Will Artificial Intelligence REALLY Replace Us?

Everywhere we turn, there’s a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform that “you have to try.” In all honesty, it’s confusing.

AI has reached unprecedented heights, saturating the marketing world with an abundance of platforms to choose from to get daily tasks done. Each promises a new shortcut, overshadowing the human thought and skills the communications industry demands.

Many people turn to AI to reduce the mundane: crafting first drafts, conducting “research”, creating content and helping to spark inspiration. With every stroke of the key asking an AI tool to weigh in, we must ask ourselves: “Does this help or hinder us?”

Reducing busy work and increasing productivity is tempting, but at what cost? Can AI replace critical thought and do we want to use it as a spark for innovation?

Machine learning outputs are often shallow, repetitive, and devoid of creativity. None of which speaks to innovation or critical thought.

So why are we seeking to increase productivity if it sacrifices the quality of the end product?

Our society places more importance on quantity than quality, and it shows. In the AI era, messaging efforts begin to sound the same: articles lose their conversational tone, content looks and feels identical, and the media we consume becomes uninspiring.

We need to reshape our perspective to view technology as an enablement tool instead of an excuse.

While we turn to technology as a shortcut, we must incorporate — or re-incorporate — the human touch into an industry that has seemingly lost it. This mission begins by returning to the fundamental principles that form the industry’s foundation and prioritizing the skills that have driven its success.

Fostering relationships is crucial, grammar skills are essential, and the ability to communicate — and cut through the noise — is more critical than ever. When we lose these basic skills, where does that leave us as an industry?

Left unchecked, relying on outside technologies to complete work leads to dependence and an inability to perform tasks independently. To thrive in the communications world, we must foster these skills and encourage our peers to continually improve their craft — and avoid the tempting, easy path.

If the sole purpose of machine learning is to replace human thought, what good does that do for our world and future generations? What does that make of our society?

While these machines are powerful, we tend to underestimate the complexity and power of the human brain and what it can accomplish independently. AI cannot generate original ideas. It lacks human emotion and empathy. It discounts the human thought process and replaces it with software.

Knowledge is power, and the ability to think critically is a gift. The continual integration of AI in our lives slowly chips away at our desire for thought and creativity.

We see this in every aspect of our world: school assignments, articles, speeches, and even email responses are written by machines. New solutions can replace routine tasks, allowing us to focus on more important tasks that require the human touch - but these small sacrifices build a slippery slope that ends in the elimination of human connection.

Technology offers great potential, and we shouldn’t fear it just because it’s new or unfamiliar. However, we should recognize its pros and cons and deploy it in ways that can help us improve our productivity and accomplish our goals without letting it erode our curiosity or replace us completely.

It’s a brave new world. Are you prepared?