Bite Size Comms

As we near the end of 2023, there appear to be so many posts and articles about AI and its expected impact on PR. And here am I contributing yet another post on the topic.

Other contributors like Andrew Bruce Smith post from the perspective of in-depth knowledge. I just ask you to think about two things connected to AI. Firstly, do you truly understand what AI encompasses, and secondly, how are you using AI, probably without knowing it, and embrace that.

I see a gross oversimplification of AI. That it is just about ‘chatbots’ and constitutes unethical practice. It leads to plagiarism as many academics allege, or misinformation. I think it is much better to divide the big and growing field of AI into the generative AI of Large Language Models (ChatGPT, Claude, LLaMA etc) – those so-called chatbots; and Productivity AI, apps and software that we probably regularly use to improve effectiveness and professionalism in our comms (and save time). That too is a simplification, but I think it helps. Of course, there is a strong case to say that in anything academic, and that includes CIPR qualifications, asking an LLM to write the assessment or part of it is wrong. But outright bans of all AI are also wrong. That is what CIPR is suggesting for qualifications. To stay competitive, PR practitioners need to understand how productivity apps can help their work. Most of these have an element of AI built in. As an example, let’s take the apps I use regularly. Grammarly to edit what I write is AI. I use Final Cut Pro to edit videos. AI. Hindenburg Pro to record and edit podcasts. AI. Whisper to transcribe audio. AI. Auphonic to improve audio quality. AI. Pixelmator to edit images. AI. Canva for creating social media posts. AI. The algorithms that power our social media feeds, social listening tools, and media coverage tools use AI. I could go on and on.

Describing AI as bad is incorrect. Understanding AI and the risks it poses to PR ethics (deepfakes, plagiarism etc) is good. If this has touched a nerve, please buy the excellent collection of essays in #FuturePRoof edition 6 on Amazon, or if you are short of a few pounds at Christmas, read the individual chapters on Stephen Waddington’s website.

I hope that there will be a more balanced discussion about AI in PR in 2024.

[Image: Unsplash]