Andy Cullwick, head of marketing at First4Lawyers
What AI does offer is improvements, insights and efficiencies, and businesses are missing a trick if they don’t start utilising the benefits now
Sitting down to write this month’s article about how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing marketing, I briefly wondered if I could ask ChatGPT to write it for me instead.
Would the technology be sophisticated enough to mimic the mind of this marketing genius? Possibly. But anyone thinking robots are ready to take over our jobs needn’t start looking for work just yet.
There is no doubt that AI has been transformative in changing the way we reach potential clients. It enables us to collect and analyse huge amounts of customer data, identify patterns and tailor and target our adverts at those most likely to need our products and services. Whereas it would have once taken weeks or at best days to get marketing campaigns up and running, the technology now available means it can be done in a matter of hours.
AI is undoubtedly a very useful tool but, despite the hype, when it comes to content creation it is by no means an end-to-end solution and is still a long way off replacing people.
What do consumers want?
While marketing is predicted to be one of the sectors that will most benefit from AI, it isn’t always straightforward. For example, those needing legal services are often seeking advice on complex issues or are vulnerable and need the empathy and reassurance you can’t yet get from a machine.
A study by Orbit Media found legal services was one of the sectors where consumers were the most resistant to AI, with almost half (46%) of respondents wanting services to be run entirely by humans and a further 38% wanting human-led services supported by AI. People were asked for their preferences on a range of services, from financial advice to health, and the clear consensus was that most wanted at least some level of human interaction and/or supervision.
While chatbots are becoming more prevalent, they are typically still used to answer only routine queries and, in most industries, consumers can still get through to a person if they need one.
The way people find information is changing and that’s where AI can really help, but once you’ve got their attention then the rest is up to you.
Human touch
Full disclosure… I did ask ChatGPT to have a go at writing this. The result? A glowing and somewhat one-sided endorsement of AI and its benefits, but not quite what you need for that all-important spot at the top of the search results.
Published in August last year, Google’s helpful content update provides guidance on what the sear