Peter Drucker was so correct in saying “We are living in the era of the three C's-accelerated change, overwhelming complexity, extreme competition”. Therefore, an average leader or company will find it hard to survive in our times. Part of that change and complexity is driven by Artificial Intelligence.
AI is becoming an inevitable part of our everyday life. You might not be aware of it or how it works, but in one way or another other it affects your life. It is increasingly being used in various industries, including in corporate communications. AI is now a great tool that different organisations can use to suit their needs and reach out to their customers.
I co-authored this article with Josiline Chigwada who is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of South Africa. She is an academic librarian by profession with a keen interest in how artificial intelligence is transforming the world.
The advantages of AI in corporate communication include effective and targeted communication strategies, improved customer experiences, increased efficiency, and better decision-making. However, it is essential to balance the benefits of AI with ethical considerations and human oversight to maintain trust, ensure transparency, and address potential challenges that might arise.
Scholars such as Getchell et al., 2022; Hancock et al., 2020) point out on the uses of AI in corporate communication space include team communication and meeting tools, text-summarisation tools, augmented writing tools, oral communication evaluation, and conversational agents
AI for strategic communication
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AI has been a game changer for corporate communication by automating tasks that traditionally required human interaction. AI can be used to automate repetitive and mundane tasks in corporate communication such as email responses, data entry, and content distribution leading to increased efficiency and productivity. AI systems understand and analyse human language such as written and spoken words. This technology can be used to automatically process and categorise large volumes of textual data such as emails, social media posts, and customer feedback, providing valuable insights for corporate communications (Anderson, 2023)
AI for consumer analytics
Personalisation and targeting is made easier through analysing large volumes of data about individual customers or stakeholders to personalise communication efforts. By understanding individual preferences, behavioral economics, and past interactions, AI can deliver targeted messages and recommendations, thereby enhancing engagement and improving the overall customer experience. AI can help companies tailor-make messages, offers, and recommendations in the process of enhancing customer satisfaction. AI can analyse vast amounts of data collected from various sources to identify trends, patterns, and insights relevant to corporate communications such as market trends, customer preferences, and competitor activities. This data-driven approach can inform decision-making processes, optimise communication strategies, campaigns, resource allocation, and improve overall business performance (Petrucci, 2013).
AI offers real-time responses
AI has redefined speed and agility. AI tools can offer real-time insights and analytics through processing and analysing vast amounts of data in real-time, providing valuable insights for corporate communication strategies. This includes sentimental analysis, trend identification, and audience segmentation which enable organisations to make data-driven decisions and optimise their communication efforts. Sentiment analysis helps organisations to gauge public opinion about their brand or specific topics. Sentiment analysis can be used to monitor social media platforms, news articles, and customer reviews, enabling companies to proactively manage their reputation and respond to potential issues. This can also assist in crisis management and risk assessment where AI analyses vast amounts of data from social media, news sources, and other channels to identify potential crisis and reputational risks. By detecting early warning signs and providing real-time alerts, AI can assist in proactive crisis management and effective risk assessment.
Chatbots and virtual assistants
AI offers improved customer service through the use of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants which offer 24/7 customer support in the process of responding to inquiries promptly and accurately. This enhances customer satisfaction by reducing response times and ensuring consistent service quality. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are being used to automate customer interactions and handle routine inquiries. These intelligence systems can provide real-time responses, freeing up human resources to focus on more complex tasks.
AI for content generation
AI enhances content creation and curation for corporate communication by analysing existing content, user preferences, and trends to generate personalised emails, social media posts or even articles. AI can also curate relevant content from various sources, providing valuable insights and information to internal and external audiences. AI-powered language translation tools can assist corporates to overcome language barriers and communicate effectively with a global audience through language translation and localisation. These tools can automatically translate written content or facilitate real-time language translation during meetings or conferences, breaking down language barriers and expanding communication reach.
AI ethical considerations
The use of AI in corporate communication raises ethical concerns and organisations must ensure that AI systems are programmed to adhere to ethical standards and guidelines. Issues such as data privacy, transparency, fairness, and bias in AI algorithms, and maintaining trust with stakeholders should be addressed. While AI can automate and streamline certain communication tasks, it may lack the human touch and emotional intelligence that is often required in interpersonal interactions. AI still has limitations in areas such as building relationships, understanding complex emotions and empathetic communication.
Learning agility
AI technologies evolve rapidly, and organisations need to keep up with advancements to leverage their full potential in corporate communication. This requires continuous learning, adapting strategies, and staying informed about emerging AI tools and trends. There can be a problem of over-reliance on AI without human oversight and this can be risky. Organisations must strike a balance between AI-driven automation and the need for human judgment, creativity, and critical thinking in corporate communication.
Jonah Nyoni is an author, speaker, and leadership trainer. He can be contacted on Twitter @jonahnyoni. WhatsApp: +263 772 581 918