How Promo Pros Can Prepare for the AI Boom

Last week, I joined over 4,000 writers who registered to attend a virtual conference about AI. 

Four thousand. That’s one helluva flock of curious scribblers.

Our friend Paul Roetzer, head of the Marketing AI Institute, hosted the conference. Some of you might remember Paul. He joined us on the skucast two years ago to discuss this new thing coming called AI; he warned, “It’s going to revolutionize our work.” Back then, when the episode dropped, I heard echoes from the cavernous chorus of “who cares,” reverberating off the episode's stats.

But suddenly: ChatGPT. Now everybody cares. Or, at least, we’re awake to AI and curious. 

The challenge now is sifting the signal from the noise. AI news swings from Armageddon to Utopia. Research, like the Goldman Sachs report that revealed 300 million jobs would be lost due to AI (more on that below); or OpenAI’s prediction that 80% of workers will use AI; to even AI leaders stating that AI will be “more disruptive than the pandemic,” are daily headlines. 

I’m not googling my prepper pack yet; I'm curiosity-forward, but I also carry a strong anti-hype shield. I want to know which AI tool is most helpful for me (both as a human being and as a creative professional) and productive for our company. Which is why my most important takeaway from the AI conference was from Paul, who stated that we’re all asking the wrong question about AI:

Wrong question: How will AI replace us? 

Right question‌: How will AI change us?

AI will usher in a massive shift in how we work; some will feel it dramatically, others subtly. Examples? Like many of you, I’ve experimented with some of what’s coming, a snapshot of the AI tools I’ve used:

• Content research: ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, Writer AI, Notion’s AI for article research.

• Podcast: Descript AI to edit podcast episodes and to test simulating my voice (used only in one episode). 

• Press releases: I tried crafting a press release with four different AI tools, none of which I’ve used to publish, but the most impressive results came from Microsoft’s Bing, running on a newer version of ChatGPT: GPT-4.

• Biographies and podcast questions: I’ve asked AI to write podcast questions for me ranging from manufacturing relationships with China and geopolitical updates to topics on sustainability. I’ve also asked AI to write bios for speakers using their LinkedIn profile (interesting that Bing’s AI will specifically state it cannot do so directly from LinkedIn). None of which I’ve used, but all creations and revisions helped me think.

• Event recordings: I’ve used Writer’s Recap feature that takes recordings from events (or podcast episodes) and breaks them up into bite-sized segments and takeaways (this happens in minutes). None are quite usable yet, but the functionality is fascinating. 

• Editing tools: As I write this, AI tools Grammarly and Writer are deployed on this doc as editors. Both sit as passive tools, they are not yet creating for me; they sit like a robot on my shoulder (as Ann Handley says). I’ve also tested Copy.AI, Wordtune, and Hyperwrite.

• Email: Last week, Google deployed an AI feature in my email, allowing it to finish whole thoughts for me with a simple click (Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that they are sending new AI features to a limited number of testers); the tool is now gone, but for a moment, I have to admit, the in-app functionality was brilliant.

• Images: I’ve used Image Creator from Bing (powered by DALL-E) for this really ugly backpack image.

My AI experience is both frustrating and fascinating. Fascinating to watch the functionality unfold in seconds; frustrating that most of the tools have yet to produce an output that saves me time (Grammarly, Writer, and Notion are sometimes the notable exceptions).

But that will change. We’re at an inflection point with AI. Both mass hysteria and massive (real) change are coming. The app explosion will grow from 2500(ish) today to thousands by year-end. The options are mind-boggling. Even Google CEO Sundar Pichai himself said, “You can go crazy thinking about all the possibilities because these are very powerful technologies.” 

As a content leader, I like to stay on top of these developments. But for many in promo, you’re hustling every day just to take care of clients. You may be struggling to stay informed while trying to run a busy business. How does the busy promo pro make sense of it all right now? Or, more importantly, how does a progressive promo pro engage with AI in a productive and helpful way without being a massive drain on your time and emotional energy?

A few tips:

1. Beware of tech whiplash. Don’t heed every app siren song on Twitter. What to watch for? AI deployment by tools in your normal, everyday workflow. (We’ve all been through this before). Right now, you are likely using Google or Microsoft for spreadsheets/docs or Canva for design work. All of these tech giants are racing to develop AI tools right within your workflow, so, stay tuned to developments within those platforms because you’re already familiar with them. But when they do deploy them, use them. Play with them. It’s good to familiarize yourself with these tools as they are released without giving yourself whiplash over the latest AI tool (because many more are on the horizon).

2. Modernize, now. Review Marketing AI’s easy explainer of AI Terminology just to become more familiar with AI terms. As robust as it is, it’s only a 10-15 min read. Bookmark it, and keep it handy. And one note: In good conscience, I must add this, not for our sake, for yours: If you are not yet on a modernized system to run your business, from your order entry system to your sales presentations and your document workflow, update now, here’s our info. The changes coming in the upcoming months will seem like lightyears in advancement; the longer you delay, the faster you will fall behind. Now’s the time to update to the most progressive platform providers you know, because the tech-forward platforms will be on top of this (we are). 

3. Image creation: If you’re in a design role or design-curious, begin to play with image creation tools like MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, Canva, or Bing’s Image Creator. We’re a visual, tactile business. People use our products in their daily lives. The day will likely come when product presentations are in some way AI generative (like the backpack image I created in seconds on Bing’s Image Creator, I wanted to add a shameless plug to our backpack newsletter, and here’s my excuse to do it). 

4. Marketers, especially, be AI aware and vigilant: There will be limitations and best practices coming regarding licensing, copyright, and disclosure about using AI-generated images, copy, and more. Read Marketing AI’s manifesto for responsible marketing. Check out Writer’s excellent primer on how to use AI based on your content maturity level. See what leading publishers, like Wired, are doing to create a policy around AI. But what to beware of most? Becoming average. In an era where anyone can create content on demand, a distinct brand voice and brand personality are going to remain crucial.  

5. Busy leader but feeling AI forward? Create an AI exploratory team of 2-3 people in your organization tasked to test various tools and applications, but make it a sandbox, keep it fun, and let these folks bring forward their discoveries in your monthly team gatherings, it will help you stay ahead of the curve and save your entire org time. 

Amid all the doomsday scenarios about AI, Bloomberg cites the Goldman report, stating that generative AI “could raise US labor productivity by roughly 1.5 percentage points per year over a decade.” Moreover, Bloomberg accurately puts the doomsday report in context, “Goldman estimates that seven in 10 US workers would see their jobs impacted by AI, but only a small share of those would see their positions replaced by new technologies.”

AI has the power to make us stronger, faster, and better. But it also has the potential to flood our work with average, boring, and undifferentiated schlock. Unique brands, distinguishable voices, strong opinions, client experience, and professional expertise, these factors are as important as fast functionality and engineering. But combined, they have the potential to shift our businesses toward progress in a way practically unrecognizable from before (think: life before e-commerce). It’s that big. 

Using AI as a supplier or distributor now? How? We’d love to hear from you - and we’ll keep the AI updates coming! 

This article is an op-ed shared by our Chief Content Officer, Bobby Lehew, on the developments of AI and how we, as an industry, can stay on track with advancements. None of it was created by AI, though most of it was heavily reprimanded by Grammarly and Writer. This article was updated on 4/10/23.