I’m a quick adaptor to new tech (obviously). I love testing it out and using what works really well.
With all the discussions about AI floating about, it’s hard to NOT find ways to incorporate it into your daily life.
And yet - I am not a fan. At least not when it comes to AI in marketing.
I recently had a conversation with Yuval Ackerman, my go-to for all things email strategy, about AI vs Human when it comes to email strategy.
We tried to have AI write a launch strategy for a program we already launched (using human strategy).
You can listen to our full discussion here
But if you are looking for a summary of what we discussed and a few pet peeves of mine about ChatGPT then here they are!
Limited Intuition
AI lacks human intuition, which often plays a crucial role in understanding complex customer behaviours and making strategic decisions beyond data-driven insights.
We have to do the legwork! ChatGPT and its comrades isn’t real AI, it’s more machine learning and relies on us humans to input the data it needs to capture tone, audience and historical data. Its current capabilities fall short of really making an effective strategy and is it going to change the world? Probably not!
Real AI impact is being seen in the Biotech and Agtech industries - this is where it will change the world for the better.
Lack of target audience understanding
Again this falls back to us having to input all the data. You have to be able to understand your audience and their needs and when and what they are ready to receive.
ChatGPT has no outside-the-box thinking. AI focus is on the goal and instruction you have given it.
It lacks sales psychology. It’s great at generating content and basic strategy, but that's it - basic.
This is why so many people are sharing (or selling) their prompts for AI. The prompt is how you define for ‘AI’ what you want it to output.
Human Strategist's Role
The role of human strategists who bring intuition, experience, and a deeper understanding of customer behaviour and market dynamics to develop comprehensive and effective strategies is essential - even if it is to instruct ChapGPT.
AI struggles to comprehend the context of human communication, leading to potential misinterpretation of tone, intent, or subtleties in emails.
It lacks emotional intelligence, making it challenging to gauge emotional cues in emails accurately - most humans have this. I agree a few haven't, however the majority that I have in my circle do!
This limitation affects personalization efforts and empathetic responses when they generate content.
Ethical and Legal Constraints
AI may encounter challenges in navigating ethical and legal boundaries, especially concerning privacy, data usage, and compliance with regulations like GDPR - this is yet to really be tested.
There's a risk of overreliance on AI, leading to a lack of human oversight, which can inadvertently harm the brand reputation or miss critical strategic opportunities.
And don’t forget the personal touch.
Despite attempts at personalization, AI might struggle to replicate the authentic personal touch that human interaction can provide in email communication - your voice being the most important!
People aren’t silly, they will see with your messaging how much effort you are putting into speaking to them!
And so, while many are already on the bandwagon of using ChatGPT, MidJourney and other AI tools to enhance their marketing efforts, I won’t be adapting so soon.
The amount of work required to perfect the prompt and output just seems wrong to me. I’d rather invest in enhancing my own skills and writing.
This is not to say I won’t be using AI at all. Just not in a full time capacity instead of good old human thinking.
