It looks like the arrival of accessible generative AI represents a change to the communications field on the scale of the Guttenberg Press, so it’s no wonder that it is driving optimism and mild panic in equal measure.
From data analysis to content generation, AI has the potential to free up time and resources, allowing communicators to focus on the strategic aspects of our work. This shift to working at the top of scope will have a profound impact on our profession, and the time to start learning about it is yesterday.
Text generators can produce human-like content, image generators can enable lower-cost image production, translation is becoming simpler by the day (though it’s still pretty terrible), and some text-to-speech is now almost indiscernible from a human voice. These are incredible advances, and things will snowball from here.
Of course, new technology brings new challenges. Data privacy is a major concern as AI systems require large amounts of personal information. We must also be mindful of potential biases in AI systems, ensuring they are diverse and representative. There is also a very real risk of job displacement and, at the least, reshaping.
There is a tsunami coming, and in my opinion, the best thing you can do is get your surfboard out and get to the crest of the wave as fast as possible.
If you want to dive deeper into the quickly developing world of AI in communications, take a look at my free guide, “Artificial Communication“, which provides an overview of how to implement AI in your communications team.