Blending AI and Human Superpowers for a New Era in Communications 

Blending AI and human superpowers for a new era in communications 

Artificial Intelligence, once a distant dream, now stands as a transformative force reshaping the landscape of business and society. 70% of CEOs say they expected Gen AI to significantly change the way their company creates, delivers, and captures value in the next three years. AI is poised to add up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030—more than the current output of China and India combined. For Chief Communications Officers (CCOs) and their teams, this AI-driven disruption presents a double-edged sword of challenges and unparalleled opportunities. The mandate looming large before us is clear yet complex: we must not merely adopt AI, but strategically harness its potential to drive innovation, enhance efficiency and accelerate impact across our organizations.

Opening up the aperture on how we integrate AI in communications

Imagine a communications function where the team activates a smart collaboration with AI, where real-time data analysis helps anticipate crises, where AI elevates brand management and hyper-personalizes engagement at scale. The opportunity is ripe for CCOs to think big and expand the horizon when it comes to AI use cases in communications. What are use cases we have not yet experimented with? What AI tools could be game-changers, creativity-boosters and paradigm-shifters in the ever-expanding, increasingly complex and ever more strategic role CCOs plays for enterprises across industries. 

AI tools today have advanced capabilities that can not only predict issues and crisis, speedily surface customer dissatisfaction, and forecast supply chain disruptions, they can also streamline everything from board communications to cultural adaptation for global consumers, communities and employees. To be clear, this isn't just about doing things faster—it's about doing things smarter and far more strategically. Understanding and partnering effectively with AI can mean we have augmented capabilities like never before for reputation management, for optimizing stakeholder interactions, and for data-driven decision-making.

The synergy of AI and human expertise

In order to masterfully harness AI in our work, it is key that we understand where AI excels and where humans excel, which can then help us unlock how the collaboration between the two can create extraordinary outcomes. While AI excels in data processing, predictive analytics, consistency, scalability and personalization, human superpowers that remain irreplaceable are creative thinking and innovation, emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning, strategic thinking and adaptability. 

Where the magic happens is in the synergy of human and AI capabilities. Augmented intelligence isn't just 1+1=2; it's more like 1+1=11. We're solving problems we couldn't even articulate before. In essence, AI amplifies human capabilities, but human ingenuity remains the catalyst for transformative business outcomes. It is this symbiosis that isn't just reshaping business—it's redefining the boundaries of what's possible

Investing in AI education: A must for CCOs

To make the vision of AI-enabled communications teams a reality, prioritizing the upskilling and education of our teams is essential. CCOs need to consider how to equip both experienced professionals and new hires with the knowledge and competencies needed to take advantage of AI technologies effectively and responsibly. Promoting a culture of experimentation and continuous learning around AI will help ensure our communication functions are staying competitive while also investing in a communications function ready for the AI economy.

For senior communications leaders looking to capitalize on the untapped potential of AI in communications, I invite you to reflect on these fundamental questions:

• How can we use AI to anticipate and shape stakeholder perceptions before they solidify?
• What should our strategy be for blending AI efficiency with human creativity in how we adopt AI in broader, richer non-traditional ways in communications?
• Practically speaking, how can we harness AI for content creation while preserving our brand's authentic voice and maintaining unwavering factual integrity?
• Can we utilize AI to transform complex data into compelling narratives that drive C-suite decision-making and stakeholder action?

I recently hosted a Page Conversation, Harnessing AI in Communications (member login required) where CCOs and communications leaders representing a broad spectrum of industries and markets highlighted the following priorities for leveraging AI in communications. 

• Mastering AI through effective prompt engineering: To maximize the value from AI-powered tools, communicators must develop strong prompt engineering skills which can make a world of difference in generating high-quality outputs. For those of us looking to improve our skills in this area, check out this "Art of Prompting" workshop replay.
• Leading AI integration and change management: Communications leaders must play an active role in not only adopting AI but also in guiding cross-functional change management strategies that address initial apprehension and doubts and drive awareness, understanding and education about AI as a whole. 

By blending AI and human superpowers, CCOs can strategically harness the collaborative strengths to build a communications function that's more proactive, data-driven and influential than ever. The potential for AI in communications is boundless, not defined by binary code but by the bold vision of those who dare to reimagine what’s possible.