As I spoke to Paul Yacoubian about tools his company, Copy.ai, might provide in the future, he made a claim that at first seemed ludicrous.
“It would be great to have feedback from Ernest Hemingway,” the cofounder and CEO said. “And you could just, like, queue it up.”
Hemingway died in 1961, and unless Yacoubian’s copy-generating AI platform is also conjuring spirits, the acclaimed author isn’t likely to be spilling his thoughts on someone’s marketing material. But what the platform could someday do is analyze a writing sample, and in a matter of seconds, use work and commentary from Hemingway — or another famous figure — to provide feedback on it.
“I think it’d be cool to [be able to] ask experts, any time on any topic,” Yacoubian said.
This isn’t a tool Copy.ai offers currently, and Yacoubian doesn’t even see it as being a major component of the business. But the idea does show the futuristic potential of the company, as Yacoubian and his team continue to refine and work on the platform.
Founded in November 2020, Copy.ai uses artificial intelligence to help businesses write and adjust various forms of marketing copy, such as blog posts, social media posts, letters, and emails. Already, it’s completed funding rounds of $2.9 million and $11 million; and with a 12-person team and about 5,000 customers, it’s generated $2.3 million in revenue.
This is far from where Yacoubian wants the company to be, however. Within five years, the hope is for Copy.ai to go public, earn $100 million in annual revenue, and have about 1,000 employees.
“The goal is that you’re able to create very high-quality content, and more of that content faster,” Yacoubian said.
Copy.ai is powered by GPT-3, the high-caliber AI word generator that runs on a neural network and was created by OpenAI — the AI research and deployment company cofounded by Elon Musk and funded by Microsoft.
“You can tell it to do stuff,” Yacoubian said of GPT-3. “It’s creative, generating every single word, one word at a time. And it’s a great pattern recognizer.”
As an example, on OpenAI’s site, Yacoubian asked for a grocery list that would provide an Indian dinner, and the program generated an original one quickly. He then asked for a list of things to do while visiting Memphis, and the program provided a list of options, with a short, original description for each.
Copy.ai pays to use GPT-3 and harnesses its capabilities for its own platform, using them to offer content writing tools.
Based on information you provide about your product or company, Copy.ai can give things like blog post ideas, intros, headlines, and outlines, or copy for letters, emails, and social media posts. Depending on the mood you’re going for, you can also select a certain tone, such as relaxed, professional, bold, or adventurous.
The platform isn’t perfect, nor is it intended to do everything for the user. But Yacoubian asserts that if you work with and edit what Copy.ai provides, you can have a draft of something quickly and efficiently.
When I spoke to Yacoubian, I asked if there was concern that the platform would one day become capable enough to replace marketing professionals and copy writers in their jobs but he didn’t think so. Instead, he maintained, it’s a service to aid them in their work.
“They’re more productive, and can market faster and grow the business faster," he said. “Every business needs content to grow and needs more marketing content online. It’s not a pre-defined need that gets filled.”
Ultimately, Yacoubian sees Copy.ai as a tool to help people take knowledge that’s in their head and put it on paper — and a tool to harness the vast quantities of information floating around on the internet.
“The internet is talking back to you, that’s what it is,” he said. “And now you can take credit for it, because you’re the one shaping the content."
