While I have always been an early adopter and known to push the envelope to test and learn new mechanisms to connect with people, I never for once thought we’d just replace humans. It seems to be the anthesis to personalized communications if the message coming to you is entirely written and deployed by a machine! There is merit in leveraging sophisticated technology tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning to expedite or optimize a human built strategy, outreach, message or product but to the extent we utilize it, is the fine balance.
It seems extreme to remove humans entirely from a specific function, like content creation for brands. Of course, you don’t need a troop of 100 writers (depending on the size and type of organization) but you will still need key writing functions to build, facilitate and monitor what your brand pushes to the world. Why? You need to still integrate humans into your #content creation process because AI or #chatgpt doesn’t have 100% EQ nor real heart or emotions that it can successfully apply as a filter. The last I heard, individual and brand reputation still matters, even more if you’re building your business not only for the current market, but also for the future generations of consumers. The real human filter influences your overall brand reputation, so be careful about relying solely on AI.
We have seen, albeit fictional in nature over the past decades, many movies depicting the implication of AI, robots and machinery inserting itself into human interactions and lives. I specifically recall films like:
Bladerunner
HER
ex machina
AI Artificial Intelligence
WALL-E
iROBOT
Terminator
Blade Runner …the list is endless!
We have been exposed to the likes of being taken over by machines for decades and nearly every flick conveys the dangers of it but yet, companies like BuzzFeed jumped to layoff +13% of their workforce, Sports Illustrated laid off their journalists, and many other brands following suit to streamline operating costs and to invite Mr. Robot (not to be confused with the TV show). Mr. Robot and in many cases ChatGPT is now writing layoff memos akin to tech CEOs, unfortunately not the best communicators (most recently exemplified by Elon Musk). It makes me wonder if we can trust the news and where we consume content from is a respected source for information. Why bother reading it, if it is a bunch of bots pulling words together and forming sentences that aren’t tied to real human expression?
It is a bit worrisome if we all as a society are driving towards this path to pivot to Mr. Robot and potentially be unable to decipher the difference between algorithm generated content or content from a person because he/she saw, heard, smelled, felt or tasted it. If you think this is only a content creation issue, think again! Recently, TikTok let go of their algorithm managers and are only relying on their bots to community manage and this led to hundreds of TikTokers with established audiences that depend on the platform to earn a living to be banned and accounts pulled down. Add to this, the fear of being led down a path of depression, or being told you’re loved, or to divorce your spouse from the Bing Chatbot (guess who owns Bing and ah, hum ChatGPT!). There are scores of news from NYTimes, Forbes, Fast Company to NBC popping up the last 24 hours about the Microsoft Creepy AI! According to Adweek, Gartner predicts 80% of marketers will deal with content authenticity issues by 2027 and based on the past couple weeks - I think they’re on to something!
I know as a society globally, we have nonchalantly accepted breaks or errors in other robot-type experiences such as Tesla cars (which had a recall of 362,000 vehicles in the past day) or hybrids malfunctioning. But AI, robots, machines, computers infiltrating all aspects of us as humans might accelerate us into a dystopian future. A future I don’t want to see my daughter or grandkids face so soon or ever. As a marketing leader, I plan to continue to apply a fair strategy with a mix of human and technology to drive KPIs across all I do. How will you include or exclude Mr. Robot?
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