May 17, 2023
By: R. Michael Brown, Marketing and Communications Consultant.
I’m a marketing pro on a mission to become an authority on Artificial Intelligence (AI) so I can use the tech to help clients with faster and improved marketing and business – with better results.
I’m looking forward to us doing this together. Nobody can do it alone. Here’s what I’ve found up to this point.
With a lifelong career-defining hunger for learning and applying new tech, i.e.: when I pioneered multimedia and Internet communication at IBM – Now, for the last couple of years I’ve been driving to master the advancing digital space of artificial intelligence and its applications for marketing and business in general.
From predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms to natural language processing and chatbots, and visual creation systems, I’ve been searching to understand how these innovations can enhance customer experiences and drive results.
My knowledge is coming from industry experts, attending conferences and webinars, and devouring every bit of content on the subject. I’m pursuing the latest advancements, trends, and case studies to understand how AI can revolutionize marketing strategies and content.
How I’m Using this New AI Knowledge
As I learn these complex AI concepts and skills, I’m working on crafting them into simple, actionable insights and projects for my clients.
Most importantly, I’m trying it out. Learning by doing is the only way with new tech.
I’m experimenting with AI-driven software for marketing content and campaigns, including:
- An AI video generator called Synthesia. Still a bit robot-like but amazing that it can do it.
- Learning prompting on ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Bard (Google) to generate more ideas.
- Creating realistic images and art from a description in natural language with DALL-E.
- Using SoundDraw to generate custom music for use in video.
- Multiplying video content with Vidyo.
- Doing creative headline and keyword research to maximize SEO with VidIQ.
You’ll notice that I’ve focused heavily on video because that is the highest expense and time consuming to produce. Win there, and productivity and cost advance the most.
Natural language text help is valuable to brainstorm alternatives when writing. ChatGBT, Bard (from Google), and VidIQ are great for that.
Like all previous tech revolutions, it’s a blend of creativity and technical expertise to craft engaging content that resonates with the target audience on a deeper, more emotional, level.
5 Notable AI Marketing Platforms
Here are five AI platforms that are specifically designed to assist with marketing tasks.
- Adobe Sensei: An AI-powered platform that is integrated into Adobe’s suite of marketing products. It offers advanced features such as personalized content recommendations, automated segmentation, and predictive analytics to optimize marketing campaigns and enhance customer experiences.
- Salesforce Einstein: An AI platform that brings AI capabilities to the Salesforce CRM ecosystem. It enables marketers to leverage AI-powered insights and automation for lead scoring, personalized email marketing, predictive forecasting, and customer journey analysis.
- IBM Watson Marketing: Offers AI-driven solutions for various marketing functions. Its capabilities include AI-powered customer segmentation, personalized content recommendations, chatbot integration, sentiment analysis, and campaign optimization.
- Albert AI: An autonomous AI platform for marketing that uses machine learning to automate and optimize digital marketing campaigns. It leverages data and analytics to make real-time decisions and adjustments across various channels, driving better results and efficiencies.
- Emarsys: An AI marketing platform that focuses on customer engagement and personalization. It utilizes AI algorithms to analyze customer behavior, preferences, and intent, enabling marketers to deliver targeted, personalized campaigns across multiple channels.
These AI platforms can significantly enhance marketing strategies by automating tasks, providing data-driven insights, enabling personalization, and optimizing campaign performance. It’s essential to evaluate the specific features, integration capabilities, and pricing of each platform to determine which one aligns best with your marketing goals and requirements.
We can’t do this alone. Of all the tech that I’ve been a part of [personal computers, desktop publishing, Internet, multimedia and digital video, Web 1.0, Cellphones, Smartphones, Social Media, Web 2.0 –> 3.0), AI is bigger and accelerating faster with platforms and tools than any before. Part of my learning is being an active contributor to AI communities, sharing experiences, engaging in thought-provoking discussions, and collaborating with like-minded individuals.
