IS 2026 THE YEAR WHEN THE BUBBLE BURSTS?
It’s January again. But, you’ll be relieved to read, that isn’t an excuse for a list of resolutions as I look forward to another year at the copywriting coalface in Kingston, Surrey, London and beyond.
However, I do want to take the opportunity to look forward to 2026 and the thing I would most like to see happen.
Actually, make that “hear”.
Because the noise I want to define 2026 above all others is the sound of a great big bubble going pop.
AI works wonders, but not with words
I think an awful lot of people of my acquaintance know what I’m going to say next. Because so many of them have been saying the same thing to me in recent months.
I have actually lost count of the number of times I have heard it confidently predicted that, when it comes to online content, the AI bubble is about to burst.
What surprises me is that this forecast does not come from fellow wordsmiths or even other creatives. It has been delivered by a host of business people in a wide variety of roles.
Because they know. They can see with their own eyes that, while artificial intelligence is transforming the business landscape in so many ways, when it comes to your content it does not do the job it is supposed to do.
There are some wonderful stories out there about the difference AI is making to systems, processes and operations. It’s a total game-changer, and business owners are benefiting from some extraordinary advances in automation and streamlining.
But when it comes to your creative content, the words you write using an AI platform to get your message across to your audience… it simply does not work as well as it needs to.
Free and easy comes at a cost
It’s become a business cliché, a staple of many a networking discussion, that you can spot “AI slop” a mile off.
It’s generic, it’s dull, it’s unengaging. In short, it’s a turn-off.
And that helps to explain why the level of engagement with social media content across the board is falling off a cliff.
That, in turn, is leading to so many people predicting the bubble is going to burst in 2026.
Potential customers lose trust in the brand in question. If a company is satisfied with promoting itself using such deeply average materials, they ask themselves, will it cut corners when it comes to the products and services it supplies?
If and when that bubble bursts, the argument goes, people will flock back in the direction of human content creators. People who can deliver words with impact, eloquence and creativity.
It almost goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, that I hope those predictions are correct.
Because I’ll be waiting patiently to welcome a tidal wave of businesses, desperate to revise and upgrade their marketing materials so that they stand out from the crowd once again and attract the attention, engagement and trust they crave and deserve.
It’s human nature to want solutions that are free and easy. But if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. And, somewhere down the line, there’s a price to be paid.
When you realise your content isn’t working, contact me and together we’ll produce words with the human touch.