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As artificial intelligence capabilities continue to advance faster than experts anticipated, concerns are being raised about its impact on certain professions. AI may positively or negatively impact different aspects of agency work, and it is important for leaders to consider the possible effects of it replacing human efforts in specific focus areas in marketing, advertising and public relations.
Despite AI’s increasing capacity to enhance, complement and streamline the work agencies do with and for their clients, there are significant reasons why it may never fully replace the work of humans in certain agency functions. Below, 19 Forbes Agency Council members explore the different ways human involvement is crucial in their respective fields and how AI falls short.
1. Great Slogans Are Born From Deep Understanding
The “glimmer moment”—an idea that is so grand that it weaves its way into the fabric of society, creating an inextricable bond between people and brands—may never be replaced by AI. Big ideas are born from a deep understanding of the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers. Would AI have come up with “Just Do It,” “Got Milk?” or “Eat Mor Chikin”? Can AI think differently? I’m not so sure. - Thomas Zawacki, Data Axle
2. Salient PR Requires Creative Awareness
While I think AI is going to continue to be part of the media landscape, I also think that the nuances of PR and performance PR will require a human touch. Developing salient content angles requires creativity and an awareness of what is happening in the world—it can’t be determined solely by a formula or algorithm. - Jessy Klein Fofana, LaRue
3. Effective Ads Evoke Emotion By Leveraging Empathy
A key aspect of great advertising is connecting with the audience on a deeper, emotional level. This requires an understanding of human emotions, motivations and experiences, as well as the ability to generate ideas that evoke these feelings. Humans excel at this because of their innate ability to empathize with others and grasp the subtleties of emotions and cultural contexts. - Robby White, The Nine
4. Influencer Marketing Is Driven By Authentic Connection
Authenticity and connection are two of the hallmarks of influencer marketing and the drivers behind its success. While AI can be helpful in many ways, the idea of an influencer solely relying on AI to message followers and deepen that connection flies in the face of those tenets. If the use of AI is overt and uncovered, it can weaken the influencers’ brands and the brands they represent. - Adam Rossow, Group RFZ
5. Client Relationships Are Built By Listening To Understand
AI already has positive impacts on agency work by way of research and content development. We’ve used it to explore new business opportunities and create quick copy. But what AI will never replace is the ability to create relationships with clients that serve the alignment of business and communications strategy. Because while AI listens to reply, people listen to understand. - Starr Million Baker, INK Communications Co.
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6. Technical B2B Content Needs Expert Quality Control
We specialize in providing full B2B marketing services for companies in the scientific and pharmaceutical sectors. While AI-based tech can accelerate many marketing tasks and creative projects, we will always need scientific experts to oversee the accuracy of technical content and credibility of messaging, as well as top marketers to ensure brand authenticity and effective campaigns that stand out. - Kate Whelan, Notch Communications
7. Answering Complex Questions Requires Human Insights
AI can’t replace the uniquely human elements of our jobs, such as curiosity and empathy. It can speed up mundane processes and basic market research tasks, leaving us more time to uncover insights. However, it will not replace high-end, high-touch consultancy work. The questions our clients ask are complex, requiring deep, experienced thinking and nuanced approaches—something AI can’t replicate. - Rebecca Brooks, Alter Agents
8. Artificial Intelligence Isn’t A Storyteller
AI-generated content lacks depth, soul and the ability to tell a story that evokes an emotional response. While it’s a valuable tool for scheduling, list building and data development, it will never be able to replace humans when it comes to original, thought-provoking creative content that allows business owners and brands to tell their stories. - Meredith Xavier, The Ligné Group
9. AI Cannot Develop Truly Creative PR Strategies
While ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have been very helpful for our team with research, they cannot identify white space, carve out unique market angles or tell captivating and differentiated stories. This is where the true value of PR lies—in our ability to help break clients out of the clutter through a combination of creative and strategic thinking. - Molly Mulloy, Crafted Communications
10. AI Can’t Compete With Human Originality
AI can perform many tasks with high accuracy and efficiency, but it still lacks the ability to think creatively and come up with original ideas that resonate with human emotions and experiences and speak to a brand’s unique character. Humans have the ability to read between the lines, understand nuance and context, and make intuitive leaps that machines cannot. - Scott Darrohn, fishbat Media, LLC.
