In essence, AI gives us superpowers to do the good bits of our job that we really enjoy, and to automate and make more efficient the elements of our jobs that we enjoy less.
It should augment us, not replace us.
AI & PR: what’s next?
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations magazine, Influence, includes an article called AI & PR: what’s next? and talks about the fear of becoming obsolete being felt by many (FOBO). It’s easy to be overwhelmed by talk of so many new technologies and AI tools, and by ChatGPT having the ability to be a creative.
AI still needs human involvement, especially because the data AI models are trained on is generated by all of us. They should be accurate, clean, unbiased, ethical, responsible.
With AI disrupting roles within PR, it may simultaneously create new positions, according to Influence’s article, such as:
Deepfake crisis comms specialist
One of the biggest concerns around AI is deepfakes: realistic-looking but misleading content, often generated for nefarious purposes. It’s here where crisis comms can rush to the rescue. “If somebody puts out a fake resignation statement from a CEO, it will short the stock, making the criminals a lot of money,” says Paul Stollery, Hard Numbers. “If you think about the lack of moderations on Twitter/X, it’s a case of ‘when’, rather than ‘if that happens.”
Governance consultant
In September 2023, the CIPR’s AI in PR Panel – Humans Needed More Than Ever report found that “practitioners will have a role in advising on governance issues about the ethical use of AI and the regulatory issues that surround it.”
AI Ethicist
Want to ensure your ChapGTP press releases and AI-generated social media posts are bias-free? Enter the in-house AI ethicist who will oversee this.
Product manager
If the AI project manager’s role to supervise all AI-related activities, recently advertised at Netflix is anything to go by, this could be well-renumerated: the listed ‘compensation’ was between £240,000 and £710,000.
Human-machines teaming guru
PR firms may need a manager who ensures both human and artificial intelligence works together harmoniously. “AI is not ready to just chuck stuff into before pushing it out the door. It’s easy to make mistakes exponentially, therefore humans are needed more than ever,” said Stollery.
In my own article, Humans Play Very Important Roles in an AI-supported World, I wrote about businesses having to depend on humans and machines collaborating with each other. This was exactly two years ago in June 2022 and I said that behind AI machines and technology, humans are required to perform roles to ensure the smooth transition to an AI-driven world.
I believe this to still be the case.
Practitioners exploring the nature of new roles a couple of years ago uncovered three new categories of jobs:
- Trainers
- Explainers
- and the Sustainers
Trainers – Human workers that teach AI machines and systems how to perform and mimic human behavior. Trainers will help computers learn to recognize faces or improve how they translate languages. For example, human trainers were needed to develop the personality of Amazon’s Alexa to ensure it represents Amazon’s brand.
Explainers – Human workers that explain how AI machines and algorithms work. For example, safety engineers focus on anticipating and trying to prevent harm by AI. They will interpret the results of data presented by AI to improve transparency and accountability for their decisions, helping to strengthen the confidence of both customers and workers in AI-powered processes.
Sustainers – Human workers that will ensure intelligence systems stay true to their original goals without crossing ethical lines or reinforcing bias. For example, this could include an ethics compliance manager to ensure that an AI-powered credit approval system does not discriminate against certain categories of customers. So, although AI is disrupting the workplace and changing the way that work is done, the opportunity remains for humans to apply certain skill sets and perform certain AI-driven jobs.
I think we are still figuring this out. I also think we should speak out when our jobs are not being augmented, as per the ‘promise’ that is widely bandied in many discussions.