Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware that ChatGPT has been taking AI Twitter by storm.
Everyone is excited about its many capabilities, myself included.
And AI tools like this are only getting more and more sophisticated. (There’s even a new tool that uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to mimic voices! How cool/scary is that?!)
However, there’s been a lot of talk about whether or not tools like these pose a threat to a variety of different jobs, such as the livelihoods of programmers, copywriters, or even customer support associates. (See this blog post for a more detailed look at how each job category could be specifically affected.)
These fears are nothing new, but is it true that AI will end up taking over human jobs? Especially within the realm of content marketing?
What is ChatGPT?
GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. ChatGPT was released in November of 2022 by OpenAI; it’s a language model which interacts in a conversational way.
The dialogue format allows ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, challenge incorrect premises, and reject certain requests.
ChatGPT gained more than 1M users in less than a month. (In fact, when I logged on earlier, the site was at full capacity!)
Its success is a testament to its versatility and borderline spooky accuracy; the possibilities are seemingly endless regarding what you can ask it to do and the quality results it produces.
Does this necessarily mean ChatGPT will be a game changer in the B2B marketing space, though?
ChatGPT gives great answers, but…
As many good things as you can say about ChatGPT, it’s not perfect.
Can it answer very complicated questions and create staggeringly convincing content as a result? Yes. But is it always 100% flawless? Definitely not.
Here is an example I’ll share from when I asked ChatGPT some questions about marketing ROI:
On the surface, these answers are fine. However, these are also typical (text-book-like) answers.
As B2B marketers, we all know calculating marketing ROI is more complicated than that. ChatGPT doesn’t account for the subtle nuances that keep the wheels turning.
Most companies run multi-channel campaigns. Each channel’s metrics are different. Campaign metrics are different as well, depending on your campaign goals.
Also, the overarching marketing metrics to measure success vary from company to company. Measuring marketing ROI (success metrics or key performance indicators) isn’t your standard cut-and-dry stuff.
ChatGPT can’t give you tailored answers because the response is “it depends…”
In addition, solid marketing ROI in many companies is based on the number of leads or cost per lead, even pipeline revenue per lead (if you can track it further down the purchase funnel).
For subscription models, marketing ROI may need to be calculated as part of monthly recurring revenue (MRR), annual recurring revenue (ARR), or customer lifetime value (CLV). ChatGPR doesn’t know your business model to be able to provide a solid answer in the right context.
I like the textbook answers ChatGPT can generate, but I don’t think the answers are in-depth enough to satisfy seasoned and experienced B2B marketers.
Copywriters need to watch out, but…
People have been sharing amazing examples of AI-generated poetry, essays, headlines…you name it, it’s out there. Check out this YouTube video from Graham Stephan; he outlines a bunch of ingenious ways he and others have used AI tools like ChatGPT to generate revenue.
Meanwhile, ChatGPT can even help non-English speakers (and/or grammatically challenged native English speakers) to write and communicate better.
But on the other end of the spectrum, teachers are freaking out about how students could potentially manipulate AI.
Is this goodbye to “meaningful” homework? Here’s a great article about how the college essay is dead and how our educational institutions are not prepared for what’s to come.
I had a chat with several teachers about this topic. All of them said that in the digital age, it is tough to tell if students are “actually” learning because you can’t judge or trust the homework they turn in.
The shift to virtual hybridized classrooms has some advantages, but it also presents many tough questions.
If students rely on AI to get assignments done, why even go to school in the first place? It almost challenges the whole education system that we set up after the Industrial Revolution.
If we apply this same phenomenon to marketing, can we say that the need for copywriters is obsolete? Maybe not just yet.
Bear in mind: AI can certainly write or write well, but at the end of the day, it entirely relies on human input to create new ideas. (It’s also far from perfect when it comes to checking for plagiarism, which is something to be conscious of.)
While AI might be able to write a first draft or come up with a catchy idea, it doesn’t replace good and competent copywriters.
