4 Popular Myths About AI Marketing Tools Debunked by Marketing Experts
Over 60% of marketers report employing artificial intelligence tools in their campaigns.
Does this mean that AI is going to replace content creators and marketers?
According to a recent article on HubSpot, there are 4 reasons that AI tools won’t replace marketers.
But our Content Strategist, Scott Cercy, isn’t convinced.
We asked him to give his opinion on the subject.
I think artificial intelligence can exceed our expectations, he says, but I’m not frightened.
In this article, we’ll reveal:
4 Common AI Misconceptions Debunked by Experienced Marketers
Everyone in digital marketing is excited about the potential for artificial intelligence marketing tools.
However, many of us are concerned as well, and some more than others. I disagree with the common belief that AI is incapable of replacing human creatives.
But I’m also not afraid of automation either. Here are 4 popular arguments about the future of artificial intelligence and why I disagree:
1. “Machines can't replace human connection.”
In 1966, while imagining life in the year 2000, Time Magazine predicted:
“Remote shopping, while entirely feasible, will certainly flop. It has no chance of success.”
Two decades later, e-commerce represents over 20% of global retail sales (Source: Oberlo.com).
Furthermore, mobile e-commerce accounts for another 6% (Source: Insider Intelligence).
Perhaps this is little more than a false equivalency; it is possible for Time to be wrong while modern speculators are right, after all. However, I think this demonstrates our tendency to miscalculate in the face of new technologies or social norms.
In my opinion, I’ve yet to see convincing evidence that AI is inherently incapable of overcoming this roadblock. What fundamental truth prevents AI from learning our language well enough to mimic empathy?
The HubSpot article mentions that “89% of consumers appreciate customer service chatbots.” Consider that this statistic is true at a time when AI tools lack empathy. What will the approval rating be once engineers resolve this pain point?
2. “AI predictions and analyses can sometimes be wrong.”
In 1959, Postmaster General Arthur A. Summerfield predicted that rocket-delivered mail would become ubiquitous across the globe (Source: United States Postal Service).
He wasn’t entirely accurate, of course. But what’s more, his prediction did little to impede the U.S.P.S., the evolution of rocketry, or the near-monopolization of both markets by Jeff Bezos.
I don’t mean to sound flippant, but I’d be more concerned if AI delivered 100% accuracy from the onset. This recalls a previous issue of The Optimum7 Letter in which we suggest that AI marketing experts are vital for minimizing inefficiencies like these.
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3. “They require huge sets of data and human intervention.”
This is also true for onboarding customer service personnel. As a new call center representative, I trained with Marriott International for a full month before taking my first call.
In addition to two pay periods, this also represents around 175 hours of instruction. That’s a large amount of data for me to absorb before I even spoke to a customer.
Keep in mind that the end goal of training me wasn’t to replace somebody else — I was in a class of 15-20 new hires. Unfortunately, the potential for AI means that data and human intervention are a small price to pay for replacing human workloads and associated costs.
4. “AI lacks human creativity.”
I disagree, full stop. I’ll make an argument for AI creativity below, but first, we must clarify the point.
It seems to me that the heart of this argument concerns long-term strategy over single instances of creative output. According to HubSpot, for example, “[o]nly a human marketer can spearhead touching, relevant content that fosters connection.”
I don’t disagree with that (and it supports my final perspective below), but that’s not actually relevant. My wife tells me that I’m creative, but I still answer to a marketing director who provides input, edits my output, and guides my improvement.
Does Artificial Intelligence Lack Human Creativity?
I don’t know, but it mimics human creativity to an astonishing degree. (And what is “human” creativity, anyways? It creates. It is creative.) For proof, I’ll defer to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and his…imaginative…followers on Reddit.
Followers of the subreddit r/LastWeekTonight used the text-to-image software DALL-E Open Ai to create an LWT Cinematic Universe that resulted in Oliver marrying a head of cabbage on his show. And the venerable Steve Buscemi officiated the ceremony.
Users of DALL-E initiated this entire saga by prompting the AI to create images of Oliver in various stages of a relationship with the vegetable. Whether you commission a human artist or prompt an AI tool, the end result is an original image — which one is more creative? Why?
AI Marketing Tools: One Content Creator’s Opinion on Fear
None of this is new, it just has a new appearance. Automation has scared craftspeople since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.
We may not build with our hands, but copywriters and content strategists feel as though we craft our work and your experience.
And AI is freakin’ scary. Can it replace me?
Maybe. If I let it.
If a major drawback to AI marketing tools is the need for human intervention, then this is your sign to intervene.
Experts agree that content marketers won’t be replaced by artificial intelligence.
Instead, they’ll be replaced by content marketers who employ AI tools.
If you’re a content creator, then I recommend that you learn, adopt, and adapt.
If you’re a business owner, I recommend that you maximize the ROI of your AI tools by collaborating with AI marketing experts.
Maximize the ROI on Your AI Marketing Tools with Optimum7
Artificial intelligence has the potential to replace content marketers in the future, but it still needs time to learn. That provides your content marketers with the time to learn AI as well.
Learn how to identify the best AI tool for your marketing efforts, here .
To collaborate with experienced AI marketers, speak with our digital marketing team today!
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