Businesses must be willing to adapt to take advantage of AI. Fewer than 20% of companies have so far.
My experience has shown, up to now, that our creativity, productivity, and speed has already been enhanced with AI software. We will together push the boundaries of what’s possible, fail and win in the process, and make a lasting impact in the realm of AI-driven marketing and gain more traffic, engagement, leads, and sales.
Some Issues to be Aware of with AI
While artificial intelligence holds tremendous potential and offers numerous benefits, it also faces several significant challenges and concerns. Here are some of the biggest issues associated with artificial intelligence:
- Ethical and Bias Concerns: AI systems are only as good as the data they are trained on. If the data used to train AI models contains biases or reflects societal prejudices, it can result in biased decision-making and perpetuate unfair or discriminatory practices. Addressing ethical concerns and ensuring AI systems are transparent, fair, and unbiased is crucial.
- Copyright, Attribution, and Accuracy: Where is all this generative content coming from? Is it copyrighted? What are the sources and do the sources have to be listed? Is it accurate? Not always.
- Lack of Transparency: AI algorithms can be highly complex, making it challenging to understand and interpret their decision-making processes. This lack of transparency raises concerns about accountability, especially in high-stakes applications such as healthcare, finance, and autonomous vehicles. Efforts are being made to develop explainable AI techniques that provide clearer insights into how AI systems arrive at their conclusions.
- Job Displacement and Economic Impact: The rise of AI automation has sparked concerns about job displacement. As AI technology advances, certain tasks and roles traditionally performed by humans may become automated, potentially leading to unemployment or significant shifts in the job market. It is important to consider the societal and economic implications of AI-driven automation and work towards strategies that can mitigate potential negative impacts.
- Data Privacy and Security: AI relies heavily on large volumes of data to learn and make predictions. This dependence raises concerns about data privacy and security. Organizations must ensure that user data is handled responsibly, protected from unauthorized access, and used only for intended purposes. Striking the right balance between data utilization and privacy protection is a continuing issue.
- Regulation and Governance: Government is always way behind tech. The rapid advancement of AI technology has outpaced the development of comprehensive regulations and governance frameworks. Establishing appropriate guidelines and policies to address the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI is crucial. Balancing innovation and progress with the need for responsible and ethical AI development is an ongoing issue for policymakers. Unfortunately,
- Safety and Reliability: In certain AI applications, such as autonomous vehicles or medical diagnostics, safety and reliability are paramount. Ensuring that AI systems perform accurately, reliably, and safely in critical contexts requires rigorous testing, validation, and ongoing monitoring. Addressing concerns about AI system failures or errors is crucial for building trust in AI technologies.
A side note about this: Apple, for example, has been pushing to take over the operation of simple systems in your car like phone, maps, messaging, and media. The user experience, so far, has been largely a failure. The interaction either by voice (Siri) or the more dangerous way by trying to navigate, while driving, on your phone or onboard vehicle display is overrun with errors to the point of having to pull over and stop to use your map or change a media channel. And they want to take over the whole car and drive it while you are a passive passenger? Or fly you in a drone? They have a long way to go baby.
- Will AI Take Over the World?: Above all is the fear that the evolution of AI technology will lead to sci-fi-like scenarios: Chatbots and robots, currently controlled by humans, might escape this control. Some also fear that bad actors will use AI to advance their agendas. Elon Musk is among those who share these fears.
AI is here to stay. I don’t think anyone can slow it down or stop it any more than the early naysayers of the Web in the early 1990’s that proclaimed that nobody would be able to use it for commercial purposes. Huh?!!
It’s important to recognize these issues and quickly work towards addressing them through interdisciplinary collaboration, ethical guidelines, and responsible AI development practices. By doing so, we can harness the power of AI while minimizing potential risks and maximizing its positive impact on society.
Sound overwhelming? Contact me for help. I make overwhelming understandable and will help you take action today! Mike@RMichaelBrown.com