You may be able to save some time by having your copywriters noodle around with something like ChatGPT to get the creative juices flowing, but they will certainly need to tweak the output and make it their own.
Here is what I encourage copywriters to do:
- Learn to use AI writing assistant tool and test ChatGPT
- Understand the pros and cons of these tools and have a point of view
- Communicate openly about what AI writing assistants can and can’t do for others in your team
- Proactively educate others about how your value-add is you will always be better at your craft than whatever AI regurgitates however convincingly
Think of AI as an assistant to help you brainstorm or create your first draft. Bear in mind that it’s ONLY the first draft.
It needs to be rewritten to add the specific tone of your brand and highlight your products convincingly to attract customers.
And at this point, only YOU can do that, not AI. (Although, maybe one day!)
If you are a good copywriter who knows how to make your products, salespeople, and marketers shine, you are still in great shape. Our robot overlords haven’t arrived just yet.
Our jobs are not safe with or without AI…
Let’s face it – there are many reasons that we could lose our jobs at any given time. When we talk about AI, specifically, the fact is that technology developments always turn the job market upside down.
For example, in the earliest days of the telephone, people couldn’t dial one another directly. A telephone operator had to manually relay calls on a central switchboard connected to subscribers’ wires.
In the 1930s, phone companies took advantage of technology that allowed telephone users simply to dial another phone without the aid of an operator. As a result, thousands of operators lost their jobs.
The evolution of manufacturing assembly lines is another excellent example. Initially, these relied on mass manual labor. Over time, though, robotic arms were invented to increase the output of the assembly lines. Again, many jobs were lost due to technological innovation.
AI is just another form of new technology. If we look at the past, we can probably infer that AI will overtake a significant portion of jobs.
At the same time, many new job opportunities will also be created by AI. We just can’t see them now.
The types of jobs in our society continue to evolve and change.
That’s how it’s always been – whenever jobs have been taken away, new opportunities have appeared in their place.
Who could have predicted just a few years ago that TikTok would become a major source of revenue for content creators, for example?
While the job market is never a given, there are ways to boost your sense of job security by making yourself indispensable.
For example, it’s essential that we continue to learn new skills across multiple areas to keep ourselves relevant. Specialization is great, but it tends to pigeonhole you and make you more vulnerable to becoming redundant.
What can you do to reinvent yourself continuously?
Before you begin your journey towards relevance and reinvention, you need to get in tune with the following:
- Your passion: what do you enjoy doing?
- Your strengths: what are you good at?
- Your weaknesses: what can’t you do, no matter what? (Example: I cannot for the life of me assemble IKEA furniture. Trust me; I’ve tried!)
Based on that assessment, you should be able to find areas where you can continue to learn and grow.
For example, maybe you’ve got a passion for photography but haven’t nailed your photo editing skills. Is it time to check out some YouTube tutorials to improve your abilities? Is this something you can turn into a paid job in the future?
AI is continuously learning how it can more precisely help us, so it only makes sense for us to follow its lead by continually expanding our skills and knowledge.
Nobody knows the future of AI
None of us can predict how AI will ultimately impact humanity.
That can seem scary, but it’s also pretty exciting. One thing is for sure – the AI train has left the station. It’s here to stay, so let’s embrace it!
Have you experimented with ChatGPT or other AI tools? How was your experience? I’d love to hear about it!
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The Modern AI Marketer: How to Leverage Artificial Intelligence in Digital Marketing to Get Ahead
AI for Sales and Marketing: Q&A with Streamly
How to Use Artificial Intelligence in Marketing
What can Pam Didner do for you?
Being in the corporate world for 20+ years and having held various positions from accounting and supply chain management, and marketing to sales enablement, she knows how corporations work. She can make you and your team a rock star by identifying areas to shine and do better. She does that through private coaching, keynote speaking, workshop training, and hands-on consulting. Contact her or find her on LinkedIn and Twitter. A quick note: Check out her new 90-Day Revenue Reboot, if you are struggling with marketing.
