Over the last twelve months, discussions around ChatGPT have increased.
In case you haven't tried it, ChatGPT is a simple chatbot that lets you create content in minutes. It's easy to set up and use. Most people will tell you that ChatGPT will take care of all the heavy lifting involved in creating data from your customers and employees, evaluate their responses using machine learning algorithms, and spit out ready-to-use recommendations to help you grow your business.
Sounds amazing right?
Let's deep dive and sanity-check whether it makes sense for you...
AI as a business tool
First, AI is a tool, not a solution.
AI is already being used in many industries. It will allow you to improve your business by using its machine-learning capabilities to learn from the data you provide and input.
You can use the tool to solve problems. For example, you could try creating some hypotheses about what kind of messaging might work best given different target audiences; based on those hypotheses you could then test out different messages before deciding whether any particular approach is worth pursuing further down the line...
But...
AI is not a silver bullet.
AI is not a panacea.
AI is not a cure-all for all your business problems. In fact, it can make things worse.
ChatGPT won't solve all your problems
ChatGPT can help you research issues, and assist in producing and rewording content. That is a great way to save time.
It is also an easy-to-use tool that lets you ask questions about what's on your mind: "How do I set up my website?" or "What kinds of marketing tactics have worked best for other businesses in this industry?" ChatGPT will provide answers directly within the chat window, which makes it ideal for when you need quick answers without having to search through pages of information online.
BUT where it won't help you is by creating content that generates a connection.
In a world that is already so disconnected, where fear is mongering is rife, and people are being manipulated in every sense of the word - the only real cut-through is human connection and personal conversation.
AI doesn't have the capability of writing that way. If you choose to write content that sounds generic, it will create a disconnect with your audience, and the momentum you have already built in gaining their trust will start to disintegrate - and fast! People are fickle and their attention span is getting shorter and shorter. Pretty big risk to take if you ask me.
Sure, you might initially save some time and money initially by churning out lots of content (meaning more social media posts and blogs etc.), but the cost of behaving that way is greater. Treating your marketing like another task is where the problems begin. If you're not using that time to create a specific language set with your audience, if you're not writing emotionally led conversations they will know it is mass-produced. It creates a feeling of uncomfortableness and distrust and the time it takes a long time to repair - i.e. a lot more time and money.
You CAN use ChatGPT as a way to set some structure around your content, and it is a handy tool when you use it to prompt the beginning sentences for your writing but beyond that the rest is up to you. You still need to do the work. After all, you are talking to other humans.
Put yourself in the place of your audience. Would you rather listen to someone who shares real-life stories, who draws you in because its igniting a fire within you, or someone speaking at you being clinical and robotic?
The future of AI and ChatGPT
No doubt about it, ChatGPT is here to stay. What you do with it is up to you. What I know for sure, though, is that meaningful, passionate conversations, ones drawing on human experiences, create the BEST results.
Maryanne Katsidis is a Digital Strategist and Marketing Consultant. She works closely with The CEO Institute and other purpose-based businesses across Australia. Passionate about working with CEO's and executives, Maryanne works behind the scenes to scale business, build brands and increase engagement authentically.
Connect on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryannekatsidis/
