ChatGPT – Is it our enemy or could it be a secret tool for PR?

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, particularly in the PR and Marketing world. As an ex History graduate and now a PR Account Manager, my writing skills are what set me apart when applying to roles and is the main basis of my job. I have never been a numbers person, so therefore I enjoy that I am good at writing and feel very happy filling my working day with writing press releases and copy, rather than analysing excel spreadsheets.

However, with ChatGPT, I feel slightly threatened…it is a tool that can write a very convincing and good press release in seconds. Anything you ask, it can do. No experience, no studying, or reading up on a topic is needed. It is efficient and quick, and strangely it can add an ounce of personality and flair, which I find slightly scary for a ‘robot’.

As frightening or unnerving as many might find it, ChatGPT could have multiple benefits and potentially be used as a tool for good. For agencies or PR consultants, it allows work and tasks to be produced in seconds, which otherwise could take an hour or more. It means you can take on a larger and more varied clientele, without needing to hire more employees.

However, speed isn’t everything. The quality of the content is also critical, and this is where AI-written press releases can fall short. While the algorithms used in AI are sophisticated, they don’t have the same level of creativity, nuance, or context that humans possess. As a result, the content produced by AI may lack depth, originality, and insight.

In contrast, human-written press releases can deliver content that’s tailored to the specific needs of a business or organisation. Humans can use their experience, expertise, and intuition to create a message that resonates with readers and delivers the intended impact. Furthermore, human writers can adjust their writing style and tone to suit the audience, something that’s more difficult for AI to do.

Is this going to be the new way forward for PR or is it going to put us copywriters and PR professionals out of a job in the future? Well, to test this theory out, I have actually included some paragraphs written by ChatGPT in this blog…can you guess which ones they are?

By putting it into practise myself, I hate to admit…it allowed me to write a blog with ease, yet didn’t stop my personality and own thoughts shine through.

I believe AI tools and human writing could be used in conjunction, particularly if it is a detailed heavy piece like a report, which tends to be more factual-focused than personable. For time sensitive comments, you can churn out a piece instantly, and then add in the ‘human touch’ afterwards. Together, you can create an accurate piece of writing and tweak it to suit your client and audience.

However, like with anything, too much of a good thing is a bad thing, and I think we should be cautious in becoming too reliant on an application, rather than our own skills and ability.

Paragraphs 4 & 5 were written by ChatGPT.

Eve Foster, PR Account Manager, Antler Agency