This is quite a hot topic of conversation amongst my PR friends. The prospect of your hard-earned skillset being replaced by a bit of software is quite a terrifying prospect!
However, the current reality is that natural language processing tools driven by AI technology, like ChatGPT, still require humans to give them some decent direction.
AI is starting to cope with language nuances, such as irony, sarcasm and humour, and I’m sure that it won’t be long until it’s understood all the levels of grey in the way humans communicate with each other. But, at the moment it simply can’t build functional relationships – as humans do with each other.
AI won’t create copy that’s 100% right, but it can give you a good starter for ten if you are failing to feel inspired and need some initial ideas. It sometimes proves useful for freelancers like me, who don’t have the luxury of brainstorming with colleagues at work. However, I don’t ever use it in isolation. While it can be an inspirational tool, like having a second member of the team at your desk, its language is very verbose.
You still need a human to fact check copy and make sure that the language and tone used has that ‘human element’. AI really can’t do emotional intelligence yet. When it can, I think all of us humans (not just PRs) will be out of a job! Hopefully, by then we’ll all be sat on a beach, drinking cocktails and reading content generated by a piece of software!
AI is most definitely a useful enabler, not a replacement for the PR pro . As long as I’ve got most of my marbles, I will still try to get inspiration the old-fashioned way – from the most complex computer in the world (the brain), and Google of course! I’ve proofed this blog several times. If I’ve made a mistake, at least you can tell that a human has written this and not a clever piece of AI!
