Public Relations (PR) is a vital component of any business or organisation that seeks to build a positive reputation and establish trust with its target audience. PR professionals are responsible for creating and maintaining relationships with various stakeholders, including customers, investors, employees, and the media. While chatbots and AI-powered language models like ChatGPT have made significant advancements in recent years, they cannot replace the critical role of PR in today’s complex and ever-evolving business landscape.
Here are some reasons why ChatGPT won’t ever replace PR:
PR is about building relationships, not just communication
PR is more than just sending out press releases and responding to media inquiries. It’s about building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders. PR professionals work to establish trust and credibility with their audience, whether it’s through media relations, community outreach, or internal communications. Chatbots may be able to communicate effectively, but they lack the ability to build relationships and establish trust with people.
PR requires a deep understanding of the company and its industry
Successful PR requires a thorough understanding of the company’s values, goals, and industry. PR professionals must be well-versed in the company’s products and services, as well as the competition and industry trends. Chatbots can be programmed with information, but they lack the expertise and insight that comes with years of experience in the field.
PR is about strategy and creativity
PR is not just about disseminating information but also developing effective strategies to achieve specific goals. PR professionals must think creatively to develop campaigns and initiatives that resonate with their target audience. Chatbots are not capable of creative thinking, nor can they develop strategies that take into account the nuances of human behaviour and psychology.
PR involves managing crises and reputation
One of the most critical aspects of PR is managing crises and protecting the company’s reputation. PR professionals are trained to respond quickly and effectively to any negative publicity or crisis that may arise. They work to minimise the damage and restore trust with stakeholders. Chatbots cannot replicate the emotional intelligence and critical thinking required to manage crises effectively.
PR requires a human touch
At the end of the day, PR is about human interaction. It’s about building relationships, communicating effectively, and understanding the needs and wants of your audience. While chatbots and AI-powered language models can simulate human conversation, they lack the empathy, intuition, and emotional intelligence required to truly connect with people.
In conclusion, while chatbots and AI-powered language models like ChatGPT can be useful tools for businesses and organisations, they cannot replace the critical role of PR. PR professionals bring a human touch to communication and are essential for building relationships, developing effective strategies, managing crises, and protecting the company’s reputation. So, while technology can help streamline and automate certain aspects of PR, it cannot replace the expertise and human connection that PR professionals bring to the table.
Hi. Team Rev here.
The above was written by Chat GPT.
No, really.
With some basic instructions, the chatbot wrote a decent enough article about its own limitations. What it also did, quite beautifully, was demonstrate the biggest problem of all. It can only write in one voice. And it’s never, ever yours.
Whilst this blog is perfectly acceptable, it’s certainly not ‘Team Rev’ – it sounds nothing like us. It’s not witty and charming for a start. It also doesn’t seem to be aware that we work in the franchise industry, and everyone reading this is likely to be either a franchisor or a franchisee.
It’s a little repetitive and doesn’t include keywords or terminology to support our ongoing strategy for reaching our audience.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, ChatGPT ‘forgot’ to mention something else when it was dutifully listing its weaknesses. It’s not a factual platform. It doesn’t always get it right and in fact has been shown to often state inaccuracies as fact*. It is subject to internet bias and the data it learned from also cuts off at 2021, meaning it’s therefore unaware of world events after that time.
Do we think the likes of ChatGPT, Jasper and ChatSonic and Bard (when they’ve fixed it!) are here to stay. Yes, 100%. Should you be thinking that PR agencies and professionals across the globe will be replaced. No… also 100%.
What these amazing tools will (and do) help us to do is to work more efficiently and effectively and to dedicate more person-power to the tasks that really make an impact – things like interacting with a journalist or an influencer. Because even if the chatbots can eventually be taught how to write a piece of content that is on-brand, in-voice and the right tone, who on earth is going to fact-check it and pitch it out to the media?!
In case you’re new here, we regularly write articles about hot topics and share PR advice like this to help you make the most of your PR activity. To make sure you don’t miss out, follow us on social media: LinkedIn, Twitter or Instagram. And, if you fancy a chat about this in more detail then get in touch – we absolutely LOVE chatting about this kind of thing. Email lucy@revpr.co.uk or call 07921 572554.
* https://mashable.com/article/chatgpt-amazing-wrong