By Melissa Chefec, Business Development Manager

Artificial Intelligence (AI) hits a nerve for many people. They have a knee-jerk reaction that it's bad. That it’s cheating and not authentic. That it’s going to take jobs. Worse yet, some think AI is going to ruin humanity. In marketing, public relations and publishing, for example, AI can get a bad rap. After all, why should we use technology to develop creative and unique content? AI is many things: some concerning and others more productive and useful. This piece looks at the concerns about AI and some of ways it can be helpful for marketers.

“It's cheating.” Some think that using AI is cheating. If you’re using AI to write content and passing it off as original, that is cheating. However, if you use AI as a source for ideas or as a research tool, then it’s more like a library or a Google search. Marketers can use AI to help flesh out ideas for new content, identify key points for ad copy or help focus concepts for blog articles. When AI is used as a tool to spark ideas that you use as a starting point to write content or copy that reflects a unique point of view, brand and personality, then it is original. No cheating here.

“AI generated content is not authentic.” Another obstacle for marketers is that AI-generated content can lack a personal touch and human insights about a brand or product, and that relying on AI to create sales materials, advertisements, direct mail and the like will miss the mark. The opportunity for marketers is to bring personal insights and color to AI generated content, personalizing it to fit a brand and corporate personality. Marketers can leverage the speed and convenience of AI generated content and infuse it with personal creativity to create authentic communications.

“It’s going to take away jobs.” Another concern about AI is that it will take jobs. Like all new technologies, AI has the potential to replace certain jobs. However, AI can also create new job opportunities and industries. Marketers need not worry that they will be replaced by AI, but rather learn how to maximize the opportunities that AI offers for them.

“It’s bad for humanity.” The concern here is that AI can or will be used maliciously to violate privacy, manipulate, steal information or discriminate. The even bigger concern is that AI will alter or replace human thinking. Some might ask why people will need to think for themselves anymore if AI has all the answers. For marketers, the challenge will be to create guidelines and policies about how AI can and should be used that ensure honesty and ethical practices. It is incumbent on people—the developers and users of technologies such as AI—to demand that AI be benevolent, humane and kind.

In summary, concerns about AI for marketers can be eased when rules, ethical standards and regulations are in place. As with all creative endeavors, marketers can use AI as a research tool and a resource when developing authentic, original and interesting communications.

MKP communications inc. is a New-York based marketing communications agency specializing in merger/change communications for the financial services industry.