UX Has a Soul (And It’s Not AI): Why Your Micro-Copy Needs a Human Touch

During my evening doom scroll, I came across a creator, who happened to be a UX Copywriter. During her 2-minute recording, she detailed why companies won’t suffice with AI being its in-house copywriter.

Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s all every creative seems to go on about now-a-days. However, this particular creator took the discussion of man vs. machine, and highlighted why AI really cannot become a company’s go-to for words. Particularly when it comes to UX and micro-copy.

The general takeaway I had was that, ultimately UX copy and micro-copy have soul. They have personality. They come from copywriters who empathize and understand the human wants and desires because, after all, marketing is all about connecting with your audience on a deeper level.

Let’s take a look at what was said.

The Rabbit Hole of Empathy

A solid chunk of a UX copywriter’s job is going down internet rabbit holes in search of the right words. Not just clever words. Not just grammatically correct words. But words that feel like they came from your funny coworker, your sister, your yoga instructor. Whoever your customer sees themselves in.

Here’s an example: You have a client who runs a flower shop. Beautiful branding, amazing arrangements. But you have absolutely no clue how their audience actually talks about flowers. So, you go where all wise UX copywriters go, Reddit. Delving into subreddits like r/flowers, r/florists, and even r/weddingplanning, you’ll enter into the florist’s den. It’s where you’ll read users’ rants about overstuffed roses, to panicked brides crying over peonies, to a teenager’s heartfelt post about buying their first “I’m sorry I was a jerk” bouquet. It’s not just looking for terminology you could easily find on Google or Wikipedia. It’s about listening and reading and fully immersing yourself in a conversation about the industry, between people who have a passion for the subject. This is the audience you want to connect with.

So from there, a button no longer reads, “Choose your arrangement.” but now it’s, “Pick the petals that say it best.”

Small shift. Huge difference. Because now, instead of sounding like a cold dropdown menu, it sounds like the words are written by someone who’s actually a part of the community.

Why UX Copy is the Most Human Copy

Here’s where a lot of companies miss the mark: they assume copy is copy is copy. But UX copy isn’t just “mini blog posts.” UX is where words do things. Where words guide, reassure, and connect.

When you write a blog post, you’ve got space. You can expand, build momentum, warm the reader up and allow them to fully immerse themselves in the content. But UX? UX is short, sweet and straight to the point. No purple prose in sight.

You’ve got three words to stop someone from rage-quitting a checkout process. Four syllables to make an error message feel less like an existential crisis and more like a gentle nudge. That’s not something an algorithm can finesse.

AI can give you options. It can fill a screen. But it doesn’t know that saying “Oops, let’s try that again” might work better than “Error: Invalid Data Entry” when someone’s feeling anxious about putting in their credit card info.

Micro-copy isn’t a paragraph. It’s a pulse. You either feel it or you’re gone.

Your Customers Aren’t Robots, So Why Talk to Them Like One?

Have you ever filled out a form and immediately felt like you’re being yelled at by a robot? “FIELD REQUIRED.” “INVALID PASSWORD.” You’re just trying to book a vacation and suddenly you’re being scolded by some miserable little Karen who works in a tax office.

That’s exactly where human UX copy comes in.

Because a UX copywriter thinks about how your customer is feeling when they see that form. Are they stressed? Are they excited? Are they just trying to sneak this in before their next Zoom call?

Here’s a more relatable alternative:
“Almost there. Just need a password!”
or
“Looks like that email didn’t go through. Mind giving it another shot?”

It’s just smart business.

Robots Don’t Have a Funny Bone

Another point that sets a copywriter apart from a robot is humor. If used sparingly, humor in UX copy makes your day that bit more enjoyable, but don’t overdo it. The goal isn’t to turn your product into a stand-up routine, but to make users smile at just the right moment. A cheeky tooltip, a playful 404 page, or a button that says “Let’s do this” instead of “Submit”, can transform a frustrating experience into something delightfully human. It shows your brand has a personality and more importantly, that there’s a real person behind the screen who thought, “Hey, let’s make this users’ experience a little less painful.”

When done right, humor in UX isn’t just funny, it’s disarming, memorable, and oddly comforting.

Why AI Isn’t the Answer (At Least Not This One)

Listen, I’m not anti-AI. I use it to brainstorm. To gut-check. Occasionally, to write placeholder lorem ipsum copy that sounds like it went to grad school. But letting AI write your UX copy from scratch? That’s like asking your printer to give a TED Talk.

UX copy needs context. It needs to know that your product is for busy parents, not tech bros. That your user just landed here after Googling “how to fix this thing before my boss finds out.” That your tone is playful but not flippant, helpful but not hand-holdy.

AI can’t sniff out that nuance. It can’t scroll your customers’ subreddits. It can’t decode the difference between “Sign up” and “Let’s get started.” It certainly can’t sense that a user is probably doomscrolling at 11:47 PM on their couch… like I was.

Good UX Copy Feels Like a Nudge, Not a Push

I once wrote button copy for a mental health app. Instead of “Submit,” we went with “Take the first step.” Instead of “Next,” we used “I’m ready.” Because for this audience, that language wasn’t fluff. A simple phrase gave users permission to move forward. It made them feel safe.

Hire a UX copywriter and level up your users’ experience today!

So, What’s the Point?

The point is: when you let AI write your UX copy, you’re missing the whole human side of UX.

You’re missing the midnight scrolls. The Reddit rabbit holes and TikTok comment sections. The internal debates over whether “Yikes!” or “Uh-oh!” is more comforting in an error message.

You’re missing the soul.

And sure, maybe your customers don’t notice every word. But they feel it. In the way the app feels easier to use. In how they smile at a funny tooltip. In the way they don’t abandon their cart after entering the wrong shipping zip.