11. PR Is A Craft Built On Trust That AI Can’t Earn
Public relations is a craft built on relationships among PR pros, clients, the media and the public. No matter how well AI learns to mimic the language, or how creative its output is, it will never be a substitute for creative thinking, earned trust or chats over coffee at an industry conference. There’s no doubt AI will transform the industry, but it will never replace the humans at the heart of it. - Jodi Amendola, Amendola Communications
12. Native Speakers Add Cultural And Linguistic Nuances
Authenticity is a critical factor in the relevancy and authority of corporate communication. As AI becomes more prevalent, a human touch becomes more valuable to the success of marketing messages. For example, AI can translate content from one language to another with up to 90% accuracy, but the cultural and linguistic nuance added by a native speaker builds trust through audience connection. - Townsend Belisle, Haystack Needle LLC
13. Human Interaction Benefits Collaborative Creative Work
In marketing, AI cannot replace humans in the creative process. Developing creative concepts, copywriting and art direction requires a level of emotional intelligence and understanding of human behavior that AI lacks. Additionally, the collaborative nature of creative work benefits from human interaction and creativity, leading to more innovative campaigns. - Alex Valencia, We Do Web
14. Evolving Thought Leadership Needs Human Foresight
A strong PR and marketing team thinks ahead: How will a client’s thought leadership point of view on today’s news evolve as the situation unfolds? What audience will this marketing campaign reach today, and how does that impact my client’s customer pipeline in a year? That sort of foresight is complex and will always require a human touch, even if AI can distill useful data to support our planning. - Alexa West, Aspectus Group
15. Comms Strategies Rely On Experience-Based Insight
The most valuable thing a communications strategist can provide is insight based on experience. AI can’t determine when a statement will rub the audience the wrong way or fall flat. It can’t talk to a reporter, interpret their unique angle on a story or share information that helps get a client’s point across. The important functions will remain in human hands long into the foreseeable future. - Nathan Miller, Miller Ink, Inc.
16. AI Cannot Understand The Nuances Of Brand Voice
For many of our marketing and branding clients, brand voice is their biggest differentiator. AI is good for gathering information to use in content, but without direction on voice, tone and positioning, it will fail to represent a brand for what it really is. AI needs detailed prompting from humans who understand the nuances of the brand. Do you think AI could write Oatly’s newsletter? No way. - Megan Devine, cat[&]tonic (formerly d.trio)
17. AI Can’t Deliver Personalized ‘Day In The Life’ Videos
AI will be hard pressed to deliver compelling “day in the life” testimonial videos where personalized stories, environments and experiences are the focal points, versus generalized scripts and AI-generated talking heads and artificial voices. - David Chapman, 919 Marketing Company
18. AI Can’t Do Irregular, Chaotic, Hard-To-Codify Positioning Work
We’re tasked every day to refine a company’s unique position in this ever-evolving marketplace. While AI is a powerful tool that can help companies innovate and improve, it cannot replace our work that is irregular, chaotic or hard to codify. Our subject matter expertise includes specific knowledge of the ins and outs of a company and trends within the marketplace, which only a human can provide. - Valerie Chan, Plat4orm PR
19. An SEO Expert Must Still Structure Content Per Google’s E-E-A-T
SEO has become a very large focus with the new AI capabilities. However, if you’re properly following Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines, it’s not only going to continue requiring a human touch, but it will also still require an SEO expert to implement and structure that content correctly. - Andrew Maffettone, BlueTuskr
