Let the communication agency that has not used artificial intelligence (AI) cast the first stone, both for internal work and for their clients. Very few, aren’t they? Today , there are few voices in our industry dare to question the advantages and efficiencies of generative AI offered by generative AI in the work of consultants and account managers. Moreover, those who do so are branded as Luddites or, worse, dinosarus doomed to extinction. The eagerness to maximise the time spent with each client, coupled with the enthusiasm for having cybernetic assistants capable of supporting automatic tasks -and, let’s face it, executing them on their own-, together with an overflowing sense of FOMO, (the fear of missing out), has led us to jump on the AI bandwagon with an enthusiasm not seen since the advent of the Internet and email. So much so, that in industry forums and meetings we hear statements such as: “AI is the best thing that has happened to our industry. It challenges us creatively and drives us forward with our customers. The experience in the use of artificial intelligence within consultancies and communication agencies was the central theme of one of the round tables of the professional meeting organised by UP Agency, which brought together in Barcelona more than 70 members of its international network(UPN). This conclave addressed key issues for our industry, the role of the account manager in the growth and organisation of customer services, the importance of internal communication and the management of corporate communication in the governance of a company. And, of course, AI played a leading role.
From the Catalonian delegation of comma, we had the privilege to participate in this forum and to see how international agencies are applying this technological revolution in their day-to-day work, and the risks and challenges it poses from a social, moral and ethical point of view. At a time when 91% of US agencies are either using AI (61%) or exploring its use (30%), according to a Forrester study reported by Marketing Directo, it is essential to stop and reflect. Because, after the love affair between our sector and AI, the time has come to ask ourselves whether we can live with this technology, and on what terms. “In the last year, AI and the communication sector have been on a honeymoon,” noted Madelene Kornfehl, CEO of Cloudberry Communications AB, during the UPN meeting. “The challenge for the coming year is to structure the use of AI in our daily lives,” she concluded.
What do we use AI for?
Artificial intelligence has become an essential tool for streamlining processes in communication agencies, especially those that demand a lot of time and effort. Some of its most common applications are:
- Complex data processing and analysis: AI facilitates the management of large amounts of information, speeding up the review of lengthy reports and enabling teams to make informed and teams to make informed and informed decisions in less time.
- Simple reporting and KPI tracking: AI simplifies reporting by automating the collection and presentation of relevant data, allowing teams to focus on strategic analysis. With AI tools, it is possible to generate clear and customised reports that summarise the performance of campaigns, projects or any other activity based on previously defined KPIs, projects or any other activity based on previously defined KPIs.
- Automated content generation: natural language processing (NLP) algorithms are able to produce personalised and compelling capable of producing personalised and convincing texts. These tools are becoming more and more crucial for the creation of creation of content like the one you are reading, bringing speed and flexibility to blogging and other communication resources.
- Analysis of brand voice and tone against the competition: With AI , it is possible to accurately measure how a brand is perceived in comparison to others. brand is perceived in comparison to other brands, This allows you to adjust your communication strategies and improve your market positioning.
- Social media sentiment monitoring: AI analyses in real time opinions about a brand, identifying areas for improvement and new opportunities, This allows us to react swiftly to any changes in public perception.
Artificial intelligence needs us today.
However, it is crucial to clarify that AI does not work magically or autonomously. It needs, first of all, human intelligence to provide it with precise instructions on what we want it to create and how we want it to execute it (either through prompts or GPTs). In addition, it requires our effort and time to be created, trained and adjusted to our needs. It is common to hear colleagues who have already advanced in the use of these tools complain that training an AI model takes almost as much time as performing the task manually. While there is some truth to this, it is important to emphasise that a well-trained model does end up saving a significant amount of time. However, the best results are obtained when we take the time to correct initial mistakes, teaching the prompt what we did not like, so that it learns from our modifications. In the long run, that extra effort is worth it.
The risks: the end of the human touch?
