Since the launch of ChatGPT mere months ago, many of our global partners have reported seeing business and technology media across their regions profiling generative AI tools, and the companies behind them, at great length.

From uncovering how the likes of DALL-E 2 and Midjourney might disrupt art generation, to how GitHub Copilot is evolving with ChatGPT-4 to help users across the development lifecycle, the variety and velocity of stories in the field are growing week on week. Such is the fast-changing nature of development in the arena, calls for caution are being voiced publicly by leading tech figures too, primarily focused on the dangers of training of AI systems above a certain capacity.

To learn more about the implications for brands and communicators in 2023 and beyond, Brands2Life US recently convened a panel of expert journalists and academics to explore what companies can do to seize the opportunities generative AI presents to produce unique ideas, create compelling content at scale, and ultimately forge greater connections with audiences.

Key takeaways from the discussion were as follows:

  1. Communicators should use these tools to improve content and efficiency

From drafting press releases to generating quotes for spokespeople, is this the end of the road for writing as we know it? “Not today”, the panel concluded.

But with recent studies indicating writing outcomes improve by 30 – 80 per cent when enlisting generative AI tools, communicators today should consider how to integrate them to improve their own workflows and those of their wider team. This will be important for brand communicators right across the world, resulting in better quality content, engagement and results on a scale not seen before.

  1. Brands must be mindful of future regulation

Models that respond to images such as ChatGPT-4, or generate images such as DALL-E 2, can as one panellist put it, “be used as a prosthesis for the imagination”, allowing users to experiment with seemingly infinite perspectives in just a few clicks. However, questions remain unanswered on whether this is safe territory for brand communicators.

With current laws unclear and regulation surrounding such issues not even in existence yet, communicators would be especially wise to pay close attention to how this debate unfolds across the globe, and what the implications might be.

  1. Testing technologies is key to understanding them

The panel concluded with a discussion on the prevalence of negative opinions on generative AI tools from those who had yet to actually try them.

Communicators must therefore experiment. Access these tools. Set them tasks. Only by thorough testing can communicators accurately access the benefits and potential pitfalls over time.

The outlook for 2023

There’s no escaping this fascinating landscape that’s unfolding and evolving every day, disrupting areas of business we know of, and others we haven’t yet begun to comprehend.

When we asked our global partners if they plan to use generative AI tools regularly by the end of 2023, 100% of those who responded answered ‘yes’. This is extremely encouraging given the need for communicators to spend time understanding the potential of these technologies to produce better ideas, better content and better connections for clients.

To access a full write up of insights from the Brands2Life US panel discussion, please click here. To watch the discussion in full, please click here.