Importance of responsible integration of ChatGPT in Public Relations
Like most in the PR space, it was hard to ignore the developments of generative AI, especially ChatGPT. A promise to augment efficiencies, enabling time for creativity, and the ability to write personalised content makes it a tempting proposition for the industry. It is a powerful tool for any agency looking to maximise growth and increase revenue. However, it is critical to ensure we aren’t compromising on organisational values, ethics, and the quality of work done for the clients.
Using ChatGPT, any research, content, and even curating campaigns for brands can be achieved in just minutes. While the accuracy of the information from ChatGPT is not convincing, it gives you a great head start on the task. Like with any new automation tool, the concerns are no different for the PR industry. The clear benefits of ChatGPT will mean many activities require minimum human intervention, influencing the demand for resources in PR.
However, that does not appear to be the case yet. In PR, the agency is accountable for potential risks and reputational damage to the clients. Hence, it is crucial to maintain the intervention of experienced PR professionals. The PR agency must have an integration strategy that ensures a high standard of quality control, guidelines that future-proof the brand and reputation, and even a legal framework to defend in instances of information leaks.
With vast amounts of accessible data, it can be challenging for PR teams to maintain the promised confidentiality to their client. If there is no control over where ChatGPT will pop up your shared information next, the PR team has to ensure confidentiality.
While all the rage about ChatGPT is understandable, the PR industry has never been the first to adopt new technologies. Remember when other marketing verticals moved to sophisticated performance metrics, the PR industry was still stuck with conventional practices to evaluate success. It is not that PR lacks the resources or willingness to transform, just that the nature of work makes the performance measurement different from other fields. PR must maintain the highest standards of ethics, values, and working practices that lay the foundation of the agency-client relationship.
Also, much of the world is already grappling with misinformation. And if the results from ChatGPT are from what is fed to it, PR professionals as the flag bearer of trust, should ensure we lead by example.
The widespread adoption of ChatGPT in PR demands a responsible integration of the tool with business. Else ChatGPT is only as good as the person giving instructions to it. PR profession demands a greater responsibility to maintain the organisational values, ethics, and working practices. It should have a full-proof integration strategy that protects the client’s reputation and saves society from the unknown perils of misinformation and plagiarism.
ChatGPT in the news recently – ChatGPT Creator OpenAI Sued
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