AI is making our lives easier in so many ways. It’s also making everyone look in the mirror.
This is especially true when it comes to content creation, regardless of the topic, channel, or message. AI’s role within marketing and communications has, and continues to be, dissected ad nauseum in professional circles and on the thought leadership channel of the moment — the LinkedIn feed. Most of the narrative centers on the debate on what AI can or can’t do, but in this era of hot takes and polarized viewpoints, the discussion is missing nuance.
Many comms leaders see AI as an existential threat, and have often been the loudest voices on its limitations. But sounding the alarm bells to argue that AI only cheapens our work, is ignoring its potential as a growth driver for what we can accomplish. There are also obvious risks when it comes to an over-reliance on AI in content creation. In an era of endless content demands, AI seems like the perfect fix. But just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s nutritious. “Everything in moderation” — one of life’s most enduring principles — has never been more apt.
A common analogy in the LinkedIn discourse has been liking AI-generated content to cheap, commodified fast food. Using that construct, PR and comms leaders are best served to treat AI like a Big Mac — convenient and just fine as an occasional indulgence in certain scenarios, but not a core part of a healthy communications diet.
Where AI belongs on the plate
Though the race to embrace AI in virtually every industry might have you believe that it’s a silver bullet for just about everything, communications is still a uniquely human concept. The best communicators are those that infuse creativity, authenticity, and personality into their work. AI can’t think critically, so why let it speak for your brand? Yes, our work might get easier with the advent of AI tools, but overreliance on them leads to bad habits. The instant gratification you might get when ChatGPT spits out a “complete” blog post or byline is a nice feeling in the moment when you have a hundred things on your to-do list, but does it help uplift your brand in an authentic way? Are you truly building your brand or just filling space?
At the same time, AI is great in the right applications. It can be especially useful when testing narrative strategies against real-world customer personas or helping with competitor research. One of our favorite prompts is asking “will reporter or customer X think this concept is dumb?” It’s great at ideating and brainstorming. It can help outline and organize concepts for internal alignment before the final copy is developed and is sent outside the organization.
AI supports the meal, but human expertise prepares and plates it.
Human creativity and editorial rigor
Much like McDonald’s, automation still struggles with telling humans what they want to hear too often. The ubiquity of AI makes it harder for humans to stop and ask “do I actually want this?” Value becomes McValue. Even when comms pros use AI to vet a concept or test messaging, the responses are often self-congratulatory or lacking the context required to draw actionable conclusions from. After all, AI at its core is a predictive word generator.
Humans have a critical role to play in interpreting what AI provides and then asking the tough follow up questions to get beyond the fluff. As communicators, we know far more about what journalists or customers care about. We know what those one-on-one customer conversations reveal specifically about the products and use cases our organizations or clients provide. AI doesn’t have a built-in BS detector.
It does, however, work well in providing another perspective on how a message might be received by the broader market. Eighty-five percent of links AI cites in responses come from trusted, verified, earned media outlets that get their information from human to human conversations. AI is largely providing feedback and recommendations from sources that depend on real-world human interaction — a perfect example of how AI and humans work together to give communicators the insight needed to evolve strategy.
What’s fueling your comms program?
So much of PR and marketing’s purview also includes creating offline experiences for key audiences. Real value in communications comes from contextual awareness, journalistic instincts, and strategic empathy for an audience’s needs. The best content often leans into themes of tension, controversy, or surprise because it offers an audience a different point of view to consider. AI usually can’t replicate or understand those ideas in a brand-safe manner.
No matter the channel, healthy programs are built on strong positioning that is informed by first party data, customer feedback, and earned trust through editorial excellence. Ideas, brands, and technologies take off when we leverage AI/GEO/SEO correctly AND bring people into the fold through focus groups, events, webinars, and advisory councils. Customers, journalists, and analysts all need experiences beyond their computer screens to fully engage.
AI is obviously changing how we work, but choosing to either make it the foundation of everything we do, or fear for our jobs and livelihoods because of it, are both dangerous lines of thinking. The fear mongering from either perspective is equally unproductive. AI simplifies so much, but it has to be used with intention and the kind of editorial rigor that has sustained brands for decades. Just as a steady diet of easily available fast food leads to fatigue and dysfunction, a comms strategy built solely on AI leads to brand anemia.
Big Macs will always be available. It’s OK to have one occasionally, but you probably don’t want to make it a part of your daily diet.