Our attention spans are the shortest they’ve ever been, with users on average reading 28% of the content on a web page, and staying there for less than a minute. Along with more content, platforms and creators, traditional methods of communicating en masse are no longer cutting it.
Speaking at Influencer360, Alex McFadyen explains how artificial intelligence (AI) "can help creators leverage platforms, as more of a partnership of equals, instead of being treated as just another product on the platform.” The EVP of technology at BENlabs – an AI company focused on empowering creators and brands – also highlights the importance of human gatekeeping and ongoing data privacy concerns.
Three ways you can leverage AI to bolster your PR campaign
1. Predict audience consumption figures: If your PR campaign uses an influencer, AI can predict how many views and clicks their content will generate. The more unstructured data you provide – user comments, text, audio and video – the more sophisticated its predictions will become, including number of conversions and raw sales.
2. Help with audience mapping and clustering: Audience clustering can be difficult to navigate. BENlabs’ mapping tool allows marketers and PR professionals to understand how an audience is behaving on a particular platform. PR professionals can expand their reach to entirely new audiences and discover the big movers and shakers already in that space.
3. Improve your social media strategy: Generative AI can analyse potential thumbnails for a YouTube video, give text positioning tips and predict how well each one will perform. It can also generate titles and tell you which parts of your previously posted content was most engaged with, and how you can repurpose it into clips and shorts.
With the UK public's trust in the press at just 13%, it’s crucial that PR professionals do not compromise the accuracy and authenticity of their content. To ensure this new breed of AI technology is a help and not a hindrance, employing human judgement and control measures is key:
Be authentic
"It's important that there is a person managing the AI tool – make it your own, be authentic,” McFadyen says. He recommends filtering the content so that it is in keeping with your brand’s tone of voice.
Fact-check
Always check the accuracy of statements and figures provided. “It will lie to you,” warns McFadyen.
Put in controls
AI technology takes on the judgement of the person who developed it. Companies should employ measures to remove any racist or sexist content.
“Not everyone is happy with this wonderful world of AI we are now living in,” says McFadyen. Italy banned it temporarily citing privacy concerns and Samsung has forbidden employees’ use of Chat GPT because the organisation believes it leaks sensitive data. The CEO of OpenAI – the owner and developer of ChatGPT – has also called for regulation to mitigate the risks of “increasingly powerful” models.
It’s clear that the future of AI is uncertain. Regardless, the PR industry needs to be ready. As McFadyen puts it: “AI is already powering everything. If you haven’t realised that yet, you’re already in the process of being left behind.”
About BENlabs
BENlabs is an entertainment AI company that integrates brands into influencer, streaming, TV, music and film content with guaranteed ROI. BENlabs offers clients the world’s largest influencer marketing business, comprising the world’s largest product placement, promotions and licensing agency combined with TubeBuddy, the largest platform to help 13m brands and creators optimise their audience and channel growth. BENlabs works with the world’s top brands, including Microsoft, General Motors, Frito-Lay, Bloomingdales, Tencent and Reckitt Benckiser. For more information, go to benlabs.com.