There’s a lot of buzz about ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) language model created by OpenAI, an AI and research company, that has quickly become a popular tool for a variety of applications. What’s all the excitement about?

ChatGPT seems highly effective at comparing large sets of data. It is the foundation for many online and phone-based chatbots and can perform tasks such as generating computer code, language translation, performing research, creating content, and even writing songs.

AI is under fire in the news lately. Hollywood writers and actors are striking to protest using AI to generate content they typically create. Actors object to the use of their images as holograms to generate new movies or TV shows, in lieu of live acting, which would mean a substantial loss of work and income. AI has been used to spoof politicians or famous spokespeople to make it appear they are contradicting what they believe. It is also a tool in many scams, some of which use an AI-generated voice replication, which can even be used in a live conversation, in an attempt to convince the call recipient that it’s a family member or other known person who has an emergency and needs money.

Our team has been discussing the pros and cons of artificial intelligence in the field of marketing; we’ve concluded that there are both. Let me explain.

What’s In It for Me?

ChatGPT-type technology can be helpful as a springboard, that is, a primary step for initial research or to generate ideas for an article you are writing. It can also be helpful in ideation for a graphic or logo to see options for preferred style, color, and direction.

That said, one should be careful about relying on tools like ChatGPT to provide quality, reliable, or unique final products. AI is not human – hence artificial. It lacks common sense, emotional intelligence, and context. Additionally, there is no guarantee of the origin or accuracy of information generated and whether it is truth or fiction. This may increase risks in terms of liability, both for plagiarism and the basis for your advice to your clients.

Compare AI to automation in other fields. You can use Legal Zoom for forms, but it’s not a substitute for legal counsel. You can use automation to identify stock and investment trends, but a financial advisor is the best bet for your retirement planning. What about your industry? Can AI replace your years of personal experience and the expertise on which you base your counsel to clients?

As a marketing agency, we utilize AI where it offers data crunching and efficiency advantages for our clients. For example, “more like this” profiling can generate broader social connections and more prospect leads. AI can also facilitate the creative process and catalyze ideation by providing initial concepts to consider.

Why AI Content Lacks Heart

One of our clients recently tested ChatGPT’s capabilities when he searched “marketing plan” for his industry. We all had a good laugh when he gave us his opinion which was, “the output is crap.” Why is that?

  • The output lacks perspective, insight regarding customer needs, and the experience of a personal relationship with the client.
  • Content sounds and feels stale, lifeless, and monotonous; dare we say robotic?
  • Content is not personalized; if it’s not specific to your company, what value can it provide?
  • There is no human experience nor human frames of reference to provide the basis for stories.
  • AI cannot differentiate target audience subtleties and messaging is off the mark.
  • AI has no ability to distinguish between what’s important and what’s not and does not know your priorities.

AI content lacks heart because the human connection is missing. People do business with people. We want to engage with companies whose people we like, relate to, and whose values we share. Common experiences, understanding, emotions, empathy, and imagination play a crucial role in setting your company apart. AI simply cannot relate to the elements that are the true foundation of your business success – your long-standing relationship with your client, and an understanding of their needs and what’s most important to them.

The Proof is in the Numbers

A Gen Z member on our team said it well, “I don’t want to waste my time reading what has already been put out there – I want real stories that I can connect with and learn from.” We suspect this view reaches across most age groups. Ironically, even AI itself doesn’t rate AI-generated content highly. LinkedIn has tweaked its algorithms to offer more visibility to human stories and thought leadership.

The proof is in the numbers. We incorporate both data and human analysis into assessments of our 90-day sprints to get a complete, well-rounded picture of which messaging and channels are working best for our clients. We love automation for purposes of efficiency, but quality and results are always our priority.

The Latest Info

Looking to learn more about AI tools and chatbots? Check out this article that dives more into the pros and cons of each platform so you can choose one that fits your needs.

Note: This blog was created with the involvement of three humans, conversations with actual clients, and a discussion which included 5280’s entire agency team, and human-conducted, online research.