I’m a author and at all times have been. My writing skills are undoubtedly central to my profession as an internal PR director and communications strategist. Admittedly, I used to be annoyed at the concept of generative AI taking up my job. How could a soulless machine compete with my creative abilities? At some point, I spotted that the threat to my profession got here not from AI, but from my reluctance to adopt it.
Like many others, I actually have been working for AI firms for years. I've been working with dozens of AI-based applications long before OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 sent the world right into a frenzy of fear and excitement.
Recently, at a marketing all-hands meeting, we were asked how often we use genetic AI in our work. Everyone replied that they literally use it day-after-day – except me. There are times when you desire to stand out from the group. This wasn't one among them. I suddenly felt like that uncle who still refuses to get a smartphone.
Letting go of pretentious skepticism
I approached my first conscious encounter with a big language model (LLM) with a combination of condescension and fear. Certainly no machine could reproduce my skilled wit and the tailored nuances of my prose, rigorously crafted and fit for purpose. It was an insult to my expertise and pride to consider that I needed help from anyone or anything to do my best work. I also didn't wish to be perceived as someone who cut corners.
I quickly thought in regards to the impact of my writing on the course of my life. Would I actually have gotten into Cornell University if everyone was using AI to put in writing good college essays? Is one among my best skilled strengths now democratized, chopped up into small, easily accessible pieces and distributed to the masses? It felt like a talent I had nurtured for years was now available to everyone with only a click.
Existential dread kept popping up in my head.
Why was I so immune to incorporating AI into my work? It doesn't take AI to determine where my fear comes from – the false concept that AI will replace me or, worse, make me average moderately than higher. For me, AI-driven writing was a private trick, a harbinger that signaled the redundancy of my craft. I used to be too afraid of the danger to my profession to assume the advantages.
Falling in love with the enemy
Faced with an ever-growing to-do list and the brand new balancing act of getting back from maternity leave to an expanded role as public relations director for a publicly traded technology company, I opened up Jasper AI.
Admittedly, I chuckled at a number of the features. Change the tone? Is this AI emotionally intelligent? Maybe greater than some former colleagues. I began with a blank screen. I began writing a number of lines and asked the AI to complete the piece for me. I enjoyed the gloating of failure.
It summarized what I wrote at the highest of the document and easily spit it out at the underside. Ha! I had proven my superiority. I returned to my cave and denied myself and my organization the advantages of this transformative technology.
The next time I used genetic AI, something modified inside me. I spotted how essential prompts are. You can't just type a number of initial sentences and expect the AI to grasp what you would like. It still can't read our minds (I believe). But there are dozens of templates that the AI understands. For PR professionals, there are templates for press releases, media presentations, crisis communications statements, press kits and more. And there are countless tools to find. Prompts could be the difference between AI improving your writing or wasting plenty of time.
Today, models can write coherent narratives, use industry jargon accurately, nail the tone, and reflect any writing style. I might never directly copy and paste his work, as AI can violate copyrights and hallucinate falsehoods, however it provides a great place to begin and infrequently overcomes the initial “blank page” struggle of just sitting down and starting to put in writing. Just typing the AI accurately forces you to give you an honest outline, which is a great place to begin for many writing projects. The impact on my time management and productivity was striking.
With Gen-AI, I felt like I had the antidote to author's block.
I had found a primary officer on my PR team who never takes day without work.
Raise the bar
Gen AI capabilities are making their way into countless business applications beyond writing-intensive skilled areas like mine—and for good reason. Here is my advice on easy methods to make peace with these technologies:
- No matter what you do for a living, stop swimming against the grain. It will drag you down and take your profession with it. You should ride this wave and master it.
- Generative AI won’t be your competitive advantage. Instead, it’ll likely raise the bar for everybody and move the goal post in your achievements, whether you prefer it or not.
- Don’t just regurgitate AI content. It is apparent, recognizable and offers no value. Instead, consciously use genetic AI to do what you already do higher and faster.
- We don't understand how we'll be using genetic AI in five years (and even next yr), but rest assured, almost everyone reading this will likely be using it – whether or not they realize it or not. AI will likely be integrated into the apps we use at work and in day by day life in a holistic, human-centered and seamless way, as a vital a part of systems that we don't see but that shape our interactions.
As with so many things in life, adaptability and a willingness to embrace change are key to staying relevant. Humans are resilient. AI will not be coming for us. It comes for our inefficiencies. Grab these tools with each hands and allow them to give you the results you want.
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