Future use-cases of AI for Businesses, PR, Marketing

Being for long a Networked Society champion, I was introduced to future-looking and merging technologies concepts. But I was always intrigued by the notion of what the technology tools can enable. What forces can they “liberate”.

I wrote an article at the Deasy.gr about Artificial Intelligence quickly becoming a major factor in digital transformation, bringing more disruptions, and the complete new-era of PR and marketing. And I wonder whether that’s all good news, some good news, or not good news at all. Let’s get into it…

People, models, and systems adapt

If the robots do everything, what happens to the human artisans and practitioners? They will adapt because it is a human nature to adapt. Please, don’t take me wrong, but robots won’t take away the unique work of the amazing barista artist Michael Breach, whose real-time portraits in latte foam are remarkable. No bot will win his creativity and authenticity.

I’m arguing for long, in my professional domain, that the problem isn’t the Marketing AI advancement, per se, but if are evolving into new directions. So, if the robots, bots, and AI software routine will be doing the dirty work (Customer support, chatting, facilitating automated sales), the Strategist will become the King.

In this fantasy narration, as I will be a King-Strategist, the same can apply to all businesses. They can continue leading if only they exploit the best of Technology and head towards new directions. Software powered solutions will only execute on rules developed by human masters. Humans will still hold the steering wheel, as the artists in ways that AI never can be.

The global opportunity for Growth is larger than our “adaptation”

While humans will adapt to artisanal endeavours, passive income solutions, products of origin, and greater specialization in biotech, energy, sustainability, networked healthcare, social enterprises …with Creativity & Authenticity), the AI will evolve. Robots might take on some human jobs that involve repetitive tasks, but the stakes are greater.

PwC projects that AI will contribute an additional US$15.7 trillion to global GDP by 2030, an increase of 14% (China and North America for almost 70% of the global economic impact – you see why we cry loud to Europe, to wake-up?).

AI to enhance the way we live and work

Yes, AI promises to enhance the way we live and work, if introduced properly. The changes are already happening in our lives:

• Health: medical image processing and classification, Personalized medicine clusters, Doctorless hospitals everywhere
• Arts: Robot-musicians, Augmented movies script writing, Automated machine translation, Creative arts engines
• Personal finances: Automated insurance claims processing, Guided personal budgeting services, Autonomous investing, all payment processes with state authorities
• Transportation: Robotaxis, Self-driving cars, Self-navigating drones, Mobile logistic centres, alert services to any task
• Sciences: Scientific discovery hubs, automated 3D bioprinting
• Environment: Precision planting, Distance and autonomous mining, Artificial wildlife habitats
• Security: Bomb disposal robots, Smart homes, Face recognition (ie. Facebook picture search), Voice recognition
• Administration: Customer service chatbots, legal e-discovery, management cockpits for business decisions, decentralized corporate functions (HR, Accounting)
• Marketing: content decision activities, automated narratives based on user responses
• (even Legal): online legal bots like DoNotPay

Marketing will find itself in a completely new arena

Although Marketers see AI as a buzzword… automated data flows, behavioural “scripts”, our control over devices that will be giving us opinion/service/suggestions/offers, and the user-generated responses (as if it was a logical diagram) will prevail.

After 30 years in business and heavily involved in the Networked Society of Ericsson, I really can’t tell what the Marketing profession will turn-out to be. As IoT and Connected devices do, already, PR & Marketing will be transformed by AI. But I’m sure that the centrepiece of attention will be Customer care, options, answers, product pre-sales process. See below the Google AI where you can talk to strangers (why not products?):

To what extent Marketing roles will change? A more strategic take? Fewer resources completely dedicated to tasks? Seniors looking again in the forgotten Branding? I sincerely can’t tell. To start with, the “Next Big Thing” is a major technology shift that PR pros and Marketers must understand well. Not as they do usually …on the surface. Really well!

The below General Electric campaign comes from the heavy-industrial company that is now becoming 100% digitized. The film’s story for a hammer that can be activated through coding is true for GE. The company is investing $1 billion every year in new technologies. Today, in the USA alone there are 1.500 AI-only startups developing solutions under a bulk of investment capital of $5 billion only in 2017.

They are already working on assisted intelligence for automated reading, cross-check, and validity control of submitted documents at a Bank’s ATM.

Communications & PR Implications

Until now, a PR launch in search of reviews and product placements entailed issuing “dumb” product samples to influencers and media. What will happen when PR/media pitches to journalists and other influencers will be done through web links, tracked product usage, and AI-powered virtual press offices? A more strategic opportunity I would say is opening, to work again for the Brand experiences on a strategic level through.

In a recent interview, at Mobile World Congress, the Global senior digital director of Coca-Cola, Mariano Bosaz, presented the “automated narratives”. No worries dear Digital “gurus” or ad agencies… While Dan Davies, senior VP-director media sciences at MullenLowe (Mediahub division) was saying for long “…of the biggest false labels that I see is applying quote-unquote artificial intelligence to dynamic creative optimization systems…“. Not to say how future-looking is the chatbot “Nirobot” that Interpublic Group has created for their client Kia.

What we do know, thanks to a study by Jean Valin on behalf of the CIPR, is that right now 12% of PR skills are being assisted or impacted by AI. Machines are already undertaking tasks such as data analysis, horizon scanning and data management, performed by practitioners starting out in their career. The number is expected to rise to 38% within five years. He predicts that by 2023, AI will impact areas including stakeholder mapping, risk analysis, auditing, and behavioural analysis.

AI in Healthcare

Have you heard of Lumiata? It collects data from 160 million “points” (public data, manuals, and product info) to empower and assist doctors and support staff for patient’s diagnosis and healthcare. The systems learn and keep a clinical ‘model’ for each patient.

Expert systems lead to AI

In a recent interview, the Global Credit Risk and Information Management President of American Express, Ash Gupta, reminded us that the company as of 1987 introduced expert systems “Authorizer’s Assistant” where a machine was searching databases to approve credit card excesses.

Procter & Gamble’s Folgers coffee brand, in the same way, had introduced expert systems in selecting coffee blends and has saved $20 million per year from OpEx. Do you realize how far is our routine from the transformation and evolution?

Coming next? Not only Siri will be saving a boy’s life, but it will possibly suggest which apparel goes well with our daily schedule! The important investments of our life will be decoded and calculated by an advanced system like the one of JPMorgan. And advertising communications will have increased success rates with the “perfect” mix (fun–relevant–engaging–social–helpful).