Fears that ChatGPT and generative AI will replace a number of roles in the industry have led to many not harnessing the benefits it can bring. However, as time moves on, and more teams apply the technology on a day-to-day basis, adopting a “fear mindset” around the tool could lead to businesses falling behind.
‘But it seems like it can do everything!’, ‘What can’t it do?’, I hear you say. So, I asked ChatGPT: “What can a human do that you can’t when it comes to marketing?” and it replied: “Humans have various capabilities and characteristics that differ from machine learning models like mine in the context of marketing. Here are some areas where humans excel over me: emotional intelligence, creativity, ethical judgement, interpersonal relationships, intuition, physical presence and flexibility.”
So, it seems ChatGPT can’t do it all. It’s clear if marketing strategy was left to generative AI alone, it would be unsuccessful in producing a fruitful strategy. So how can we apply the technology to enhance marketing strategies and support teams?
Leveraging AI in the right way
While businesses which are not utilising AI are at risk of falling behind, they must leverage the technology in a way that benefits their business and doesn’t risk their employees feeling alienated. Here are some ways AI can help:
- Improved customer experience: ChatGPT has the ability to generate human-like conversations, with personalised, real-time customer service. This helps to improve the customer experience without the dedication of significant resources.
- Automating tasks: AI can take over many mundane responsibilities, such as the analysis of data, and by automating these tasks, it also frees up more time for employees to focus on other marketing initiatives.
- Providing a starting point: Often a creative brainstorm can start with silence in a meeting room, but you can use ChatGPT to provide ideas that then spark further thought and discussion.
Some things to consider…
Although ChatGPT can support the marketing function, it’s important to remember the limitations of generative AI – mainly, that it isn’t human. This can raise several issues including when using ChatGPT to write copy, for example blogs, where due to AI language models having limitations in understanding context and emotions, it can leave text reading a little dry or formal.
It’s also important to note if ChatGPT is handling data, there may be privacy or data security concerns that need to be kept top of mind.
All in all, ChatGPT will never be able to replace the human brains behind a strong marketing strategy. However, it is something that can be harnessed to bring about positives for a marketing team – and shouldn’t be something that’s feared.
Moving forward, it’s about marketing teams working hand in hand with AI to reap its benefits, while remaining an entirely human team.
Gillian McCurdy is head of the School of Digital Marketing at
