Anyone who knows me professionally is well aware that I despise the idea that generative AI will replace content creation. I’ll say it early, loud and proud. It isn’t.
Yes, some out there use the likes of ChatGPT to draft press releases, bylines and comments on behalf of their clients. Firstly, this shouldn’t be happening but when it does, it’s clear as day. To the point that journalists are now verifying that quotes are from spokespeople and actively asking that only ‘non-AI’ content is submitted to them.
So, if content creation isn’t why AI is the comms industry’s best friend, why is it?
Complementing creativity
PR thrives on creativity. It’s what makes a middle of the road story resonate with the nationals, takes a campaign from great to award-winning and helps agencies stand-out in new business pitches.
So, while AI shouldn’t (and again, won’t) replace creativity, it has a vital role to play in complementing the idea generation process. No doubt everyone reading this will have attended a brainstorm and got to the point where there are so many ideas floating around, it’s hard to know where to focus. Equally, you’ll have experienced an idea that’s hit the 7/10 mark, but needs that ‘je ne sais quoi’ to take it to the next level. Gen AI can be a priceless tool here.
In that creative situation, a tool like ChatGPT could be used to research whether an idea has been done previously. You could also ask it to fine-tune an idea to resonate with a particular demographic. That independent, unbiased voice is something agencies shouldn’t be afraid to tap into. Equally, AI can be the creative idea. Our award-winning Introducing Lady MacRobert project is proof of that.
However, if the approach is to type “I have a new business pitch on Friday for a retail technology company. Please give me five ideas” into Gemini, don’t be surprised if you don’t make it past the first round…
Supporting research
It’s been a while, but I was once a young, spritely journalist leaving my postgrad trying to make it in the world of comms. A throw-away comment during an interview at my first agency has stuck with me for all these years though. I was asked how I’d approach writing an article about complex technology I had no knowledge of. After I told her I’d start with research, she told me “You’d be surprised how few even acknowledge the need to research before putting pen to paper.”
That highlights not only the importance of research, but the issue that some don’t appreciate how vital it is. Now, gen AI can take ownership of research for us, which is another reason why it’s becoming so useful for comms professionals. Are you an account manager building a media strategy ahead of a major launch but are struggling to agree on a date? AI can search for upcoming events that could clash with your announcement to avoid competition for journalist attention, or see when publications most commonly write about the topic in question and make an informed recommendation.
AI is only as good as the content it’s learning from though, so any user should be mindful of the source of information or risk spreading misinformation. This is why AI will never completely remove the human touch from research, as we need to validate the findings to avoid making decisions on erroneous data.
Stop getting stuck in the weeds
Behind every successful campaign I’ve been part of over the years, there’s been an awful lot of admin, account management and reporting, making sure activity is seamless. The difficulty often comes when some of that activity takes a back seat to the more glamorous aspects of the campaign - writing copy for a national opportunity or attending events and award ceremonies.
This is another way that AI is changing the game for comms professionals. At Antidote, we pride ourselves on data-driven storytelling but that doesn’t mean that all of us relish the thought of taking a deep dive into a vast set of raw data to pull out the strongest stories or trends. When AI can do in a matter of seconds what a mere mortal takes hours to achieve, why wouldn’t you ask a trusted AI tool to help?
Similarly, AI can streamline reporting, not only highlighting strong results but automating the visualisation of those big wins. Truly, if you can think of an area of the PR function that is deemed time intensive yet unappealing, it’s very likely AI can take it off your plate.
Focus on value
As one off benefits, each of the above examples helps to streamline processes, which may seem like a nicety, rather than a necessity. If that’s your mindset, you’d be right.
However, if you flip that on its head, every time AI streamlines processes for comms professionals, it allows them to take time that would otherwise have been spent on ‘admin heavy or manual work and instead, focus on adding value to clients. The hour that would have been spent on analysing data could instead be spent talking a top tier journalist through the findings, agreeing an exclusive and facilitating an interview.
That’s where AI goes from a nice-to-have tool in the industry, to having a measurable impact on delivery. In a world where time is money, AI can be the catalyst to unlocking the full potential of your account team, new business function and entire agency.
