What to Know about the Evolving Use of AI in PR
Artificial intelligence has evolved from being talked about as a tool of the future to a widespread technology being used in many facets of business. When it comes to public relations and its use in our industry, it can be valuable but has its downfalls if it isn’t used in the right way.
At Media Minefield, we share, support and protect one of our clients’ most important assets: their story. Words have meaning and impact, so while AI can be a tool that makes our jobs more efficient, it can’t fulfill the role of understanding our clients’ stories and how they connect with their key audiences and stakeholders.
What’s the Value of AI
AI platforms like ChatGPT can be used to make our work more efficient. When we are brainstorming opportunities for media coverage, it can help with searching for media outlets or contacts. It can be used to boil down complex topics for thought leadership articles into easy-to-understand language and brainstorm when there’s writer’s block.
When planning a calendar for social media content, it can help find timely hooks or relevant dates and anniversaries to be aware of. What could take an hour of brainstorming to find a common theme or thread, could take a few minutes with a few prompts into ChatGPT.
While all of these are helpful ways to utilize AI tools, we are NOT using AI to write the final content that is published in an article or shared on social media. That’s where our team of experts comes in to develop custom strategies, create unique content, fact-check information and bridge the gap with journalists to share your stories to meet your goals. There is too much at stake when sharing your story that AI alone can’t be trusted as a content generator.
What to Be Cautious Of
There are no perfect AI tools despite their use becoming more widespread. For example, ChatGPT still has a knowledge cutoff of July 2023 if you don’t have the premium version. At the same time, there is also a lot of misinformation on the internet that it could be pulling from.
The quality of writing AI produces can never compare to a human and personal connection with the messaging. It can’t convey emotion or the institutional knowledge of what you are doing as a business or a brand. There’s nuanced language and big-picture strategy that AI could never know. It takes real people to understand the why behind a company’s purpose and to connect that to your key audiences.
The language is also often littered with buzzwords that are so overused. The media and the public will see this and know it’s not authentic. Journalists are even on the lookout for content written with AI. They use AI checkers and will turn away an article or interview if they suspect it is not actual thought leadership with a unique perspective coming from an expert. You can easily lose credibility and trust if you rely on AI.
In the age of “fake news,” authenticity is reigning supreme in all aspects of our lives. People are hungry for personal content. It’s why we’re seeing more and more of it on LinkedIn, because people want to connect with people, and AI can’t do that.
The Importance of People
We’ve said it before, but there’s a reason the “R” in PR stands for relations. Our team understands how to position a business or a brand and your story in a way that will resonate with a journalist. We can take it to the right media outlet or platform in a way that benefits you and your brand and hits on messaging for your key audiences. That’s not something AI can understand or do.
This is why AI won’t replace PR experts. But, as the technology continues to evolve, we have to learn how we can continue to benefit from it. At Media Minefield, we are staying in front of what’s useful for our team with weekly AI hacks where team members share how they’ve used AI to be more efficient and what hasn’t worked. We’re attending webinars, educating ourselves on industry news and media feedback so we can fully understand its benefits and pitfalls.
Understanding the value of AI while navigating it with caution allows us to spend more time and energy delivering a creative strategy for sharing our clients’ stories in a way that is uniquely authentic to them and will help them accomplish their goals.