Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic ever since Chat GPT was unleashed on the public in November 2022. It set a record for having the fastest-growing user base in history for a consumer application, and it has also had a major impact on professionals in the field of integrated marketing communications (IMC).
Elizabeth Whittington, director of digital media at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, uses AI for various purposes including writing, brainstorming, summarizing, and self-learning about different topics.
“Every single one of us should be using them at this point. It is changing and evolving so fast. I work for a scientist, so when he’s talking about something, I’m going to Chat GPT and I’m asking it what a protein means in life sciences? What does it mean in cancer? So, I’m able to have a conversation with him about it,” she said.
Whittington was part of a panel discussion at the University of Mississippi, along with Penn State advertising and public relations professor Dr. Holly Overton. Overton said she uses AI tools in her teaching and research and invites students to use them as a way to develop new skills they will use as practitioners.
“I can find meaningful ways to bring it into the classroom and to help my students get equipped because I don’t think this is going away and I think it’s vital for students to really understand how to use them ethically and responsibly,” Overton said.
University of Mississippi School of Journalism and Media Dean Andrea Hickerson reiterated the need to educate future IMC professionals about the responsible use of AI. She noted one of the technology’s key drawbacks.
“One would certainly be biases in terms of algorithms as we know the way machine learning works and it’s fed with information. If that information itself is biased, then you’re going to get biased results,” she said.
Moreover, with the increase in deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation, Whittington highlighted the importance of adding these topics to every company’s crisis communication plans. Overton agrees.
“These issues can ultimately lead to the erosion of trust between organizations and their prospective stakeholders and from a PR standpoint, it damages a brand’s or an individual’s reputation,” Overton said.
Whittington said AI may also have at least one unanticipated impact on the field of IMC.
“Now people are skeptical of everything they read and see online, so the pendulum is gonna swing to having face-to-face conversations and having personal connections. This is a soft skill that is going to become so important,” she said.
AI technologies are already proving useful to IMC practitioners with improved ability to fact-check information through large databases, training algorithms to provide more diverse perspectives and predictive analytics capabilities. However, Dr. Todd Holmes, who heads the Entertainment Media Management Program at California State University of Northridge, said using the tools comes with a core responsibility.
“Certainly, transparency is extremely important in the process, being transparent with the end consumer, but also being transparent across all the different stakeholder groups that you’re working with including your employees.”
