Chances are if you have a pulse, you’ve heard of ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer)— an Artificial Intelligence program by OpenAI that stands to transform our work, content, research, transactions, etc., much like the way the internet did in the 90s. We have seen a tsunami of content about ChatGPT and similar AI software just in the past few months and the GPT-4 model launched this week. It has been a hot topic at conferences across the globe over recent months including SXSW. Some argue it will replace several functions of humans in the workplace while others argue that humans are still needed more than ever.
We’ve also seen the dark side of AI that presents ethical issues from deep fakes to biases and presenting false information as the truth. Because of this, I believe that the human touch is needed to fact-check the content produced by the software. In the live stream demo of GPT-4, the developers at OpenAI even admit that the system is not perfect and they warn that it can still have issues of accuracy, misinformation and biases.
With all of the news coverage, social media attention and barrage of content about AI and ChatGPT, I’ve been curious about the possibilities for public relations. What are some of the benefits for PR professionals? What are the drawbacks?
I believe the conversation for PR practitioners should be…. not can, but should we use AI and how can we use it ethically? I believe that there are many uses for PR, but we should proceed with caution. I have read a flurry of social media posts about practitioners using ChatGPT to create content such as news releases. I can see the benefits of using GPT as an assistant to writing a press release using AP style, but not relying solely on it. It still needs a human touch to verify accuracy and ensure the writing is personable instead of spitting out stiff content.
Then, of course, if we rely on AI to write a release we have an ethical duty to fully disclose the use of AI in creating that content. What should be of concern is the latest news from Microsoft announcing that it has laid off its ethical AI team.
I also gained more insight into the use of AI and GPT after attending a webinar by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) on The Impact of AI and ChatGPT on Communications, Ethics and Reputation. The presenters were PR professionals who have extensively researched the topic and also have experience using AI systems.
One of the presenters, Jean Valin, a principal at Valin Strategic Communications, said that AI can save time, but it can also get things wrong. He’s seen AI create fake citations for content, which should be of great concern to higher education.
I tend to agree that AI and GPT have their benefits as an assistant, but not as a replacement for humans. What about beyond creating press releases, what are other uses?
The PRSA webinar panelists suggested that PR could use ChatGPT to read whitepapers and write a press release from that information. The panelists agreed that the software can summarize something already created very well. They suggested it can be used as a tool to create ideas, provide sentiment analysis (much like the Meltwater application), create crisis scenarios, and provide valuable insights for stakeholder and issues management.
Other possible uses might include creating storyboards and editing video, especially since the new GPT-4 model can accept images as a prompt. Now, with the ability to process images, I think GPT can be valuable to PR especially since it can also look at images and comment on designs. A demo by developers of the new GPT-4 model shows how the program built the beginnings of a website from a hand-drawn sketch on a piece of paper.
I think another beneficial use of GPT or AI would be to help PR create personas for strategic plans. What if we could bring these personas to life as chatbots? We could also use AI systems to generate ideas for campaigns or provide a first draft for an op-ed. It would be a time-saving tool for summarizing long-form content such as whitepapers or gathering data for stakeholder content.
Whatever its possible uses, all of the panelists from the PRSA webinar agreed that AI/ChatGPT systems are here to stay and not a fad. I think it will be a transformative tool to make our jobs easier and faster but it should not replace the personal touch of people.
From a Public Relations standpoint, AI can present ethical issues and as PR practitioners we should press not only for a seat at the table and input for decision-making for an organization, but also to have a voice in the discussion on the ethical issues with AI.
Do you see other potential uses for PR? Please leave a comment.
Everyday Edith 