A considerable amount of ink, webpage space and breath have been used over the past several years in discussing how artificial intelligence will take over some business functions as it develops.

One of the most often discussed applications is how platforms such as ChatGPT and others will revolutionize business marketing. This includes disrupting the work performed by marketing copywriters, editors and creative directors.

However, are these predictions all they’re cracked up to be?

While these tools can come up with well-organized outlines and even some landing page or email marketing copy, they still lack the depth and understanding characteristic of human nature.

While you’re probably not going to give up your marketing team, you should consider the following human traits that will still be useful in developing your content marketing and public relations plans.

Understanding Cultural Dynamics

If you’ve ever told a friend, “You had to be there,” when they don’t understand an inside joke, and could never explain it to them, then you understand how AI works.

AI understands the language and knows how to put words in the right order, but what it can’t do is understand societal or cultural context.

One of the great things about being human is that we get subtleties. And, despite its ability to “learn,” AI isn’t human. It will never be able to keep up with the changes in our culture and how they affect our language.

Human writers — especially those with years of learned experience — bring that understanding to the table. 

This can be especially important when writing public relations or marketing content for social media. If you’re using a deviation of a popular meme to spark interest in your plumbing services, you won’t be able to make AI understand “Barbenheimer” or the viral TikTok video featuring a man skateboarding while drinking Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice and singing Fleetwood Mac.

In fact, algorithms, by virtue of being a processed set of rules, can’t originate new ideas. They also can’t appreciate the cultural sensitivities that human writers understand.

Good writers are creative and intuitive, and the great ones know your company well enough to help you craft your marketing and PR messages.

Intuition and Empathy

Because AI is computer-generated, it also has no feelings.

One of the reasons, even with all the video sites we have, the written word is still appreciated in books and online is that writers can put themselves in our shoes. Empathy is something that ChatGPT will never be able to fathom.

So, if your plumbing company wants to let potential clients know your team is available in freezing weather to fix their burst pipes, you’re better off with a human writer who understands what a flooded basement means.

At its core, public relations is about helping your company make an emotional connection with your target audience. Whether you’re trying to tell your company’s story or empathize with your clients who have stopped-up toilets, AI isn’t going to be able to put itself in their shoes.

Creativity

One of the most positive aspects of using AI in your marketing or PR processes is its ability to do repetitive tasks without complaint.

If you need to analyze impossible amounts of data to make good decisions about where to spend your marketing dollars or curate customer lists, AI is definitely your “guy.” Marketing automation tools are a wonderful complement to your content writing team because they allow them time to use their creative minds while they toil away on trend analysis or customer journey mapping.

However, because it relies on gathering information on the web, AI’s ability to think outside its own box is limited. It can only copy from a collective pool of existing content, and that content may not be accurate.

Human content writers can be spontaneous and unconventional. Most groundbreaking ideas aren’t found in an algorithm but are the result of brainstorming sessions between your team and your PR content writer.

AI is also not able to provide nuance to your marketing or PR campaigns. Humans can pick up on cues from other humans to develop writing that is layered with the cohesive narrative you want to convey to your audience.

AI can spit out some pretty human-sounding content, but it’s still based on information that’s already out in the public domain.

Ability to Collaborate

While AI can help you map out ideas, it can’t build on relationships. 

If you’ve found a true PR partner, you know the experience of working with a team that is more than a vendor and is an extension of your company.

A professional content writer gets to know you and your company. They work with you to create new ideas, produce compelling stories and distribute those stories to the right publications, news outlets or podcasts.

AI can’t take your feedback and immediately build content with the personalized touch readers want. A human writer can capture your emotions and desires and collaborate with you on a deeper level than any technical tool can.

Human Ethics

Finally, there is still the need for good judgment and ethical considerations. AI algorithms cannot currently discern moral values; rather, they pump out content that is unemotional and lacks compassion. 

Because humans must consider their place in the world, they often make universal value judgments within our communities. Considering how their content impacts readers is the culmination of a human’s ability to creatively understand cultural dynamics with empathy.

While PR and marketing content teams realize how incredibly handy AI can be in helping them finesse a phrase or jazz up a headline, they also know their brains are still more creative, nuanced and capable than their robotic counterparts.

Like art and music, writing is a creative art form, and the best writers make the reader feel like they are having a one-on-one conversation instead of reading a technical manual. Ensuring your ongoing conversations with your target audience retain a human element is essential in building your brand.