Should Marketers Use Generative AI Tools Directly for Client Work?

(Image: eConsultancy)Here’s a question from the latest HYPEWORKS podcast notes: Should marketers use generative AI tools directly in client work?

The word directly in this case refers to output: assets, copy, frameworks etc. What started this conversation was the piece by Ad Age recently that quoted major agency outfit BBDO’s CEO’s warning to employees NOT to use AI directly in client materials. So what’s the big deal?

Pro’s

1. Efficiency and cost-effectiveness: AI tools can quickly generate content, designs, and other marketing materials, potentially saving time and resources. I’m writing this blog post right now that could easily be completely automated with ChatGPT. What it wouldn’t be able to do iist provide my own experience either before in my corporate career or with our agency.

2. Data-driven insights: AI can analyze large datasets and provide valuable insights to help marketers make more informed decisions and refine strategies. I think this is probably one of the most valuable aspects to ChatGPT and AI tools. Human’s can only analyse data sets a a fairly small clip; AI analyzes several orders of magnitude faster and more accurately.

3. Personalization: AI can help create highly personalized marketing materials tailored to individual users, improving the chances of engagement and conversion. This for me will perhaps be one of the most powerful aspects of AI generative tools we haven’t filled grasped. Imagine being able to serve an unlimited number of clients with unlimited content? It’s a world that is coming.

All in all, I think data driven insights and AI’s ability to analyze large datasets is the most importance benefit of the technology. But what about the drawbacks?

Cons

1. Ethical concerns: As per the BBDO piece in Ad Age, the use of AI may simply plagiarize everything in sight. Then there’s also the issue of privacy and data security, as well as potential concerns about algorithmic bias or manipulation. This for me is probably the most important question right now that remains unanswered tho I suspect the governments around the world will intervene shortly.

2. Quality control: AI-generated content may not always be perfect or accurate and may require human intervention for editing and fine-tuning. I’ve noticed this several times already with numerous in-accuracies. Always fact check whatever is coming out of ChatGPT…

3. Creativity: And finally, creative! AI can assist in generating new and innovative ideas, which can help marketers stay ahead of the competition. But it cannot replace the human’s ability to create…at least not yet!

Final thoughts

I think marketers should carefully evaluate the pros and cons and consider the specific needs and objectives of their clients before deciding to use generative AI tools. If ChatGPT and the like are used responsibly and ethically, AI can be a valuable tool for enhancing marketing efforts.

However, it's essential to maintain a balance between AI-generated content and human creativity and input to ensure marketing campaigns remain effective and engaging.

For me the bottom line right now is; use a combination of human creativity plus AI to get the best results for your clients.