‘AI is dangerous’. That’s just one of the top results when you search for Artificial Intelligence on Google.
No wonder there’s so much pessimism surrounding what the government calls the “technology of tomorrow”. Industry heads from the likes of Google DeepMind and OpenAI – the creators of ChatGPT – recently warned that AI could lead to the”‘extinction of humanity” and mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a ‘global priority’.
Fuelled by growing concerns over the acceleration of AI and regulation, a government taskforce has already been set up to look into AI safety research before the UK gears up to host the first global summit on AI later this year.
When any new innovation takes off it’s easy to become burdened by the occasionally scary headlines about AI becoming sentient, making us all jobless, or even taking over the world.
But there’s no doubt it’s already transforming lots of industries.
Steven Bartlett’s Flight Story has hired a chief AI officer, a role the company described as a UK‘industry first, This is Distorted has already tested the waters by generating a podcast series entirely generated by AI and Newsquest has hired an “AI-powered reporter”. There could be a final Beatles song on the horizon too, all thanks to AI.
Since OpenAI first launched ChatGPT in November 2022, there’s no getting away from the boom in AI innovation. Tech leaders like Bill Gates recently hailed AI as revolutionary, placing the technology on the same pedestal as the invention of the microprocessor, the computer, the internet and the mobile phone.
Whether it’s spinning out new tools, innovative start-ups and even creating jobs, it’s a technology we all need to now pay close attention to. The marketing industry is abuzz with chatter about AI’s potential – specifically generative AI, where algorithms can be used to generate instantaneous content such as text, audio or images.
According to a new study by digital asset management platform Bynder, the marketing industry is already embracing AI technology to enhance day-to-day tasks from brainstorming ideas to drafting social posts.
55% of respondents, including marketers at major global brands from Spotify, Puma and Five Guys, said they currently use AI tools in their content production processes. The most popular uses include support in creating first drafts (54%) and content optimisation (43%).
Whether it’s using AI to help craft compelling campaign content, attention-grabbing SEO copy or brand monitoring, we’ve sifted through some of the tools to help you get started and hear from some of the North’s marketers already tapping into its capabilities.
How to get started
If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the number of tools out there, ChatGPT is the best place to start tinkering around. It’s straightforward for novices to use, free and can be a source of inspiration if you’re stuck for ideas when crafting social copy, marketing strategies or optimising email subject lines, to name a few of its uses.
Amy Gleave, marketing manager at brand agency Dawn Creative, uses ChatGPT to support headline generation for the agency’s own marketing.
“Famous copywriter Cole Schafer says: ‘Five times as many people read the headline as the body copy’ so making it impactful is crucial. I’ll usually generate 25 headlines before I work on it to make it the perfect tone of voice, length and ensure it appeals to the reader.”
She’s also started using an AI-powered tool called Frase for SEO to help optimise blog content. “It looks at similar articles across Google, ranking higher than yours, and recommends keywords and headings to use within your article to supposedly rank higher. I think working with real, human SEO experts will always be preferred, but apps like this are great when you have a limited budget and capacity to figure things out alone.”
