To be clear, CCgroup is actively using a number of tools which are AI-based. These vary from transcription services to media evaluation tools. These are commonplace in our existing workflows and support a range of services we offer to clients, including our data & analytics offer. These tools automate the evaluation of vast swathes of data and present it back to us concisely and legibly. These aren’t the tools that are being scrutinised – only those that actually generate content with varying levels of human involvement.
It is precisely these tools where we have been most focused. Some agencies fear them (we’ll look at some of the scary implications in future blogs), but for now, the majority appear to be embracing them. I think early nervousness has settled down. The old adage that people fear what they don’t understand is certainly true. I think this open mindedness stems from agencies recognising where generative AI delivers the greatest value. As the blog heading suggests, for CCgroup this has been in supporting the creation of compelling content, rather than creating it in relative isolation.
CCgroup is a specialist B2B tech agency. We have always been able to compete because we have detailed knowledge of a relatively small number of technology markets – mobile & telecoms, enterprise tech, fintech, cybersecurity, connectivity and deeptech. Our ability to instantly relate to the challenges our clients face, and the intricacies of the buying the decisions their customers take, has always helped us to differentiate. It has also impacted our ability to scale superfast. This is simply because this expertise is hard-earned and 30 years+ worth of market knowledge is incredibly difficult to replicate – even for artificial intelligence.
I should stress that it remains early days for generative AI, and how effectively we, as users, prompt these tools to support content generation will only improve in time. So too will the quantity of data that is available online for it to process and analyse. As things stand however, generative AI does make mistakes. It is also incapable of building the levels of bespoke, creative content that our clients have come to expect from us. So much so, that it is at its most useful when content originators have a firm grasp on industry and technology issues to be able to spot mistakes as they appear.
We will continue to encourage the use of generative AI as research tools – to help inform independent, creative thought. However, we will also be following our own policies to ensure that it doesn’t replace it. Like the rest of the PR and marketing industry, we remain certain that these tools are only going to get better, so we’ll continue to experiment with them, be transparent with clients and share our learnings with them as we go.
