How Will AI like ChatGPT impact PR?
Amongst all the hype around ChatGPT, let’s answer some questions around how ChatGPT and AI generally will impact PR:
Q: Do PR professionals need to worry about their jobs?
A: No more than before. Change is constant, and AI is merely another change.
Q: How will AI impact PR?
A: For those who adapt, it will help you do your work faster, better, and cheaper.
Q: How soon can AI write a press release for me?
A: ChatGPT can do that right now, but let’s see how good it is.
I asked ChatGPT to “write a press release about how ai will impact public relations.” Here’s what it gave me:
Attention all media outlets:
AI is revolutionizing the world of public relations. With the ability to analyze and interpret data at lightning speeds, AI is changing the way PR professionals approach their work.
One major area where AI is making a significant impact is in the realm of social media monitoring. AI algorithms can quickly sift through vast amounts of data from social media platforms to identify trends, track sentiment, and even predict potential crises. This allows PR professionals to respond more effectively to social media activity and to proactively address potential issues before they escalate.
AI is also being used to automate certain tasks, such as the creation of social media content and the distribution of press releases. This frees up PR professionals to focus on more creative and strategic tasks, such as developing and implementing comprehensive PR campaigns.
Another area where AI is having an impact is in the field of media relations. AI can analyze media coverage and help PR professionals identify the most effective outlets and strategies for reaching specific audiences. This allows PR professionals to more effectively target their efforts and maximize the reach and impact of their campaigns.
In short, AI is transforming the way PR professionals work and is enabling them to be more efficient and effective in their efforts. As AI continues to advance, it is sure to have an even greater impact on the field of public relations in the future.
Two things immediately become obvious:
You would never put this out there as-is. No experts are quoted, no studies are cited—it’s bland, generic marketing speak.
It’s still pretty amazing that ChatGPT was able to create this. If it’s not something you could publish without extensive editing, it at least gets you started.
Q: Is ChatGPT better at writing articles than press releases?
A: No, but it does a decent job at giving you somewhere to start.
All these questions lead up to the big one…
Where is AI going and what do I do to prepare?
This is where things get exciting!
If we can compare AI to the video game industry, it’s 1977 and Atari just released their first console. If we were talking cars, we’re at the stage where Henry Ford released his Model-T.
AI is in its infancy and is nowhere close to what it will be in a few years.
Imagine being able to tell AI to do things like these, immediately, and the right way:
Hi AI, find the best-matched journalist at Forbes to write a story about our client XYZ Company and send them an email pitch from me.
Hi AI, write a 1200-word article on ABC topic for the New York Times, quoting three experts, and send it from me to the staff writer most likely to take an interest in it.
Hi AI, create a Google sheet for me with the names and contact info of the top twenty journalists who would be most likely to write about our client DEF Company.
Hi AI, find decision makers who are looking for new PR services and who would be a good match for our firm, and send them a pitch they’ll like.
AI isn’t here yet, not even close (I tried much easier tasks with ChatGPT, and it didn’t handle them well), but within a few years it will be.
Some PR professionals will be ahead of the game, ready and waiting, and will keep trying out new iterations of AI so they can use it as soon as possible. Others will wait until they see what everyone else is doing.
Some PR pros will use AI to do things they do right now.
The best PR pros will use AI to do things they aren’t doing right now, because they’re impractical. This is where entirely new business models will come from, ways of doing PR that nobody has thought of because we tell ourselves, “That’s impossible!”
What can you do to prepare for the merger of AI and PR?
Cultivate a growth mindset. Read Mindset by Carol Dweck, for starters. This will help you stay positive and look for opportunities, rather than building protective walls.
Play around with each new AI tool. Try out ChatGPT. If you don’t have an Alexa, Google Home, or Siri device in your home, get one, just to experiment with.
Watch Interstellar. When we start communicating with our computers the way McConaughey’s character talks with those square robots, you know we’re getting close to really good AI.
Make lists of what you would do with a free set of clones. If you could clone yourself and there were no ethical issues, your clone didn’t require clothing or food or anything else that costs money, and you could tell your clones to do whatever you wanted them to, what would you have them do? Another way to ask the question is how would it change what you do in your PR work if you had unlimited time, energy, and motivation? That will give you ideas of what AI will be able to do for you.
Hang out with people who love AI. Naysayers will put you in a scarcity mindset. Spend time with people who are more Abundance than Rise of the Robots.
It’s not just AI. It’s AI + machine learning + big data + connected everything + quantum computing + nuclear fusion + everything else. The future is going to be amazing. Someday we’ll look on the tasks we take for granted that we have to do, just like our ancestors thought “Everyone has to grow crops!” and we’ll wonder why we put up with these mundane tasks for so long.
The future of PR, like everything else that requires creative thought and requires the best humans have to give, will be supported by AI, rather than threatened. There will be adjustments, but it’s going to be a great time for all of us.
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