Recently PR and communications has seen a significant transformation, thanks to the growing popularity and advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). AI has become a game changer, revolutionising the way that we interact with our audiences, analyse data, and streamline once complicated processes. However, like any tool, AI has both its advantages and disadvantages.

We asked some of the 3x1 team their experiences so far with AI, where it has made their jobs easier and more efficient, and where they have seen it fall short.

 

Carly Bannerman, account director

Pro: We have been working on a video project for a client recently. It is an animation with a voiceover, however, once we downloaded the audio it was quite low-quality and had an echo. After running the audio through Adobe’s built-in AI software it was smooth, high quality and much easier to listen to.

Con: I have recently been in meetings that have used an AI notes taker for meeting actions, which I have uncovered some issues with. The AI tool was not particularly good at identifying punctuation and changes in accents. This meant I had to go in post-meeting and make corrections for grammar and some misheard words. There clearly needs to be some adaptions made before it can be completely trusted.

 

Laura Sutherland, development director

Pro: The addition of AI into our practices gives us the opportunity to embrace artificial intelligence in crisis situations to give real time data and help inform decisions and actions. We get information much faster and much more efficiently, meaning that we can inform our clients of any issues and respond quicker than we’ve ever been able to before.

Con: The output of the AI is only as good as the information you input! You must be very specific and detailed about what it is you want. Best test and play around first so you know and so the AI can start to build a picture of what you use it for. This is where team 3x1 comes in to add those extra details and information we’ve gathered through our relationship with the client to provide the best results.

 

Heather Marston, account director

Pro: Otter is always my first port of call when subtitling videos for clients. I usually have to go in and make some changes afterwards, but it saves me a lot of time on client hours that I apply to improving our clients’ overall experience.

Con: AI does have many benefits, but nothing can replace knowledge of your client, their industries, and their preferences. The client still needs our touch to ensure everything makes sense, is captured the correct way and is in line with their style guide and tone of voice.

 

Lewis Mearns, digital strategist

Pro: I produce digital reports for many of our clients, which means a lot of data analysis. A platfrom such as GA4 will use AI to fill in data gaps allowing allows for joined up deeper understanding of user behaviour. It's a benefit although it isn't a replacement for a human user. Insights still have to be drawn in relation to individual clients and needs.

Con: There are some ethical considerations that must be considered when using AI. We have to watch for algorithms bias, privacy concerns and intellectual property. We need to mitigate these concerns as best we can while the AI landscape continue to evolve and offer transparency with our clients.

 

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