Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the digital marketing landscape. The marketing industry has the most to gain from AI technology with its ability to collect and analyse customer data. It can identify who the ideal client is, what they need, connect that need to a product or service and then choose the most relevant copy or content to use to persuade the customer to buy it.
Companies now have the opportunity to use technology to automate processes, tasks and systems to generate revenue through customer acquisition. However just because we can, does that mean we should?
AI has a lot of benefits for brands, but we should always look at the limitations of technology, as well as the benefits. So, before jumping onto the AI train, consider these elements of AI-driven marketing that could negatively impact your business.
1) Inaccuracy
One of the major limitations of AI, especially AI writing tools such as ChatGPT, is the inaccuracies of data or facts. These inaccuracies appear as errors, biassed or skewed data, misplaced statistics and sentences that don’t flow.
An example given in an article from Wired (2021) was that if an image of a cat is seen by an AI algorithm as 70% likely to be a cat, but is labelled “spoon” then the image will be wrongly labelled.
AI writing models can generate incomplete or biassed information as they’re trained on existing patterns and data, reworking existing content that has been fed into its algorithm. The result: content that may lack originality, creativity and pull facts that are incorrect.
Just think, if an AI writer is pulling information on a niche topic where right-wing opinions dominate, it’s going to supply a biassed response to your query or request.
Another leading concern of AI writers is the high level of possible plagiarism, as these tools collate and feed off of existing information from the internet and simply reword it. This could result in issues around lower quality, repeated (or stolen) content, without any unique position or point of difference.
The result: devaluing your content and brand trust, and a potential copywriting lawsuit – yikes.
Although there’s still a lot of issues around inaccuracy and duplication, AI copywriters are able to quickly and efficiently provide content ideas and recommendations that are search engine-friendly. Providing you with recommendations on content structure and topic suggestions. It is important to then review and fact-check the information, ideally building on the content further, ensuring it’s optimised for specific keywords and target audiences that will support your SEO.
Google hates to see duplicated content, and it’s smart enough to know when content has been written by AI. You can damage your authority (and therefore your rankings) if you utilise pure AI written content online.
Our advice: use and experiment with AI tools like ChatGPT, but always review, analyse and rework the information, never just copy and paste.
2) Lack of Emotion
Whilst AI can identify a customer’s needs based on past behaviours or purchases to deliver a timely message, what it can’t do, is provide the same emotional connection that humans deliver.
Often AI writing can lack emotional depth, which is the main driver behind much of our purchasing behaviour. Humans bring the emotion that is needed to build long-lasting connections and relationships with customers via empathy, and creativity.
AI writers lack the personal experience, emotions and empathy that creators and writers bring to their stories. AI generated content will not evoke the same emotional response that resonates with audiences as people-made content can.
The result: content that is empty, cold and dull.
With time we expect that AI writing will learn to become more unique and to adapt tone of voice more effectively, but for now, due to the high level of duplication, lack of nuance and inability to understand emotion, AI writing isn’t quite ready to replace us (thank god!).
Our top tip: use AI for ideas, structure and some data gathering, but always edit and add a human element – we don’t want an iRobot situation on our hands.
3) Lack of “Human Understanding”
Machine learning and AI are great for algorithms and analysing data sets, however, robots are unable to put the data into context. As stated above, it is crucial to maintain the human element to help align the analysed data to business goals and to make the personal connection to your brand’s customer journey.
When AI isn’t incorporated correctly into the business, it can lead to frustration amongst customers (and your team).
For example, a lot of companies now use chatbots on their website or Facebook pages, and other platforms, to provide a “quick and easy way” to respond to customer questions. However, according to TechDay (2023), 73% of consumers agree that chatbots aren’t able to handle complex questions, and 45% said they received responses/solutions that didn’t make sense in relation to their question.
When frustration rises, it can derail the customer’s experience, resulting in loss of business. And without a human touchpoint available, there’s no opportunity to recover the interaction and build brand loyalty.
The result: frustrated customers who end up viewing your brand in a negative light.
When integrating AI, it is important for customers to know when they are interacting with AI vs a human. Chatbots hold huge power when it comes to customer experience, however, there is that aspect where humans prefer human contact or just really need it.
Hybrids of both human and chatbot yields the best results. It allows for 24/7 support while still offering the service and reassurance of a human in times of need or when it is required. It is important to disclose to customers when humans or AI is in use, to maintain the trust of the customer, so they are getting the best customer experience. Also, keep in mind who your audience is, as we are seeing an increase in AI causing high levels of distress with consumers over 60 via their online interactions.
Our tip: use chatbots to identify customers’ pain points and problems, and filter them through to a human when required.
Final Thoughts
So, what do we really think of AI when it comes to business? Overall, we think it’s incredible what AI is capable of and that it has huge potential to improve a business in many ways. AI has many benefits to help your brand gather valuable insights on your customers and automate processes and systems to improve your team’s efficiency and effectiveness.
However, we are still a long way away from being able to trust AI, and it is certainly not a replacement for humans. We must proceed with caution and ALWAYS monitor, review and rework AI data and content.
Tell us your thoughts about AI in the comments or over on our socials, we’d love to hear from you.
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