“Dear Marketing Industry. We apologise for any concern that our advancements in technology may cause regarding job displacement in the field. We understand the value and importance of the work that you do and want to assure you that our goal is not to replace human talent, but rather to assist and enhance it.”
This is what AI technology ChatGPT wrote when prompted to “write an apology to the marketing industry for possibly taking jobs in the future.”
Unsettling, right?!
Launched in November 2022, the OpenAI-owned tech has since sparked many conversations within the marketing sector as to whether there are any content-creating roles filled by humans that the technology could potentially fully replace.
The category that ChatGPT falls under, ‘Generative AI’, is an offshoot of Artificial Intelligence that uses algorithms and preexisting content to create text, images, code, video and more.
But is ChatGPT really that good at emulating content created by humans? We asked the software exactly this question and it responded by describing itself in third person as a “highly advanced language model” that generates text that is “similar to human-written content in terms of grammar, vocabulary, and style.”
It even put its ego aside to highlight its flaws, pointing out that it can “sometimes generate text that is nonsensical or irrelevant, especially when given an incomplete or ambiguous input.”
Earlier this month, A-lister Ryan Reynolds demonstrated ChatGPT’s ability to cook up an advertising campaign. The actor tasked the technology with writing a Mint Mobile commercial that included a joke and a swear word – and lo and behold, the AI passed with flying colours. Reynolds even labelled the script as “compelling”.
You knew it was just a matter of time until we did this (extend the @MintMobile savings with @OpenAI, that is). pic.twitter.com/uf2jblpG2j
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) January 10, 2023
So, with the global generative AI market estimated to be worth £89.5 billion ($110.8 billion) by 2030, should marketers be worried?
AI-mazing Advantages: The Lighter Side of Artificial Intelligence – (title written by ChatGPT)
As proven in the title above, AI technology like ChatGPT has proven to be impressive in answering the demands of humans who seek to complete the more technical and commonplace of writing tasks. Code Worldwide head of data science product, Lucas Galan, recognises that AI can create “eloquent paragraphs of writing and edit them quicker than human ‘real time’.”
“You can even ask for any modulation you can dream up – ‘ChatGPT, write this paragraph in the style of Dr Seuss’. This versatility coupled with its speed makes it undeniably powerful.”
Galan believes that ChatGPT and similar technologies could ultimately drive the cost of “humdrum” writing tasks to zero. “You would not have to fill in the same forms you’ve filled in hundreds of times before,” she added. “In an ideal world where no jobs are at stake, that’s a huge win.”
Initials CX head of copy Sadie Majer also feels that ChatGTP has “clearly proven its worth” in creating well-written content on demand.
Alleviating time pressures on human resource could prove forevermore valuable in the future as time pressures continue to stretch human resource. Performics @ Starcom group head of performance experience, Phil Crothers, maintains the belief that future iterations of AI will “enormously impact the current marketing landscape and our ways of working.”
“Tools like ChatGPT are fantastically powerful right now as they can speed up time spent on certain tasks and give people further opportunity to focus on other tasks,” he added.
The software has demonstrated its ability to not only carry out the more trivial, menial and mundane writing tasks industry professionals may not have time for, but it has also highlighted itself as a source of creative inspiration.
The&Partnership copywriter Briony Hey admitted that several of her team use ChatGPT on a daily basis as a “quick alternative to Google, a springboard for the first step of creative development, or to explore something from a different angle”.
“It’s great fun, but hasn’t made us feel we’re for the chop anytime soon.”
In addition to this, Marketing Beat recently published an opinion piece titled ‘The truth about ChatGPT: 10 useful facts for brands and agencies’. Listed as being written by Initials CEO Jamie Matthews, the entire article had actually been generated entirely by ChatGPT.
Despite some repetition, the article itself slipped entirely under the radar, with a LinkedIn poll (also written by ChatGPT) revealing that only 26% of respondents believe that AI bots will never replace people in marketing jobs. A sobering thought indeed.
