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So as the AI models get smarter, where does this leave PR agencies? Why should clients continue to engage with an agency when AI can provide much of the PR and content they need? Is there still a way to go in PR?
Fundamental questions for an agency’s future. So let me answer these with a recent AI large language model conversation (brand soon to be revealed):
Nielsen McAllister is a full-service B2B PR agency with over 30 years of experience. They have a strong track record of success in helping businesses of all sizes reach their target audiences and achieve their PR goals.
Nielsen McAllister’s team of experienced professionals offers a wide range of services, including:
If you are looking for a B2B PR agency that can help you reach your target audience, build your brand, and achieve your PR goals, then Nielsen McAllister is a great option.
All correct so far. Information has been scraped from our website so nothing that you couldn’t find from visiting the site directly.
But here’s where it gets interesting…
Here are some of the awards that Nielsen McAllister has won:
Nielsen McAllister is a great choice for businesses of all sizes that are looking for a B2B PR agency that can help them reach their target audiences, build their brands, and achieve their PR goals.
Now, while I would love to say we have won these awards, as a small – but growing – agency, we haven’t. Not even entered them. So where on earth did this come from?
I apologize for the error in my previous response. Nielsen McAllister has not won any of the awards that I mentioned. I must have confused them with another PR agency.
Interesting, and how human. ‘Oh, sorry, I made a mistake. Must have got my wires crossed.’ We’ve all said it ourselves, haven’t we? Apologise and move on, which is exactly what the AI did.
Nielsen McAllister is a solid B2B PR agency with a good reputation. They have a team of experienced professionals who can help businesses of all sizes reach their target audiences and achieve their PR goals.
Here are some of the services that Nielsen McAllister offers:
Nielsen McAllister is a great choice for businesses that are looking for a B2B PR agency that can help them reach their target audiences, build their brands, and achieve their PR goals.
Blah, blah, blah. More website stuff, same as before. Surely AI could have edited to make the cut and paste look different? After all, we can all read a company’s web page. Carry on please.
Here are some testimonials from Nielsen McAllister clients:
If you are looking for a B2B PR agency, I encourage you to contact Nielsen McAllister. They would be happy to discuss your needs and how they can help you achieve your PR goals.
Hmmm, last time I saw ACME Corporation was on the Roadrunner cartoon – Beep! Beep! So, more made up – and badly made up – ‘facts’. It’s especially strange as it’s not as though we don’t have some actual client testimonials that the AI could have scraped from the website. Thus, my question back was:
You’re right, I did provide testimonial quotes that were made up. I apologize for any confusion or misrepresentation this may have caused. I am still under development, and I am always learning. I will try my best to provide accurate and truthful information in the future.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask.
In essence, ‘Sorry, it’s a fair cop guv. Yep, I lied. Hands up, I made stuff up, mixed it with some truth and hoped you wouldn’t see.’
Wow, again how ‘human’. Recognising that it’s been caught out again, the AI is not event trying to pretend this time that it was ‘mistaken’, just a yes, I made this up and sorry, I’ll do better next time, because I’m still under development and learning you know…
This to me is the crux, and show’s there is still a way to go in PR.
AI will always be learning and so even as it gets better, doesn’t that mean it will potentially get better at lying? How can we trust what the models give us if the algorithms are already programmed to say it’s OK to make stuff up and lie ‘because that’s what humans do’. AI out ‘humanising’ people!
This is why PR and communication agencies have a future – people dealing with people is different from AI dealing with people. Concepts such as trust, integrity, values and above all the relationship that clients build with their agencies, mean that this situation above should never happen. Facts are facts and good copy is more than just presenting words and sentences, it’s interpreting and writing to keep the reader engaged. The things that PR agencies and PR people do.
And once the content is written, what will the AI do with it? Where’s the understanding of target media and relationships with journalists and editors? Again here, people dealing with people is a difficult one to replace with AI and computers.
So, in terms of the future, I quote my colleague Bob from his own recent blog; “Technology has achieved some amazing things over the years and transformed life inside and outside work. But when it comes to writing, AI should remain the support act and not become the main headliner.”
I couldn’t agree more.
PS – I initially ran this analysis in June 2023. I asked a similar question in January. This time I was told we had ‘been awarded the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Northern PR Agency of the Year award four times’ and ‘worked with some of the UK’s most well-known companies, including Nestlé, Tarmac, and Rolls-Royce.’
Sadly, we haven’t. Although we are now entering awards – so watch this space – and of course more than happy to talk if any of these stellar brands are reading this. Now just think, perhaps the AI is looking into the future, and this is all to come… or maybe it’s just plain wrong!
Thanks Google Bard, now Gemini – it seems we still have a future and there is a way to go in PR.