AI and public relations

Introduction

If you’ve been paying any attention at all to the news, it seems like artificial intelligence (AI) is taking over the world. As this technology advances quickly, the struggle seems to be whether AI will ultimately be good for us. As we grapple with these questions, I wanted to write a post that took some time to assess AI and public relations– what it means for our industry, specifically strategic communications.

Fundamentally, AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer science. If you’ve seen the posts on social media about Chat GPT, this is an example of AI and just one of the many new AI products to come to market. Specifically, ChatGPT uses machine learning, one aspect of the AI movement. Machine learning focuses on the use of data and algorithms to imitate how humans learn.

Essentially, Chat GPT learns from historical data, identifies patterns, and makes decisions without human intervention.

In today’s landscape, AI is emerging as a powerful tool. When you think of AI, don’t restrict yourself to just Chat GPT; think Alexa, Siri, or even Google Home. These are all AI tools that we’ve been interacting with for years.

As it relates to the workplace, AI has the potential to transform so many industries, communications certainly being one. It has already changed the way we work, making our processes a little easier and more efficient.

There’s no question about the impact AI already has. But as communications professionals, how does this ultimately affect us?

Opportunities for Strategic Communications

In terms of AI and public relations, AI can significantly improve efficiency and costs.

As professionals, we can admit that some of our tasks can be tedious. These are the parts we don’t discuss, but we know they’re there. Here are some of the opportunities for AI and public relations.

• AI can automate repetitive tasks such as report generation and analysis. Scouring the fast-paced, global media landscape to track stories and the evolution of narratives could rely on only the click of a button. This would free up our time, allowing us to focus on tasks that AI may not be able to assist with.

• AI can analyze data and provide insights that inform our decisions. For example, identifying which content is more suitable for our audiences or even predicting the success of our campaigns.

• As audiences desire a more personalized experience when reaching out to organizations or exploring products, AI in the form of chatbots is already being used to answer customer queries and converse with clients through messaging platforms.

Challenges

I’ve said this a million times, communications and, subsequently public relations is about trust. It’s about engaging with your audience to build trust in a consistent way. What AI lacks is the personalized touch we have as communications professionals.

This should come as no surprise as AI is, after all, robotics. While, at this point, AI can address some of the more repetitive tasks:

• AI lacks the creativity and empathy that humans possess. If we trust it to handle all our tasks, then we risk losing the trust and connection that we invest in our work– the stuff that makes our work impactful.

• As PR and strategic communications pros, when we tell stories we affect people and the world around them. We (should) balance our PR and communications objectives against the kind of impact certain stories will have. Is AI prepared to make this distinction?

• As the conversation around our personal data and the internet heats up, there’s a lot of work to be done around understanding the significance of consent. In this instance, it’s also our job to respect people’s humanity as much as possible and not treat them as economic units of production and consumption. We do this by explaining what we do with our data and how it’ll be used. Privacy concerns are a growing issue with AI and several countries have blocked it because of it. AI collects vast amounts of data to function, and their privacy policy is about 2000 words long. The gist of it is your data is used in a variety of ways and can also be used with third parties.

What PR leaders are saying

According to PR Week, PR leaders have been experimenting with Chat GPT since January. Some are interested in the ways it can shorten content creation time and productivity, and as an organizational tool.

Axicom’s global president of Digital, Bryan Snyder suggests that, while Chat GPT’s effect on eliminating mundane tasks is enormous, it cannot replace the human element. It doesn’t understand audiences, communications objectives, and brand voices.

He goes on to say while it can be a starting point, professionals should finish the task.

While PR leaders cannot deny that it is a tool, they are also adamant about the misinformation concerns.

Bill Bourdon, co-CEO of Mission North said that the same issues educators have with Chat GPT should be the same with communications and media companies. There’s no way to develop competent professionals and avoid cheating with AI technology.

In a tweet, last year, Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, the company behind Chat GPT warned that while Chat GPT is great for creative inspiration, it should not be used for factual evidence.

An interesting fact is Chat GPT is also limited in the data it provides. It can only give you data prior to 2021. It has no knowledge of anything beyond.

Chat GPT prompt vs Human Blog Post

I decided to see how AI would write this blog. So I submitted a prompt, “write a blog post for communications professionals about what AI means for the communications/PR industry. Limit to 300 words.”

It’s not horrible. In fact, it’s a good starting point. But as a communications professional, I know the objectives and my audiences more than a robot would know. I can see the gaps. But at the same time, it is clear how we can be inspired by this technology and how it can reduce the time spent creating content such as this.

Conclusion

I don’t have a clue about what AI is going to mean. A lot of us are waiting to see what develops.

I’m certain that machines can never take the place of a human creative mind. That’s what makes us special. Not just our ability to think but our connection to other human beings.

Machines can’t replicate that. However, I do see some interesting developments, I will definitely use Chat GPT to pull media clippings or draft a press release. It definitely affects productivity.

As communications professionals, we should be thoughtful about embracing any emerging trend, especially if it allows us to focus more on understanding our audiences, designing strategy, and pursuing our objectives. It’s how we stay on top of our industry. But we should also be cautious. We’re in the business of building trust, and that relies on our humanity, something AI cannot (yet) simulate.

Joey Gaskins is a public affairs professional with a formidable record of designing and executing innovative strategies, campaigns, and tactics—turning around negative perceptions, reaffirming trust, amplifying and influencing policies, and achieving unprecedented results.

Connect with him on LinkedIn.