foreshadows the beginning of a transformative era and prepares a profound societal shift, as witnessed in the past with historical technological innovations. As A.I. continues to rise, its implications on content creation become more significant daily, but its impact on copywriting remains an unexplored area in the literature. This Internship Report delves into the understanding of the impact of A.I. on copywriting, aiming to determine the ability of social media users to distinguish AI-generated content from human-crafted prose.Undertaking a mixed-methods approach, this study combines the depth of qualitative insights from focus group discussions with the breadth of quantitative data from an experimental design. While the quantitative experiment offers an overview of participants' discernment capabilities, the focus group discussions provide a nuanced understanding of the underlying biases, perceptions, and emotions influencing their judgments.Results indicate a discord in discernment skill based on the specific content pairs presented, with no overarching consensus on A.I.'s detectability, signifying how A.I. can be recognized if used by inexperienced hands but, if used as a tool correctly, cannot be recognized. Interestingly, participants with a writing background demonstrated a higher accuracy rate, though other variables had minimal impact. The experiment revealed that participants consistently underestimated A.I.'s capabilities, highlighting a gap between perceived and actual discernment abilities.This research aimed to contribute to the nascent literature on A.I.'s role in copywriting, emphasizing the need for a holistic understanding that integrates the technological prowess of A.I. and the intricate human factors influencing content perception.

Date of Award	5 Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Alexandre Duarte (Supervisor)