The future of marketing – AI in marketing
Marketing
Posted 03 Jul 2023
In recent months, many blogs have addressed the topic of artificial intelligence to showcase the possibilities of this technology in everyday professional life. Here at HBI, we too have looked at AI, having blog posts written by an AI (see here) or even shedding light on how AI can be used to make work easier (see here).
However, few posts look at the impact of AI on the medium-term future of the communications industry, relying on scientific statements.
This paper is not a scientific paper on a potential AI future, but is based on the presentations of PhD Támas Bokor and Márton Rétvári given at the Worldcom Youth Meeting 2023 at Corvinus University in Budapest.
In short, some scientists think so. It won’t happen overnight, of course, but even today, thanks to digital translation tools, foreign language skills are obsolete up to a certain level. Back in 2021, I wrote a blog post about the capabilities of artificial intelligence and the extent to which this quality of work can hold a candle to communication experts (click here to read it). Back then, the conclusion was the following: In operational activities, AI is a solid support, but all results should be revised again by human experts.
Today, on the other hand, many PR and marketing professionals put their trust in the results of an artificial intelligence that is capable of composing ten different LinkedIn ad headlines for rabbit breeders in the linguistic style of Arnold Schwarzenegger in a matter of seconds, using every letter of the alphabet in an orderly fashion.
And if you look at this particular case from the beginning of the year: “Samsung bans use of A.I. like ChatGPT for employees after misuse of the chatbot“, it quickly becomes clear that it’s not just the communications industry that relies on the artificial assistant.
Simply banning the use of artificial intelligence within a company or ignoring the capabilities of this technology will lead to a competitive disadvantage in the long term. There is a reason why business operators of all sizes rely on AI – be it to monitor simple regulatory requirements or to assist with time-consuming routine tasks.
While digital tools for language design, translation and spelling in particular are already commonplace, text-producing tools come with a serious drawback: So far, the AI creates the texts on the input it has previously received. ChatGPT, for example, works with the content of the Internet up to 2021. Anyone who now has a text produced receives, on the one hand, the same (or a very similar) result as a thousand other users who have formulated this prompt in the recent past, and on the other hand, the result is based on content that already exists.
To put it in concrete terms: If I formulate a prompt that ChatGPT or another tool should write a LinkedIn ad for me, I usually receive an ad text that already exists on LinkedIn in a similar way and that other users have also received in a somewhat similar fashion.
Márton Rétvári equates AI with fire in a metaphor. On a small scale, for example as a campfire, it can be very useful for humans. If its use gets out of control and a forest fire breaks out, it can take on destructive powers.
Basically, it is advisable to set a personal limit for AI use and, despite the extensive possibilities, to go without the technological assistant from time to time.
This is especially true for text creators and creative people, because if you let the computer write every text, you lose the opportunity to train and expand your own skills.
Senior Marketing Advisor at HBI Communication Helga Bailey GmbH
Lukas Huber has been part of HBI’s marketing team since 2020. As Senior Marketing Advisor, his responsibilities include the development of marketing campaigns, social media management and the teamlead for the HBI marketing team.
