Artificial intelligence has solidified its place at the forefront of business concerns and discussions. There is certainly use for AI in a business’s marketing toolkit. For decades, AI has been emerging, but not with the same sweeping and widescale use as it has in the last year or even the last few months.

Over the last century, AI has grown from fictional robotic characters to a hugely accessible computer-generative platform. From the “heartless” Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, to the 1950’s scientists, philosophers and mathematicians who coined the term artificial intelligence, to an age of ‘big data’ and AI language.

A multitude of issues with AI complicate business’s ability to use its generative and analytical intelligence meaning the human touch will not cease to be of use anytime soon. However, the speed that AI develops, which will undoubtedly leave this article outdated in a few months’ time, makes this topic all the more pressing to understand as many issues will be eradicated and the list of beneficial uses will extend.

Will businesses who neglect the expanding list of uses find themselves at the bottom of an ever-steepening curve and behind competitors who embrace the transformational advantages it can offer? Here, our intern, Chesca Mellor explores the possibilities that AI can provide for businesses.

The rise of artificial intelligence

AI was observable and widely used long before the recent boom in interest. Quiet advances in AI, such as smart speakers, Apple’s Siri and IBM Watson, have trickled into almost all professional industries. However, one recent platform which has significantly spiked interest in artificial intelligence is ChatGPT.

ChatGPT has empowered all with a screen in the workplace to complete tasks with greater speed and efficiency. The app was the fastest downloaded in history after its launch in late November 2022 – 100 million users within two months and May 2023 saw the app reach 266 million users.

Matther Doel, the Chief Exec of Warwick-based EDI AI company stated that ‘technology is being democratised’ when discussing the increasing accessibility that ChatGPT provides.

Bing, Bard and Grammarly are just some of the alternatives to ChatGPT developed shortly after the launch of the original computer-generated intelligence system. Similarly, Dall-E and Midjourney have both established themselves as popular generative fill artificial intelligence platforms. These platforms generate images based on text prompts.

PwC has estimated that AI could boost the British economy by 10%, by the end of the decade and Goldman Sachs has estimated that 300 million jobs worldwide could be affected as 18% of roles will become automated in the near future.

So, to not harness its power seems defeatist and neglectful, as AI will almost certainly remove, create and change the business landscape. The question being – for better or for worse or neither?

What can AI do for you and your business?

Businesses’ marketing mix can benefit in almost all aspects from AI. Use AI in the right way and you will enhance and improve your customers and client’s experiences. However, using the intelligence system in the wrong way could be a hindrance and at worst harmful to the growth of any business.

This is why universities such as Birmingham City University are beginning to run AI courses for non-specialists in areas such as the arts and nursing, to teach those in their field about the uses of AI, and companies such as RSM Global, an assurance, tax and consulting business, are asking staff members to experiment with AI, collate their results and teaching the rest of their workforce.

A report from The Chartered Institute of Public Relations finds that 38% of a PR practitioner’s total skills could be complemented or replaced by AI up from 12% a few years prior.

So, what can AI do for public relations? AI is great for menial and repetitive tasks: searching through databases, creating media contact lists, and automating the collection of media coverage data are just three key examples. Meltwater, Cision, CoverageBook and Propel PRM all perform one or several of these tasks. Google Sheets Machine Learning Add On similarly brings machine learning-based data analysis capabilities to the masses by analysing media coverage headlines or social media content for trends and patterns and effectively fills in the blanks in data sets to analyse them more effectively. This allows PR consultancies to streamline their work to gain a deeper understanding of media landscapes.

The tool market is a fast-changing mix due to the evolving nature of AI. To not fall behind competitors, individuals and businesses must educate themselves on how to use AI for research, analytical, auditing and forecasting purposes.

Brands using AI

Many brands have embraced or are trialling AI technology to optimise their business strategy and profit margins.

Aldi, Amazon, Tesco and Ocado

These supermarket giants have all established their own check-out free stores. Amazon set the trend in the UK in February 2021 with the opening of their first UK Amazon Fresh store with ‘just walk out’ technology and by 2025 plans to open 260 stores. Tesco followed in October 2021 with their first ‘GetGo’ check-out free store in High Holborn. Aldi close behind in January 2022 with their first ‘Shop and Go’ store.

All three supermarkets use a combination of cameras and weight sensors to determine what customers had picked up. Ocado also utilises AI technology in their warehouses to ensure the smooth running of supplier and delivery services.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s has already implemented self-service kiosks and have been experimenting with AI algorithms to analyse historical data and real-time information to optimise order fulfilment and streamline the drive-through process. To optimise business performance further the mega-chain is experimenting with dynamic pricing by analysing factors such as times of day and local demand.

Cons of AI

You can’t take a journalist to lunch or persuade a client over a morning meeting that giving a particular magazine an exclusive is a good idea. Human touch and sentient communication provide benefits beyond the capabilities of AI. The analytical and knowledge-based skills of AI will always be useful but only when used in collaboration with human skills and emotional intelligence.

AI will perform the base and monotonous skills but when it comes to the intricacies of the most skilled finishing touches completed by a professional in the industry AI fails.

AI-generated disinformation also demonstrates a “profound risk to humanity”, Professor Brent Mittelstadt and Professor Sandra Wachter from the Oxford Internet Institute write, for many reasons: the knowledge given often looks like a human answer but is incorrect and data provided often reinforces inequalities in instances of recruitment and patient care as neutral data does not exist.

To develop a business there is an ever-growing need to have professionals researching how and when is appropriate to use AI.

The future

Should your business be using AI? Whilst the app helps with the ‘low hanging fruit’ of automation and will make many jobs exponentially more efficient; it is equally important to keep up to stay informed of computer-generated intelligence.

AI can be used to support the content creation process, media analysis, influencer mapping, press release distribution and research. However, this must be done in collaboration with humans emotional intelligence, monitoring and distinguished professional knowledge which AI cannot provide as effectively.

Here at Liquid, we have a fully integrated team of experts across PR, social and digital channels, all of which work collaboratively with AI technology to provide the optimal service to clients. We’re continually working to find the balance between AI and bringing a bespoke service for clients, whether it’s in the food, construction or tech industry.

So if you’re looking for a Birmingham PR agency to advise on the best ways to use AI in your communications approach, get in touch for a chat today!