Unless you have been on a desert island these last couple of months, you will no doubt have heard about a form of AI (Artificial Intelligence) Chatbot ‘taking over the world’. This is ChatGPT, the fastest growing consumer application to date.
It’s the technology that is said to replace certain professions such as journalists and social media managers in the future.
So what exactly is CHATGPT?
ChatGPT is a chatbot developed by American AI research lab OpenAI. It is basically a computer programme which is designed to simulate detailed conversations with human users, usually on the internet. It was made to understand the human language and interact back with ‘human like’ responses using a huge amount of information from the internet.
ChatGPT AI symbol
ChatGPT has a lot going for it. It can quickly and efficiently resolve queries and answer questions, providing instant customer service assistance to users. It is very user-friendly, remembering previous conversations and using the context of those past interactions to generate appropriate responses.
Within the social media world, some social media marketing agencies are actually using ChatGPT to create their client’s captions and blogs. It can also be handy for small brands who do not have the funds to outsource their social media management or to employ a social media manager.
This, of course, is what I want to talk about today.
Like most new phenomena’s, there are usually cons to counteract the pros.
Why I don’t think ChatGPT should replace social media managers…
It’s simple really. No-one knows your products and services like you do. You as your company’s founder. You as the investor and you as the entrepreneur of your brand.
Now, I know what you are thinking…. “But if no-one knows my brand better than me, then why is hiring a social media freelancer or agency to manage my socials any better than using ChatGPT myself?”.
First of all, an excellent social media manager (SMM) or agency would dedicate time to do their research on the brand they are working with. What is their brand ethos? What do they stand for? Who is their ideal customer? What are their business goals? Where do they rank within their industry? Who are their competitors and who are their influencers?
They would invest time (and sometimes money) into trying the products and services out for themselves, determining what the benefits are, what the weaknesses are, what FAQ’s might come up and what solutions do the products bring to what problems.
Accomplished SMMs and agencies would also focus on building an excellent working relationship with their clients to uncover why they created their brand and offerings. They would be looking to share the passion that the entrepreneurs have for their brand online, and treat their client’s company like it is their own.
And finally, if not more importantly in my opinion, relationships need to be built by the SMMs and agencies with the brand’s digital audience too. Nothing beats a loyal following for a brand. Loyalty brings engagement, brand awareness and ultimately revenue. You can build loyalty from your blogs and captions, relating to followers and emphasising with them over their problems that your products and services can resolve.
All of the above can translate into exemplary marketing content. Brands should have a character, a language, a brand tone of voice. I don’t believe an AI (at this moment in time) can truly and consistently give you that.
Yes you can ask an AI to make a caption or blog ‘fun’ or ‘humorous’ or even ‘formal’ and ‘to the point’. But will an AI really bring the emphasis on the passion and excitement that can be had for your brand?
Alongside the above, ChatGPT has been know to be misleading with some of its responses. It is said to answer “what the model knows as opposed to what the human demonstrator knows”. The last thing you want is to be putting inaccurate data out for the world to see under your brand’s name.
ChatGPT AI has little creativity too, not like a human mind does anyway. With SEO being an important consideration for SMMs and social media marketing agencies nowadays, you have to be careful that you are not posting an AI generated caption or blog that someone else may be similarly posting.
These points, in my eyes, are pretty important points to consider when deciding whether or not to use an AI for your marketing. However, I have to be open minded and highlight some of the benefits of using an AI for social media.
What I think ChatGPT could be good for…
There are a few benefits to ChatGPT that I can see being useful for social media management, mainly for those who don’t have the money to invest in outsourcing their social media management.
ChatGPT can provide ideas around what angle to go for when talking about certain subjects. For a one-person start up brand who has no idea what content to write, ChatGPT can help get their digital presence started.
It is a quick and easy way to start putting content out there for a small brand on the world wide web. For those who are short on time, the AI can provide what is needed within seconds.
Conclusion – So how will ChatGPT affect Social Media Managers?
ChatGPT has its benefits, there is no denying that. But can it do a better job than an SMM or social media marketing agency? Personally, I don’t think so.
A photo from ‘The Terminator’ film
Social media management by REAL humans, should be plan A. Humans are considerably better than an AI at social interactions, processing data, having self-awareness and showing sensitivity and empathy towards others online.
How will ChatGPT affect Social Media Managers? As for AI replacing SMM’s, agencies or even journalists, there are currently (and always will be) plenty of people who don’t ‘trust’ digital entities, and would traditionally prefer working with an actual person as opposed to a machine. I don’t think AI will replace humans altogether within the social media world. But these kind of inventions are evolving every day, so who knows what may happen in the future.
You’ve all seen ‘The Terminator’ movie right? (If you haven’t then why the hell not, it’s only one of the best films of all time!). Can AI go a few steps further and start building a mind of its own? Will AI eventually take over the world? Who knows!
Written by Helen Dobson – Core Social Founder
