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The Oxford English Dictionary defines Artificial Intelligence (AI) as
“The capacity of computers or other machines to exhibit or simulate intelligent behaviour.”
The first example of AI was developed in the 1950s. When academics at the University of Manchester wrote a checkers-playing programme to run on the Ferranti Mark 1 machine. Today, it is increasingly becoming part of life. Look at the science behind advanced web search engines such as Google. Or, Alexa’s ability to understand human speech and Tesla’s self-driving abilities.
Is There a Role for AI in the Marketing Departments of the Future?
Some doom-mongers believe we are heading for a future where the role of humans in marketing will become redundant. A recent study by Phrasee (a brand language optimisation consultancy) found that AI is playing an increasing role in marketers’ technology investment. 63% said they would consider investing in AI to generate and optimise copy. Up from just 36% of respondents in 2020.
Bernard Marr, a strategic business and technology advisor, and Forbes Magazine contributor agrees and makes a case for the use of AI in marketing saying it makes your marketing, often one of a company’s biggest expenses, more efficient.
“In the online age, we’ve developed the ability to learn a great deal about who is or isn’t interested in our products and services. With content-based marketing, AI lends a hand by helping us work out what type of content our customers and potential customers are interested in and what the most efficient ways are to distribute our content to them.”
But is AI Able to Create Quality Content?
Empathy, compassion and storytelling are all attributes that machines can’t emulate, at least not yet. These limitations mean that AI-produced copy often needs rigorous editing, formatting and tweaking to match a client’s tone of voice.
Mike Harrison, Inbound Marketing Director at Essential, feels that AI’s priorities will be to create content that appeals to Google, not to consumers,
“Whilst AI makes us more efficient, increases output and saves us money, it not only removes the human aspect of the content we create, but it depletes content of insight and makes us lazy as marketers. The reality is that AI is writing for AI: what do I mean by that? AI writing performing SEO content for Google and not for real human readers.”
Using AI for basic copy such as instructions and documentation may be possible. However, its lack of understanding and human touch will be the main barrier to its widespread adoption for more nuanced marketing.
Is there a role for AI in SEO?
There are some positive signs that it could be a useful tool for SEO. It could easily be programmed to suggest keywords and spot link opportunities.
Chatbots
There’s no questioning that the use of AI in Chatbots is a business game-changer. Their ability to answer customers’ frequently asked questions improves efficiency and customer service.
Data Analysis
The other area that will benefit from the use of AI is analytics. With data now becoming the key backbone to any successful marketing campaign, the ability of machines to quickly and efficiently analyse data will be invaluable.
How Will AI Play a Part in the Marketing Roles of the Future?
There is no doubt that AI will form part of the marketing mix in the future. But, to what extent is still to be discovered?
The copywriter role will evolve to focus more on creativity as technology advances. Writers may spend less time on technical tasks like customer analysis and more on crafting engaging messages. Increased adoption of technology could also mean less time spent on basic writing tasks. Allowing copywriters to focus on complex messaging.
While it seems, in reality, the limitations are still making it more of a hindrance than a help for content creators. Current predictions state that it will end up bringing many benefits and creating more jobs than it destroys.
Those marketers and copywriters who are willing to accept this and take steps to understand how it will work in the modern marketing mix will be best prepared for the future.