Marketing in the Age of AI: Exploring the Pros and Cons

AI. The two letters on everyone’s lips at the moment. It certainly feels that almost all of the digital platforms we use on a daily basis are constantly integrating new AI tools and features. Even in just writing this intro, Google Docs used smart predictions to finish my sentence!

Alongside well-known tools like ChatGPT, platforms including Google Search and Ads, Adobe Creative Cloud, Buffer and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) are bringing out their own AI-powered features such as AI-generated written content, graphics and even stock photos.

So what does this all mean for you as a business owner, especially when it comes to marketing?

There are plenty of pros and cons to using AI in marketing, let’s explore a few.

Pros of AI in marketing

It saves time

AI tools can absolutely save you time and enable you to work more efficiently.

Infinite idea generation

Stuck on a new idea? With some simple prompting, AI can generate 100s of ideas in seconds, or even flesh out an idea you already have. Full transparency, I used ChatGPT to generate title suggestions for this article after drafting it.

Access to different skill sets

The power of AI gives you access to skills you might not have in your team; whether it’s design, copywriting or social media planning.

Cons of AI in marketing

It can’t replace creativity

As advanced as the technology is getting, it’s still not at a level of replicating human creativity and collaboration. A critical eye is required to edit and adapt AI-generated content to best fit your brand.

The risk of sameness

It’s hard to stand out in the marketplace if your content looks the same as your competitors. If you’re using AI tools, your competitors probably are too! Using AI-generated content puts you at risk of looking and sounding the same as your competitors.

Accuracy of information

AI tools will not always provide you with the most accurate or up-to-date information. ChatGPT 3.5 (the version you are most likely using, unless you have a paid subscription) only has knowledge up to 2022, and can’t tell you who won the Rugby World Cup in 2023.

While AI tools can be a great way to get you thinking and ultimately reduce some of the time-consuming elements of your work, they often can’t produce a polished result and lack the nuance required to represent your brand to your ideal audience.

If you’re looking to utilise AI tools in your business, get in touch with our team for tips about how best to prompt AI to produce the most on-brand and effective solutions for you.