When I first started my journey in copywriting years ago, Michel Struhárová was one of the first people I learned from. Even then, she already had extensive experience in content creation, content marketing, and project management. Today, she helps businesses create content that not only sounds good but, more importantly, delivers real results.
Over more than a decade in the industry, she has witnessed the rise of social media, major shifts in SEO, the explosion of content marketing, and the arrival of artificial intelligence. That is exactly why I invited her to join this conversation about how creative work is evolving, what AI can help us do faster, where its limitations still lie, and why human creativity may be more valuable today than ever before.
AI Can Generate Content. But Can It Tell a Story? A Conversation on Creativity and Human Experience
Looking back at your early days in content marketing, what do you think has changed the most?
When I started copywriting around 2010, many of the texts and marketing slogans we considered great at the time would probably sound cliché today. The way we write has changed, but so have the formats we use. Back then, content was primarily text-based, blogging was in its golden age, and a large part of marketing communication revolved around articles.
In recent years, attention has shifted toward shorter formats, video, podcasts, and social media. The way people consume content has changed, and as a result, the way we create it has had to evolve as well.
What was your first reaction to tools like ChatGPT?
A lot of people around me were talking about a revolution and predicting that I would be out of work within a year. However, the first outputs were quite generic, and I quickly realized that AI was not a replacement for a writer but a tool.
Just as an expensive camera will not help a photographer who does not understand composition, AI cannot generate high-quality content without a person who knows what they want to achieve.
Those were certainly the kinds of predictions we heard everywhere at the time, and many creative professionals were worried about their jobs. I also see AI as a useful tool rather than a replacement. What tasks does it help you with the most today?
It helps me most when I am working with large amounts of information. It can edit transcripts from hours-long interviews, summarize data, or assist with research. Of course, information still needs to be verified, and it is important not to rely on it blindly.
In Claude, I have separate projects set up for different clients, complete with communication guidelines and background context. It can prepare a first draft, which I then revise and edit further. As a freelancer, I often do not have colleagues to bounce ideas off, so I also use AI as a sounding board when developing new ideas.
Is there anything you can do significantly faster thanks to AI than you could a few years ago?
I use several different tools, and each one saves me time in its own way. The common denominator is routine work: searching for studies and sources, researching interviewees and clients, formatting texts, working with spreadsheets, reports, or analyses.
As a writer, these tasks are part of the job and need to be done. But honestly, I always look forward to the moment when they are finished and I can get back to creating.
Do you think AI reduces creativity, or does it actually create more space for creative work?
I think it depends on how we use it. Many people use AI to take routine tasks off their plate, which gives them more time for creative work. However, if we use it as a shortcut to replace thinking and effort, it does not help creativity at all.
It is important to remember that AI does not create — it generates. The problem is not the tool itself, but the fact that many people use it to mass-produce generic content instead of using it to support and develop their own ideas.
AI helps me speed up repetitive tasks and stay productive when my energy starts to fade. However, I cannot trust it with entire articles, because the result often feels repetitive and lacks personality. What do you think makes us stop and read an article all the way to the end?
A good headline, a strong introduction, and the overall structure of the article. Those are the elements I spend the most time on.
When I work on a feature story or report, I usually build a rough structure before I ever arrive on site.
For example, if I were assigned a report on yogurt production in a dairy plant, I would first research the company, and the broader context. That gives me a basic map of what I want to ask, what I need to understand, and where the story could go.
But once I arrive on site, I try to stay open. I tour the facility, talk to employees, observe how things work. Some of the strongest moments in a story often come from unexpected observations, conversations, or small details that would never appear in the initial research.
The challenge then is weaving all those pieces into a compelling narrative. If a text lacks rhythm and does not guide the reader naturally from one idea to the next, even the most interesting topic will struggle to hold their attention.
Is there anything that AI still cannot replicate well?
AI will not go out into the field for me. It will not travel to cover a story, sit down and talk to an interviewee, or notice the small details that can often become the foundation of an entire story.
It does not have empathy. It cannot sense the atmosphere in a room or pick up on what remains unsaid between the lines.
I feel the same way. These days, I find the greatest joy in creating content where the human element truly matters. Just like this conversation, which is built on a real story and real-life experience. What do you think separates a truly great article from an average one today?
Curiosity.
The ability to dig deeper, work with facts, connect information, and keep asking questions even when most people would be satisfied with the first answer.
Today, we all have access to similar tools. The real difference lies in how we use them.
Do you see similar changes happening in other professions, such as design, marketing, or business?
In almost every profession that works with information.
What is changing is the way people work, not the essence of the work itself. And one thing remains true: decisions are still made by people.
Do you think AI threatens creative professionals, or is it routine work that is more at risk?
I believe creative people see AI as another opportunity to expand and develop their creativity.
Human work—not only in copywriting and publishing—may be more important than ever. If someone wants their content to stand out, they will not achieve it with quick AI-generated articles. What would you say to people who are worried that AI will replace them?
AI will take over some tasks, but it will also create new opportunities and new roles. When I look at my parents’ generation, they had no idea what digital marketing, social media, or content strategy even were.
Clients who focus solely on price will use AI. And that is perfectly fine—it is their decision. Not every business needs a content strategist, copywriter, or agency. Many people will choose to create content with AI, and in many cases, that will be enough for their goals.
But the truth is that many of these clients were not paying for high-quality creative work before, either.
What interests me more is what happens next. Even now, I can see people becoming tired of generic content. On social media, more and more users complain about posts that all sound the same because someone simply copied them from AI and did not bother to add even a small part of themselves.
If someone cannot recognize good writing, ChatGPT or Claude will not solve that problem. They can help, but they cannot replace craftsmanship.
That is why I think it is important not to become lazy when using AI. Critical thinking, curiosity, creativity, and the ability to step back and evaluate your own work objectively will remain incredibly valuable.
