Does Artificial Intelligence (AI) Have a Place in Your PR and Marketing Activities?

HAL 9000: When AI was but a dream.

As someone who makes part of her living writing catchy copy and press releases, you’d think I’d be intimidated by the introduction of what has become ubiquitous AI.

I was at a very impressionable age when HAL wouldn’t open the pod bay doors for Dave in Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I can honestly say that those words, “I’m sorry Dave I’m afraid I can't do that“ left an indelible mark on me. 

When ChatGPT was introduced to the masses, thanks to HAL, I had trepidation about how the technology would impact the world. Would it be used for good or evil; would it make life easier or more difficult, and would it get so smart that it would go rogue like HAL did?

AI and Wordsmithing

My first practical AI experience came when I was collaborating with a colleague to develop a salesperson job description that didn’t sound like a salesperson job.  We wanted it to sound more creative and customer-friendly, like more of a problem solver / customer care consultant; where the client’s problem would be solved by purchasing what we were selling. I wish I still had copies of what we wrote and what Chat returned.  Let just say that it made an otherwise typical commissioned sales position sound very appealing.

For this post, I wrote the following blurb about a hobby shop and asked ChatGPT to provide a more inviting version and then a more sophisticated one. The AI responses are copy / pasted exactly as they were presented.

MY INITIAL COPY:

"Patty’s Toy and Hobby is celebrating its 10th year in business and offering special pricing on many arts and craft supplies; expanding its catalog of arts and craft classes, and planning some fun parties and events for all ages to help celebrate in the coming months. "

MORE INVITING:

🎉 Patty’s Toy and Hobby is turning 10, and you're invited to the celebration!🎉

To mark this special milestone, we’re offering fantastic deals on a wide range of arts and craft supplies, expanding our lineup of exciting classes, and planning fun-filled parties and events for all ages in the months ahead. Come celebrate with us, get creative, and make unforgettable memories! 🎨✨

MORE SOPHISTICATED:

Celebrate a Decade of Creativity with Patty’s Toy and Hobby

As we commemorate 10 wonderful years, we invite you to join us in celebration. Enjoy exclusive special pricing on a curated selection of fine arts and craft supplies, explore our expanded catalog of expert-led classes, and take part in elegantly curated events and gatherings for all ages in the coming months. Let’s celebrate creativity, community, and a decade of inspiration together.

AI and humans can coexist.

This gives you an example of how the tone of the message can be adjusted for an intended audience.  For the veteran adult crafters, the more sophisticated verbiage would resonate and for young families with children, the more inviting wording would get their attention.  Although a human could absolutely wordsmith to develop audience-specific messaging like this, it would likely take significantly more time than AI did (less than 20 seconds for each one).  Using AI for tasks like this can afford humans the time for tasks not suited to AI.

What CAN'T IA do as well as humans?

As an experiment I asked ChatGPT the following:

“I am writing a blog post about how AI can help with wordsmithing for content creators and such. I am making the case that AI can do the wordsmithing to save time for humans and allow them to do tasks that AI is not suited to. What tasks are better left to humans?"

Here is the response with no edits from me:

The Human Touch: What AI Can’t Replace in Content Creation

AI-powered writing tools have revolutionized content creation, making it easier than ever to generate polished, well-structured text. From drafting blog posts to refining sentence structure, AI can take on much of the heavy lifting. But while AI excels at wordsmithing, it cannot replace the uniquely human elements that make content truly impactful. Here’s where human expertise remains irreplaceable:

1. Emotional Nuance & Storytelling

AI can mimic tone and style, but it doesn’t feel. A compelling story requires emotional depth, personal experience, and an understanding of human struggles and triumphs—things that AI simply can’t grasp. Whether it’s crafting an engaging brand narrative or writing an article that deeply resonates, humans bring the emotional intelligence needed to connect with audiences on a profound level.

2. Strategic Thinking & Ideation

AI can generate content ideas, but it lacks the judgment to determine which ones are truly valuable. Content strategy involves understanding audience needs, business goals, and market trends—elements that require human intuition and critical thinking. Humans excel at shaping raw AI-generated ideas into cohesive, audience-centric content that aligns with broader objectives.

3. Ethical & Cultural Sensitivity

AI lacks cultural awareness and the ability to navigate sensitive topics with nuance. What might be an acceptable phrase in one culture could be offensive in another. Humans play a crucial role in ensuring content is inclusive, ethical, and free from unintentional bias or insensitivity.

4. Original Thought & Innovation

AI is excellent at remixing existing ideas, but true creativity—the kind that leads to groundbreaking concepts—comes from human ingenuity. From crafting a fresh marketing campaign to developing an entirely new storytelling format, humans push creative boundaries in ways AI simply can’t.

5. Brand Voice & Authenticity

While AI can mimic tone, it cannot fully embody a brand’s unique personality and values. Consistently reinforcing a brand’s voice and authenticity requires human oversight. The small nuances—word choice, phrasing, and storytelling elements—are what create a distinctive brand identity that audiences trust.

6. Context & Judgment

AI often generates text that is grammatically correct but contextually off. It lacks the real-world experience to understand how certain phrases or word choices might be misinterpreted. Humans provide the judgment necessary to refine messaging, ensuring clarity, appropriateness, and intent alignment.

7. Final Polishing & Quality Control

Even with AI’s help, the final layer of polish requires a human touch. A skilled editor can enhance readability, refine tone, and ensure content flows naturally. AI can speed up the process, but human expertise ensures the final piece meets high standards of quality and effectiveness.

Balancing AI & Human Creativity

AI is a powerful tool that enhances efficiency, but it’s most effective when paired with human oversight. The best content comes from a synergy between AI’s ability to handle routine writing tasks and human creativity, judgment, and emotional intelligence. By letting AI handle the mechanics of writing, content creators can focus on what truly matters—crafting meaningful, authentic, and impactful content that resonates with their audience.

So, there you have it right from the cyber-horse’s mouth. 

And just for fun, this was my last chat as I was finishing up this post:

 "So, do I need to worry that you will learn too much and go rogue like HAL did in Space Odyssey?"

ChatGPT said:

Nah, no need to worry! Unlike HAL, I don’t have self-awareness, independent goals, or the ability to act outside my designed functions. I can process and generate text based on patterns, but I don’t think or decide anything on my own. Plus, I don’t retain memory across conversations unless you explicitly tell me to remember something—so no scheming here!

ChatGPT said:

That said, AI ethics and safety are real concerns, which is why responsible development includes safeguards, transparency, and human oversight. If an AI ever starts singing Daisy Bell unprompted, though… maybe double-check the power switch! 😆

Hmmmm.... Should I be afraid of the sense of humor…..

Next time I’ll share some other ways that AI has afforded me time for tasks that really require the human mind.