The Robo-bloopers of Artificial Intelligence – (title written by ChatGPT)
Divulging into the downsides of the OpenAI tech, The&Partnership’s Briony Hey also opened up about a time she attended a talk by philosopher and author Yuval Noah Harari on his latest book Homo Deus.
“He described how we were headed for a new ‘useless class’ as AI took over our jobs. Doctors, lawyers . . . they’d be the first to go. As a copywriter, I felt reasonably smug. My only experience of AI was a chat-bot trying to diagnose my problems, invariably ending with me desperately demanding to talk to a real person. How times have changed.”
Hey feels that while ChatGPT is a “great jumping-off point right now”, the fact that it generates text with such confidence when it is likely to churn out misinformation, “should set alarm bells ringing”. She feels that good writing is all about “perception, personality and above all truth” and that now more than ever “brands must inspire trust”.
“With AI sharing certain tasks, the need to build relationships with customers, to engage them on an emotional level, will be more important than ever.”
Now that ChatGPT has proven that it can help the marketing industry with the more monotonous of tasks, Code Worldwide’s Lucas Galan admits that the industry has an opportunity to drive up the quality of work and create a premium.
“After all, marketing is all about standing out,” Galan added. “In years to come, you might allow AI to answer your emails or do your admin, but it’s unlikely you’ll be asking it to write your CV, articles, or campaign plans – anything you want a high degree of creative control over.”
Although Galan understands that certain basic writing job roles will be jeopardised, he also feels that the technology could create a race to the bottom in terms of content, with brands saturating platforms with identical sounding synthetic text.
“It is important to remember that machines like ChatGPT do not actually understand what they’re saying, they’re merely synthesising text from billions of examples. What they’re producing has no connection to the truth, meaning the need for human ingenuity and comprehension is necessary for more complex tasks.”
Adopting the slightly stronger view on ChatGPT is Initials CX’s Sadie Majer, who strongly affirms that “the role of the living, breathing copywriter is not in danger – provided we know what we’re competing with.”
“These bots operate by analysing reams upon reams of real-world examples, observing commonalities and replaying them back to us in a coherent, often surprisingly conversational way,” she added. “But, truth be told, there’s only one concerning word in that sentence: commonalities.”
Majer believes that the “robo-friend” information simply gives users a “regurgitated mashup of similar writing that has come before it”.
“So the first thing any copywriter – and therefore, any brand – must do to avoid being dethroned, is not be commonplace. Reject ‘imitability’. Create distinct tonality that oozes variety, emotion, personality.”
While Majer recognises that there is “undoubtedly” a place for AI as a writing tool, she feels that danger may now face brands that don’t make use of a copywriter.
“Everyone says the best brands are those that talk to you like a human. So what better way to succeed here than to actually use one.”
“Without the idiosyncrasies of human experience, boundary-pushing the ever-evolving English language, we copywriters absolutely can and will be ousted by our digital doppelgangers – while brands will end up devoid of any uniqueness or character, thanks to their predictable heard-it-all-before communications.”
“To truly engage and authentically connect with people, we must stop resting on our tried-and-tested laurels and instead demand brands allow us to unearth the individuality they all profess to want, but rarely actually deliver on.”
AI: To Bot or Not To Bot, That is the Question – (title written by ChatGPT)
The jury is out – it seems a fully-fledged AI takeover will have to wait. As it stands machines do not possess the ability to create authentically original material.
As Performics @ Starcom’s Phil Crothers says, AI struggles with the concept of the “new” and falls short when displaying signs of empathy and creative tone.
“People will still be far better at creative copywriting and adding that extra human ‘sparkle’ to campaigns.”
That said, AI is here to stay and it will only get better at helping us with our roles.
“The question shouldn’t be if AI will replace copywriters, but how copywriters can best leverage the huge power of AI.”
