The Copy Margin Curve: Why Editorial Labor, Not Generation Speed, Sets Agency Content Economics

AI generation has collapsed the cost of a first draft, which means the scarce and billable input in agency content work is now editorial judgment applied at the right stage. Agencies that treat copywriting tools as a single generator will see cost-per-word fall while revision cycles, fact-checking, and client trust costs rise. The margin advantage goes to shops that split the pipeline: automate routine volume, then price human review as a distinct, defensible line item.