It's all we talk about. Artificial intelligence is a true technological revolution. Initially intended for scientific research, it's now shaking up numerous sectors. Its use could profoundly transform the world of work in the years to come. Indeed, by 2040, 45% of human labor could be performed by artificial intelligence, according to the 2021 Mc Kinsey Global Institute study.
The communication professions are not spared by these transformations. Artificial intelligence is gradually establishing itself as the new tool for communicators. A change welcomed by those most directly involved: 66% of communication directors believe that AI will enhance the effectiveness of communication actions, according to the 2019 Cision study “How do communication directors perceive digital transformation?” But what will it be used for?
Artificial Intelligence, Creative Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence is entering the creative process and redefining the scope of the profession. From graphic design to automated text writing, it's a valuable ally for creatives.
Several companies have embraced this technology to expedite graphic creation. For instance, Adobe launched Adobe Sensei in 2019. Integrated into the company's software, this AI tool offers new functionalities to designers: altering the appearance of an image in a few clicks using Photoshop's neural filters, vectorizing sketches, or automating video subtitles... The list goes on.
It influences visuals as well as words. Through automated text generation, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing copywriting. Algorithms can generate a logo or slogan in a matter of seconds based on information such as the company's name and industry. This use, far from being utopian, is already prevalent: in 2018, Lexus presented “Driven by Intuition,” the first advertising film written by artificial intelligence. Since then, such initiatives have been burgeoning.
But can artificial intelligence be creative? While it proves effective in certain stages of the creation process, it cannot replace the artist. “Machine learning will change technology in all its aspects, but no machine will be capable of imitating the creative capacity of the human mind,” emphasizes Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe. An opinion shared by Paulo Tangerino, creative director at FSTL agency: “Artificial intelligence offers designers more space, time, and means. Only humans can provide brands with powerful identity codes,” he confided in an interview with Stratégies in 2019. “We must find in artificial intelligence the means to make the machine an extension of our brain, without going through our hands. AI won't replace creativity; it will enhance it.”
AI for Better Targeting and Personalizing Content
In 2017, Dominique Danaë, Communication Director of Microsoft France, already shared in an interview with WeAreCom that artificial intelligence would “fundamentally change the game in the field of communication.” Primarily thanks to data exploitation, which she then considered “an incredible promise in personalizing and disseminating content”. Today, the revolution is underway.
Data is the new gold of the 21st century. With the advent of digital technology, companies now have access to an astronomical amount of data about their customers and prospects. Buying behaviors, preferences, desires, profiles... These pieces of information enable communicators to optimize segmentation and targeting to create personalized content.
Artificial intelligence enables the processing of this collected data. By providing intelligent customer understanding, this technology offers companies the opportunity to genuinely develop by taking their customers into account. “The time of product and/or service campaigns independently of targeting quality is coming to an end. By providing a self-learning understanding of customers, AI brings about a paradigm shift in marketing: it finally revolves around the customer. Each customer has their relationship”, explains Stéphane Amarsy, founder of the marketing software publisher D-AIM, in an interview with Stratégies.
By analyzing data, algorithms can personalize content based on profiles. For example, artificial intelligence can create personalized newsletters based on users' behaviors, deliver targeted web banners based on their browsing data, or optimize paid search campaigns by adjusting keywords. And the more data algorithms have, the more precise the targeting, resulting in better communication campaign performance.
This hyper-personalization of relationships through artificial intelligence is ultimately an opportunity for communicators: “With AI, communication is undergoing its revolution. It provides acute customer knowledge upstream and produces automated and personalized content downstream. Today, the communicator is enhanced and potentially liberated”, concludes Stéphane Amarsy.
Artificial Intelligence: an Aid Tool for Monitoring
It's essential in communication professions: we're talking about monitoring. Essential for building an effective strategy, yet often seen as time-consuming by those primarily involved. What if artificial intelligence were the solution?
From listening to data processing, including their collection: every step in the monitoring cycle can benefit from artificial intelligence. This technology enables, for example, the automation of search filters, identification of new sources, and verification of their reliability cross-referencing various data like reviews and comments, the number of published articles, site construction and even the production of summaries. “The primary advantage of artificial intelligence is its ability to massively process available data quantities and extract weak signals or link dispersed information”, explains Françoise Soulié, scientific director of Hub France IA, to Archimag in 2021. “Faced with the explosion in data volume, the challenge for monitors is to automate the process. The broader the monitoring, the earlier it can identify weak signals. AI is capable of meeting this need”.
In short, by automating certain tasks, artificial intelligence allows communicators to focus on other missions with higher added value, such as strategic or relational aspects.
And tomorrow? According to a report by Dell and the Institute for the Future published in 2021, 85% of jobs that will be performed in 2030 do not yet exist. Beyond deeply transforming communication professions, the rise of artificial intelligence could bring about entirely new ones.
Emma Alcaraz