AI Delivers Huge Benefits in Comms, Why Are So Many Not Jumping on Board?

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We understand this might seem like just another piece in the sea of "thought leadership" articles on AI. But we have compelling reasons to add our voice to the conversation. Since exploding into the mainstream early last year, generative AI has evolved at a mind-boggling pace. But, even so, adoption rates remain surprisingly low among comms professionals. The big question is: how do we break this inertia?

The benefits are obvious, but adoption is lagging

Not only are we hearing this first hand from organisations across the globe and nearly every industry, but our recent research by TWSC reinforces it. By surveying 1,000 comms professionals across Europe, we’ve highlighted a paradox: while over 80% of communications and marketing professionals have experimented with generative AI, only about one-third have integrated it into their regular workflows. This gap between curiosity and commitment highlights that many organisations still haven’t capitalised on even the basic benefits that Generative AI offers, let alone its more advanced uses. Of the third of comms professionals using AI for work regularly, more than 80% say that it helps them be more efficient, more creative and produce better quality content. When you hear that, using it seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, still not for everyone.

Lack of understanding core to AI hesitancy

So, what’s holding people back? Around a third of respondents say that their main barrier is a lack of knowledge and a quarter feel that AI is not relevant to their work.

Additionally, broader research we’ve commissioned shows that just 1 in 3 professionals in the UK feel they understand AI well. So, while many organisations make efforts to address communication issues, we've found a simple, yet effective solution: show people the communication tools and teach them how to use them effectively. Many businesses grapple with team communication and the key to overcoming this lies in the right tools, such as project management software or video conferencing platforms. It's not just about providing these tools, but also about conducting comprehensive training sessions to explain the tool's features and how to troubleshoot common issues. By investing not just in the tools, but also in the training, organisations can significantly improve communication, collaboration and ultimately, team productivity. We’ve seen this first hand, through the renewed purpose and positivity that attendees take from our AI GoLab training sessions.

Lingering trust issues slow down adoption

Ever since ChatGPT exploded into our consciousness, concerns about the trustworthiness of tools’ outputs and the data behind them have emerged. Our research underscores that prominent concerns persist regarding the impartiality of Generative AI, with only half of the respondents trusting its ability to provide unbiased outputs. Such reservations are slowing down the wider adoption of these tools, a trend we observe in our healthcare work. The potential of AI in healthcare is indeed significant, offering improved diagnoses and cost reductions. Yet, it grapples with the challenge of bias in women's health data, a consequence of their historical underrepresentation in research studies. This bias skews the results generated by AI tools. A case in point is cardiovascular disease studies, where due to the underrepresentation of women in the training data, AI algorithms fall short in accurately diagnosing women.

While these concerns should not be dismissed, people can be reassured. By investing in education and open dialogue about AI's role, organisations can alleviate fears. We’ve guided clients through this journey through comprehensive training programmes, by building secure AI tools that ensure safety of data and through deployment of company-wide AI change management programs to educate around responsible use of existing tools.

The time is now

AI is evolving at lightning speed and will inevitably be a major part of all our workstreams. At the same time, the world around us is being flooded with AI generated content. However, this technology allows us to streamline workloads, garner powerful insights, craft targeted strategies and elevate creativity, resulting in meaningful impact with audiences. Organisations that take the right steps now to embrace the technology in a way that enhances the expertise of their people will stand out from the crowd (or at the very least not get left behind!). 

It's time for senior communications professionals to fully embrace Generative AI. Immerse yourself in the technology, understand the tools and realise their capacity to revolutionise your operations and your communications strategy. Spark conversations within your teams about AI, encouraging idea sharing and dispelling fears through open dialogue. Most importantly, invest in education and training. Arm your team with the knowledge and skills to tap into AI's full potential. The path to AI adoption may be challenging, but with proactive leadership, it's attainable. Now is the time to step up and seize the AI revolution.

TWSC proprietary research September 2024 is available here.