It’s no secret that there’s been a bit of a fight between humans and bots lately. This could be due to the preconceived notion that artificial intelligence is creeping in and changing the way we go about our daily lives. From the way we drive and order food to the algorithm that knows everything we think, this may have caused some confusion among earthlings. PWC reported that artificial intelligence will power nearly 45% of the economy by 2023. Perhaps a little clarification on what this robot “takeover” really means could help.
To better understand what artificial intelligence is and what it means for the future of media, BLACK COMPANY sought professional insight from a marketing director Kimberley Wilsonwhose expertise includes an in-depth study of AI and extensive experimentation with its capabilities.
What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence, abbreviated AI, is a technology that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. So what exactly does that mean? Wilson said to look at it that way. Compare it to the way humans learn and adapt. “Just like we learn from our experiences and get better at tasks over time, AI systems are designed to process large amounts of data, learn from it, and improve their performance on specific tasks without explicit programming,” she explained.
Technology is programmed to perform tasks by learning from experience, understanding natural language, recognizing patterns, and making data-driven decisions.
“AI can improve personalization, which can lead to better customer experiences and increased engagement. This ultimately increases the overall performance of the company. AI can predict trends and customer behavior, enabling companies to proactively respond to market demands and optimize their operations,” added Wilson.
Different types of AI
By now, the majority of humanity is aware of how complex machine intelligence can be. Wilson relaxed this perspective, explaining that AI can be broadly classified into three types.
Narrow AI (weak AI)
“This type of AI is designed to perform specific tasks and is limited to just those tasks,” Wilson said. Narrow AI is considered the most common form of AI today and includes applications such as virtual assistants and recommendation systems.
General AI (strong AI)
General AI can understand, learn, and perform any intellectual task that a human can perform. However, “true general AI is still theoretical and doesn’t exist yet,” according to Wilson.
Super AI (Artificial Super Intelligence)
Super AI is a hypothetical AI that would surpass human intelligence in every way, but Wilson shared, “At this point, this is purely a matter of speculation and hasn’t been reached yet.”
AI for media companies
Every day companies are incorporating some form of AI into their overall business strategy. “For media companies, targeted AI applications such as content personalization, automated content generation, sentiment analysis, and audience targeting can be particularly beneficial to improve content delivery and audience engagement,” said Wilson.
According to the head of marketing, there are several ways to integrate AI into a company’s marketing strategy. These strategies include:
customer segmentation to analyze customer data and behavior to segment audiences based on their preferences and characteristics for targeted marketing campaigns;
personalization or create personalized content, product recommendations, and advertising to improve customer engagement and conversion;
Predictive Analytics which predicts customer behavior, sales trends and market needs, thus aiding in strategic decision-making;
Image and video analysisthe analysis of visual content where technology can recognize objects and even assess customers’ emotions to improve visual marketing strategies; And
In social media management, technology can help a company monitor, plan content, and analyze data for better social media marketing.
Transition to artificial intelligence
So all in all it’s fair to say that this all seems to be of great help, but now what? Organizations can make the transition to the world of artificial intelligence to balance their responsibilities and lighten the burden of day-to-day tasks. “AI makes it easier to automate repetitive tasks like data entry, content creation, and customer support, freeing human resources for more strategic work. It can also improve decision-making by analyzing large sets of data-driven decisions faster and more accurately,” Wilson said.
If you want to make the transition, here’s how.
Identify pain points. AI can add value in these areas and address specific challenges or inefficiencies in business processes.
Perform data collection and preparation. Wilson said that collecting relevant data and making sure it’s properly organized and labeled is critical to effectively training AI models.
Start with narrow applications. Start with pilot projects and use tight AI applications to solve specific problems and gain experience. This should be implemented before looking for a more complex AI.
Work with AI experts. Wilson said that working with AI experts or seeking guidance from AI specialists will help guide companies through the implementation process to ensure the optimal use of AI technologies.
Form a task force. Assemble a diverse, cross-functional team of in-house subject matter experts to work together to integrate AI across the enterprise. Wilson said, “Leadership commitment and prioritization are critical to the success of this initiative.”
AI, diversity and authenticity in marketing
Even as AI transforms the way brands communicate and market their businesses to consumers, brands must strive to maintain their authentic voice and accommodate the diversity of their audience. “Although AI is revolutionizing the marketing industry, it lacks the nuance of corporate authenticity and cultural diversity,” said Wilson.
AI appears to have posed several challenges to diversity, as according to Wilson, “AI algorithms are only as unbiased as the data they are trained on.” Brands can use AI to increase diversity by leveraging diverse data that are representative of the entire population, develop models that can detect and mitigate bias in the data and decision-making processes, establish ethical guidelines and frameworks for AI development, and involve diverse teams in AI development, which Wilson says brings different perspectives and reduce prejudice.
When implementing AI, brands should take care to remain authentic.
Emphasize the importance of Human-AI Cooperation. “AI can automate tasks, but human creativity, empathy, and understanding are irreplaceable in building authentic customer relationships,” said Wilson. Using AI to understand your audience and their behavior is key to delivering relevant content. Brands should also strive for data diversity to appeal to a wider audience and avoid perpetuating discriminatory practices. Wilson went on to say that brands should “continuously monitor the performance of AI algorithms for possible biases and inaccuracies and be ready to make adjustments as needed.” Prioritize ethical use and develop an ethical framework that aligns with your brand values and drives commitment to fair and responsible AI practices.
Always be open to feedback from your teams and customers.
“While AI can automate processes and improve efficiency, its ultimate goal should be to improve the customer experience and meet their needs. Brands should focus on using AI to deliver personalized, meaningful content and services that resonate with their audience,” concluded Wilson.
As a reminder, brands should always be transparent when using AI and data collection to ensure customer trust and privacy.