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In an AI-Driven World, a Human-First Approach Is Still Critical
AI is advancing rapidly and evolving at an unprecedented rate. This technology holds the potential for explosive speed, scale, efficiency, and even greater creativity, but we are still in the early stages.
AI is already integrated into many of the tools people use every day, often without us even realizing it! From Spotify and smartphones to fitness trackers, GPS systems, voice assistants, and even our cars, AI is everywhere. The technology is not new per se, but what is new is that these systems are not just being used to recognize patterns and predict what’s next, but to create – or generate – content.
Recently, we had the opportunity to tune into the webinar, “Demystifying AI in PR: How to Effectively Implement AI Without Losing the Human Touch,” hosted by Cision. The webinar featured Henry Ajder, a world-leading expert on AI, the founder of Latent Space Advisory, and an expert advisor to leading organizations including Meta, the World Economic Forum, Adobe, EY, the UK Government, the EU Commission, the US FTC, and the OECD.
In the webinar, Ajder walked through the results of the 2024 Cision and PRWeek Global Comms Report, which surveyed over 400 senior PR and communications professionals worldwide. The survey found that more than a third are experimenting with Generative AI, 27% are considering starting to experiment with it, and 32% using it frequently.
He also broached a giant elephant in the room, asking the question: To what extent are communications professionals using AI? He followed this up by asking: How far can and should we go with using these tools in our lives, while ensuring that the skills and creativity that come with being a human and a critical thinker are what come through loud and clear on the other end? Ajder shared that he believes GenAI tools are like the co-pilot or assistant you never thought possible.
So Many Tools – And the Ways to Utilize Them
Large language models, such as ChatGPT, Bard, Google Gemini, Claude, and TensorFlow, are incredible navigators that can efficiently comb through content, data, and more to help comms professionals be more effective and efficient.
One of the most effective uses of AI for communications professionals is summarizing vast amounts of information. This could be taking a research report, whitepaper, survey data, or even a hefty interview transcript, and prompting an AI engine to “explain this to me like I am five,” or “summarize the key points of this for me in 5 paragraphs or less,” or “make this accessible to a lay audience”. Following this, comms folks can apply their editing and flair to whatever their client may need the information for.
These tools can also be used for content creation – not for writing entire pitches or original articles (journalists can spot this a mile away) – but for drafting a proposal, sales pitch, or email. Using prompts like “Can you help me get the tone right? Formalize it, shorten it, or simplify my email” is a great start.
AI tools are also becoming multi-modal. Say, for example, that a client spoke at a conference, and your team wants to highlight a clip of that talk on social media. You can ask the AI model to select the best soundbites to promote, and it will create ready-to-post content for publication. This allows communicators to save time by eliminating the need to comb through every minute of footage to find the perfect nugget.
Understanding the Promise and Peril of AI Tools
One caveat to all the benefits of these tools is that it is essential to research each AI tool to understand its data privacy rules.
Data can be powerful fuel, but it can also cause a firestorm for clients who have concerns around their data privacy. For clients under a strict NDA with a significant security risk, it may be best to avoid using these tools altogether to minimize the chance of their data falling into the wrong hands. AI tools are probabilistic, machines doing what they do best, based on the data they have been trained on – no emotions or feelings involved. These models can work tremendously, but they can also go off the rails. And, because they pull from available information, plagiarism is a threat. It’s easy to overestimate what they can or cannot do.
For example, Air Canada once used a chatbot that blew up when it accidentally posted insanely cheap prices and had to deliver on its offer because the model had previously offered flights at those prices. Levi’s faced backlash after announcing it would use AI-generated models to increase the diversity of its human models, rather than hiring diverse models.
AI tools can also be vulnerable to orchestrated attacks or sabotage, and may be manipulated by malicious or mischievous actors.
The key is to understand when you can be lenient with using these tools, and when the risks are very real, because these tools are not static – they continuously adapt based on the information on the Internet. They are still training iteratively and drawing on context from prior data. These models can reach 95% – but the remaining 5% is invaluable.
AI and its use by comms professionals is a cultural change. It is undoubtedly transformative and will need to be integrated into all future strategies. Consider using AI tools in alignment with your clients’ values – trust and transparency are still essential. Taking a human-first approach and establishing human connections is critical.
To learn more about how Zer0 to 5ive can help your company build trust and find its voice, drop us a line.