PUBLIC RELATIONS
Artificial Intelligence
And The Future Of Public
Relations
By Irene Mbonge
A
ccording to the encyclopedia
Britannica, Artificial Intelligence
(AI) is defined as the ability of a
digital computer or computer-controlled
robot to perform tasks commonly
associated with intelligent beings. The
term is frequently applied to the project
of developing systems endowed with
the intellectual processes characteristic
of humans, such as the ability to reason,
discover meaning, generalize, or learn
from past experience. In short, it is the
simulation of human intelligence by
machines. well, I guess it’s not so small anymore. In
fact, the use of internet bots is quickly
becoming a norm and increasingly
replacing client service staff across many
industries and sectors.
It is clear that increasingly, AI, big data
analytics, and advanced robotics make
it possible for machines to take on ta sks
that once required a person to perform.
Advancements in the AI field continue
to impact literally every aspect of how
businesses operate and more specifically,
how businesses interact with their publics.
A 2017 study by Econsultancy.com
indicates that more than 88% of consumers
are influenced by other consumers’ online
comments. That’s a staggering figure by
any standard. Then there’s the small matter
of the use of internet bots in messaging; It is critical for PR and Marketing
professional to understand the range of
opinions on this issue, because implicitly
or explicitly, they will influence the way
they will execute their duties and, in turn
- create the workforce of the future. The
issue is already front and center and how
professionals in this dynamic field make
decisions today will impact hugely on
their ability to effectively compete in the
coming decade.
Views on the expected impact vary
dramatically. By some accounts, the advent
of advancements in the AI field translate
to almost half of all jobs in the developed
economies becoming obsolete; while
others posit that intelligent machines
will actually create jobs - including new
categories of vocation.
A popular phrase by an author and a
thought leader in disruptive technology
The consumer demographics will certainly have
shifted to encompass, as a key demographic, Gen-
eration Z; a cohort that is not only mobile-first,
but almost mobile-only. The communicators
must, as of necessity device new ways of commu-
nicating and persuading in the age of machines
and decreased human interactions.
72 MAL22/18 ISSUE
Brian Solis goes thus: The internet is like
nature. It’s very very big and it basically
wants to kill you. This captures the feeling
of many PR practitioners, furiously trying
to hold things together but seemingly
losing the battle to information overload
and the ever fast-evolving communication
technology.
There’s a new technological development
every day, a new App, improved analytics
tools to catch up on, a faster channel to
the customer, an explosion of customer
feedback et cetera. By 2020, the number
of devices connected to the internet is
expected to exceed 40 billion, against a
human population of less than 8 Billion.
The
consumer
demographics
will
certainly have shifted to encompass, as
a key demographic, Generation Z; a
cohort that is not only mobile-first, but
almost mobile-only. The communicators
must, as of necessity device new ways of
communicating and persuading in the
age of machines and decreased human
interactions.
The modern day customer is under
immense pressure for time. All they want
is the fastest link to the solution they seek;
and internet bots are increasingly being
deployed to provide just that. So how can
one make sense of all of it? How do you
tie it all together and still have a winning
strategy?
In my opinion, the advancement of AI
means that the role of the marketing and
PR professionals perhaps faces one of its