We all have that sci-fi obsessed friend who thinks robots will replace humans someday. It’s something most of us don’t think about… until recently. The release of ChatGPT seems to fulfill the dreams (or nightmares) of every sci-fi and tech person everywhere. I can’t lie, the Tiktok trend of students claiming they’ve used this AI robot to ace papers makes me wonder if these tech guys were onto something…
If you live in a bubble, or if you’re like me and just instantly zone out the minute you hear “AI,” let me explain. ChatGPT is an online robot that answers practically any question you ask and has endless capabilities. It’s been shown to pass medical exams, create cover letters and resumes, and write decent essays. Many say this is a huge game changer and could be a great tool for different professions. Others say this is a huge threat to professionals who could be replaced by the bot. After playing around with the chatbot, I’m here to let you know that this robot has NOTHING on us.
The problem with this AI bot is that it lacks the uniquely human ability to build relationships which is the foundation of public relations. Sure, the bot can write a mediocre (I’m being generous) Instagram caption promoting a new flavor of ice cream, but it can’t produce a personal connection with the audience or with a reporter that a PR pro can. The personal connection is the catalyst for getting a brand's message out.
A bot doesn’t have the intuition of a PR pro that is needed to handle client communication and the complex situations that come with it. Maybe ChatGPT can handle an analytical task such as a math problem or even a medical exam, but it can’t handle the relationship-building that we do every day. I’d like to see the bot handle ONE pissed client! Now THAT would be something worth watching…
Now, we aren’t not saying that using the bot to produce a rough draft of something isn’t gonna save you a little time, but let's keep our expectations realistic here. Even then, the draft that the bot produces for you probably won’t even be as good as something you could write on your own.
I will say, I wish I had this thing in high school. It’s probably better that I didn’t though. Luckily, we know public relations far better than a robot. If you want PR with a more personal touch that puts client relationships at the forefront, we could be right for you.