So, I had a rough week. Two clients who were supposed to work with me on social media strategy projects decided to cancel, citing ChatGPT as the reason for the change.
Immediately, a couple of things crossed my mind. First, they had no idea about Google's EAT strategy (which I'll discuss more in-depth in an article next week), and second, they had no idea how much time they would need to spend being mindful of bias and fairness building their contentious brands. How were they going to navigate this?
Undoubtedly, the growing prominence of AI language models could potentially impact my work, but I'm not too worried in the long run. I trust that we'll all figure things out and get back to our usual roles soon enough as the novelty wears off and people start realizing that effective marketing and communications it's not as simple as a touch-and-go button or the best prompt.
Sure, AI and its kin can be helpful with many tasks, but they're not quite equipped yet to handle long-term strategies or fully understand the complexities of brand building and the nuances that come with it. As with any new innovation, there's always excitement and hype, but people will start to realize the limitations of AI in its current form, like plagiarism and a general lack of understanding of context (these days, context is everything). Let me explain in 5 ways:
The Human Touch in Relationship Building
As a skilled communicator and marketer, my main responsibility is to build and maintain relationships with customers and stakeholders. My understanding of human emotions and motivations allows me to connect with people on a deeper level, making our interactions more genuine and meaningful. While Chat GPT can provide relevant information and engage in conversation, it lacks the emotional intelligence and empathy that is vital for establishing and nurturing long-lasting relationships. Come Christmas time; it will not send you my kitchen sink cookies and scones that you all love so much!
During a recent product launch, I engaged with customers and business owners face-to-face. I could gauge their reactions as to whether they were enjoying the launch, needed more wine or felt lonely because everyone was talking to someone except them. In real-time, I adjusted my approach to making them feel comfortable and welcome.
I talked with at least three other business owners who subsequently indicated a potential interest in the product for their stores and created potentially more than $700k worth of business in those three chats. ChatGPT can't do that because it is limited to generating text responses and lacks the ability to adapt to emotional cues in a live setting. 1 - 0 in my favor.
Data Analysis and Market Research: The Power of Human Insight
Over the years, I have developed the skills to examine data, research information, and interpret market trends in order to create strategies that will resonate with our target audience. With my experience and creative instincts, I can pinpoint unique opportunities and anticipate potential obstacles that may arise.
For example, if I am running a social media campaign, I can analyze the data and identify any patterns or trends that might suggest a change in our approach. Even though ChatGPT can provide valuable insights and data, it can't match my ability to creatively reframe the campaign or make intuitive adjustments based on institutional historical knowledge and respond to current events occurring after September 2021. 2 - 0 in my favor.
Crafting Compelling Narratives: The Art of Storytelling
One of my strengths as a communicator and marketer is my ability to create a narrative and tell a story that captures the attention and emotions of my audience. I know how to craft compelling messages that inspire, educate, and persuade, making my work engaging and memorable.
In a marketing campaign for a non-profit organization, I can develop a powerful story that showcases the impact of their work, evoking empathy and inspiring action. ChatGPT may generate content based on keywords and topics but lacks the artistry and nuance needed to create an emotionally captivating narrative. I have tried to use ChatGPT to inform a non-profit campaign, and immediately the Executive Director told me it sounded flat! - 3-0 in my favor.
Adapting to Different Industries and Situations: The Importance of Flexibility
My clients will tell you that I'm very versatile. I can adapt my messaging and strategies to fit the needs of different industries, organizations, and audiences. I can quickly respond to changing circumstances and tailor my approach to ensure the greatest impact.
If a sudden crisis occurs that affects a company's reputation (as recently happened), I can swiftly develop a crisis communication plan to address the situation and mitigate damage. ChatGPT, on the other hand, is limited by its programming and may be unable to respond effectively to every situation. So while someone can try and GPT about "how to respond to a crisis," I have already contacted key stakeholders, summoned a meeting and started mitigating the crisis using relationships built over time. 4 - 0 in my favor.
Ability to Learn from Experience and Feedback
Let's take a look at something we all have in common - performance feedback. If a person is given feedback on their performance, they can use that feedback to adjust behavior and improve performance in the future. However, an AI model like ChatGPT cannot use feedback in the same way. It can be retrained on new data to improve its accuracy, but it cannot adjust its behavior based on feedback in real-time. So, while you might have generated a thousand posts for social media, AI will not inform you that that is a message you've already used and it failed, so you have to move onto a more direct way of messaging. 5-0 in my favor.
So, while ChatGPT can be super helpful in doing tasks that are repetitive, coming up with fresh ideas, and giving valuable insights, let's be real - it's not able to charm people with emotions or build trust with them as humans do. Plus, it doesn't have real-life experience or industry knowledge to make smart decisions. The most effective communication and marketing strategies are ones that blend the strengths of Chat GPT with the personal touch of skilled professionals who know and understand strategies to integrate with AI. Unless you're ready to change professions, ChatGPT and its kind will not replace us. For now.