As with any relationship, after the love affair phase, we begin to notice the flaws, and the love affair between communication agencies and AI is no exception. Increasingly, voices are coming out of the initial enthusiasm and raising their hands to question the use of this technology. These professionals do not oppose AI, but stress the importance of understanding that it is not a messiah come to save our industry. Their focus is on responsible, ethical and considered use, where AI is applied only in situations where fundamental principles are not compromised and where the results are critically evaluated. Among these experts is Juha Frey, CEO of NetProfile, who during the UPN event warned about how “AI can cause us to lose the human touch”, as well as pointing out the inherent biases in AI models. On the other hand, Richard Fogg, CEO of CCGroup, emphasised the risks related to privacy and transparency, highlighting that “we handle confidential information from the corporations we work with. In this context, the misuse of AI could lead to security breaches”. In the face of these challenges, the question arises: Should we make public our basic principles on the use of AI asan exercise in transparency? the use of AI as an exercise in transparency?
Impact on critical thinking and young talent
The appropriate use of AI can free us from routine and repetitive tasks, allowing us to spend more time on creative activities. However, instant access to information and excessive delegation to AI can also have adverse effects. The president of the Spanish Brain Council and neurobiologist at the Center for Genomic Regulation, Dr. Mara Dierssen, warned: “If we use AI to write scientific papers, emails or summarise texts, our cognitive skills run the risk of weakening. By delegating information processing to AI, we lose opportunities to strengthen memory, which reduces our ability to think critically and solve problems independently”. This reflection highlights a significant risk: over-reliance on AI could compromise our cognitive capacity, diminishing our critical thinking and autonomous problem-solving skills. On top of this, AIs, by their nature, tend to rely on predefined patterns and may lack the ability to interpret the full context of a situation. ability to interpret the full context of a situation. This can lead to errors or inappropriate decisions, especially in complex situations that require human judgement. An additional challenge is the impact AI can have on the development of young talent within agencies. The danger of letting AI do the thinking for us, a trend that is particularly noticeable among less experienced professionals, the routine tasks that used to be part of the apprenticeship and and training of the sector ‘ s juniors, are now automated by AI, limiting their opportunities to gain practical experience. This raises the question of how the industry will be able to continue to train new generations of professionals when the tasks they used to do manually new generations of professionals when tasks that used to be done manually are now performed by machines, are now performed by machines.
Three additional dangers in the use of AI
- Lack of transparency in decision-making: AI models often operate as a ‘black box’, where the decisions they generate are not fully understandable to users. This lack of transparency can lead to mistrust of outcomes and make accountability difficult, especially when decisions affect critical aspects of the of the business or the lives of customers.
- Loss of creativity in content generation: although AI can generate content efficiently, there is a risk that prolonged use of these tools will lead to a loss of originality and creativity in messages. lead to a loss of originality and creativity in messages. The repetition of patterns learned by algorithms can homogenise communication and reduce innovation and originality in creative strategies. communication and reduce innovation and originality in creative strategies.
- Technology dependency and vulnerability to failure: The increasing reliance on AI in day-to-day operations also creates vulnerability to technical failure. Any system error or cyber-attack affecting AI algorithmscould seriously compromise a company’ s algorithms could seriously compromise a company’s operations, from decision-making to the management of sensitive data.
What about the future?
The challenge for the future will be to strike a balance that allows us to take advantage of artificial intelligence the benefits of artificial intelligence without losing the human touch , and doing so in a way that is responsible to our organisations, our teams and our customers. AI is a powerful tool for automating processes and managing large volumes of information, but will not replace the ability of professionals to interpret situations, generate empathy and make decisions based on ethical values, generate empathy and make decisions based on ethical values. The goal is clear: smarter decisions, but always with humanity at the centre. As Kornfehl pointed out at the UPN event: “The challenge is to structure its use”. The important thing will be to find a way to coexist and integrate this technology in a sustainable way, ensuring that it complements our work without replacing what sets us apart as communicators.
