SWOT are we really talking about?
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What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of AI to PR professionals and journalism? Is AI and fad or a threat, and how should we respond?
We've posted content recently on the impact of AI on the profession of marketing. The response to this content on LinkedIn has been polarising. Many have viewed technologies like ChatGPT as a fad, others as a time saver, and others as career-ending technology. The truth is something entirely different.
Understanding AI
Understanding the opportunity or threat of AI on PR professionals first requires understanding AI itself. To begin with, there are four types of AI: Reactive AI, Limited Memory AI, Theory of Mind AI, and Self-aware AI.
Reactive AI only responds to current conditions (think computer chess).
Limited Memory AI can remember past events and use that information to inform future decisions (consider Google's self-driving car or ChatGPT 3)
, Theory of Mind AI is currently in development and will understand the mental states of other individuals (beliefs, desires, intentions, etc.). Theory of Mind AI is the game changer for PR and journalism. As the name Self-aware AI suggests, this form of AI will be aware of its thoughts and feelings. If we want to look at this technology through the dystopian lens, think HAL in 2001 or the Terminator films.
A generational threat
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We are midway through the generational progress of AI. Whereas earlier generations of AI have been helpful, the next generations are paradigm-changing.
A generational threat
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We are midway through the generational progress of AI. Whereas earlier generations of AI have been helpful, the next generations are paradigm-changing.
Today and tomorrow
Today we are coming to terms with Limited Memory AI solutions like ChatGPT, but it won't be long before we feel the impact of Theory of Mind AI. No matter your view of these technologies or the timelines before they land, these technologies will be paradigm-changing for PR and journalism. AI will impact every aspect of your working day, from identifying opportunities and threats to delivering personalised storytelling to each journalist. AI holds the potential of building up-to-date databases on the fly, showing which journalists are creating the types of content now that make them ideally suited to amplifying your messaging. Content will be adapted to the formats and beats of individual journalists in real-time. Predictive PR will become the dominant form of Public Relations.
What’s to come of us?
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AI will transform the PR space, and that change will come faster than we may expect. There is a path to embracing its opportunities; however, not everyone will benefit.
What’s to come of us?
Getty Images/iStockphoto
AI will transform the PR space, and that change will come faster than we may expect. There is a path to embracing its opportunities; however, not everyone will benefit.
The other side of the story
Progressively AI will determine what's 'newsworthy' for media groups and channels. This impact is already happening with news aggregators, but you can expect this trend to become the norm. Journalism itself may become an anachronism, with the majority of content created by AI. Much of the creative aspect of AI will be replaced by AI, requiring a renewed focus on strategic skills.
Navigating the maze of AI
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No one can accurately predict that AI will be a force for good or evil; however, if past technological advances of insights, it’s the early adopters who will influence its direction. Don’t leave this choice in the hands of the technologists.
Navigating the maze of AI
Getty Images/iStockphoto
No one can accurately predict that AI will be a force for good or evil; however, if past technological advances of insights, it’s the early adopters who will influence its direction. Don’t leave this choice in the hands of the technologists.
The water's edge for AI
They must be a 'human in the loop' with AI-created content for at least the foreseeable future. AI works best as a facilitator rather than as 'the authority'. With high-stakes communication, the costs are too high for technology alone to make all the decisions.
There is also a growing demand for visual narratives from the media. The compliance requirements of this content cannot be filled by AI-generated imagery, as there needs to be a clear path of ownership, attribution, and accurate identification of the subject matter. AI-generated imager 'borrows' from any source it can find online, breaching copyright rules around the globe, which is why the media or journalists do not use it. Your library of images and videos will remain a primary source for differentiating your media pitch from the oncoming wave of AI-generated written content arriving in journalists' inboxes sometime soon.
A picture’s worth 1,000 AI words
#ChatGPT, #AI, #Breakingnews, #Global, #journalism, #photography, #newsroom, #lookatmedia
Copyright laws and the increasing demand for visual narratives from the media provide an opportunity for you to differentiate your media pitch from the countless AI-crafted stories journalist will soon receive.
A picture’s worth 1,000 AI words
#ChatGPT, #AI, #Breakingnews, #Global, #journalism, #photography, #newsroom, #lookatmedia
Copyright laws and the increasing demand for visual narratives from the media provide an opportunity for you to differentiate your media pitch from the countless AI-crafted stories journalist will soon receive.
