When it comes to artificial intelligence for the communications industry, “more is not better,” and let me add, that “less is not more.”     

Although it may be tempting, we need to avoid looking at AI, particularly generative AI tools, in binary terms as either good or bad. Neither should we adopt AI unconditionally nor be Luddites trying to stop progress in its tracks.  

There are always two sides to a coin. The automobile has changed the world and at the same time 1.2 million people a year are killed in accidents. But, how many of us would trade a car for a horse and cart? 

Putting this in the context of the PR and communications industry, its potential to generate content has generally been welcomed, but more is not a “better” strategy. We are already in an arms race with AI generated content – one in which users increasingly do not know what is real.  

The siren sound of more press releases, social media posts or articles is a call onto the rocks. Like Homer’s Odysseus we may need to be strapped to the mast and held back from temptation.  

Because, more, not better, content will mean that what is important, what matters, and what resonates, will be lost. 

Imagine you are a journalist… do you want to be bombarded or have professionals reach out when they really have news to share. Even the latter is at risk – along with the whole profession – if we succumb to the “more” impulse.       

Just as AI can be misused, it has the potential to do things better. At first blush, Apple’s integration of AI into iPhones fits this bill. 

In a recent conversation with the head of sales at a hospitality company, AI was helping the company be more responsive to sales leads. Writing and editing tools were being used to generate different formulations of language to make sales pitches stronger and presentations better – guided by human oversight. 

PR industry service providers and tools provide a path to more quickly, efficiently, and effectively complete tasks that would once have taken hours or days. Our partner Researchscape’s AI tools, built into their research survey technology, will produce data reports, presentations, and findings following the completion of a fielded survey.  

This is what better looks like.