This piece is part of AI on the Move, a PAN series that explores the ongoing impacts of artificial intelligence on marketing and PR.
ChatGPT took the industry by storm. By February of this year, the platform boasted more than 100 million active monthly users (myself included), making it one of the fastest-growing consumer applications in history. While AI has long been part of the enterprise tech narrative, the viral launch from OpenAI has organizations wondering how they can take advantage of this pivotal moment in time.
AI will continue to be a key technology priority across industries — from education to retail to security and more. Employees are wondering how they use it to augment their jobs and organizations are creatively brainstorming ways the technology can be incorporated into their own operations.
Over the past few months, I have received countless inquiries on how organizations should be thinking about and communicating their AI story externally. However, marketing these AI-powered solutions can be challenging as many are trying to define and share the story simultaneously.
In our fourth and final installment of this series, we discuss thought starters for how organizations can share their AI story.
Don’t Just Follow the Hype
Marketing and PR is an ever-evolving field that constantly introduces new trends and buzzwords. While it is important to stay current, it is also essential not to get caught up in the hype.
New technologies like generative AI are touted as the next big thing and promised to yield unprecedented results. However, blindly following the hype can lead to wasted time, effort, and resources.
As such, the first step in telling your AI story is to define it.
- What problem is your AI technology solving?
- What benefits does it offer your customers?
- How does it work?
- What are your competitors offering?
Answering these questions will help you create a clear and concise strategic story that will resonate with your audience.
Define Your Opportunity
Start by considering the specific topic or message you want to convey. This could be anything from explaining the benefits of AI in healthcare to highlighting the risks of AI in privacy and security.
Once you have identified your opportunity, research and gather relevant data to support your narrative. This could involve conducting interviews with experts in the field, reviewing industry reports, or analyzing data sets to uncover insights.
Answer questions such as:
- What makes your AI technology unique?
- What sets it apart from other solutions in the market?
While paying attention to the competition is useful, it’s more important to differentiate yourself by focusing on what you do best.
Focus on the Value and Showcase Real-World Use Cases
Focus on the value that AI can provide rather than simply discussing the technology itself.
- How are you solving a problem for your customers?
- Are you improving efficiency, reduce costs, or enhancing the customer experience?
Highlight concrete examples of how it is being used to solve real-world problems. Yes, this is the dreaded “do you have a customer?” question, but real-world use cases are essential to proving potential. Even a simple example of how it can impact an aspect of your customers’ business can be a differentiator.
Use a mix of data, expert insights and creative storytelling techniques. This could involve creating interactive visualizations that demonstrate the potential of AI in various fields, using case studies and success stories to illustrate the impact of AI, or using fictional scenarios to explore the possibilities of future AI development.
Show the Future
Clear strategic vision is an important component to any communications strategy. It’s what sets you apart from the competition — the message should be that your organization can see where the future is headed, and they are the only ones that can get you there.
Focus on the trends and advancements in AI, and how your technology is keeping up with the pace of innovation. Don’t be afraid to try new features or refine based on customer feedback. Showing the future of AI helps position your company as a leader and build excitement.
On the flip side, it is also important to address any potential risks or concerns. While AI has the potential to create new economic opportunities, it also poses significant ethical and societal concerns. These include issues such as privacy, bias, and job displacement, which must be addressed to ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a responsible and equitable manner.
Acknowledging the challenges and complexities can help build trust with your audience and demonstrate your commitment to responsible and ethical use of this technology.
We are not alone in determining our AI stories as many organizations are striving to take advantage of this new technology. By starting with these considerations, you can start to craft a compelling and nuanced story that helps to shape the conversation around this critical technology.
Read this series:
Support, Not Replace: The Modern Marketer’s Approach to AI & ChatGPT
Do This, Not That: A Practical Approach for How Marketers Can Use ChatGPT
Ethics and Artificial Intelligence: 3 Issues with Generative AI in Business
