It has been less than three years since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, but it seems like the whole world has adopted AI tools. So if your team feels behind the AI curve, don’t. You really aren’t behind. 

The most important thing to do is to educate your leaders and your teams about what can and can’t be done with AI. Before you start your search for AI products, your organization needs to:

• Learn how AI fits in with your strategic plan. AI is a big shift that needs to be considered responsibly and effectively.
• Build AI literacy. This includes developing guidelines for AI use and setting up pilot programs to test AI use.

Remember: AI is a tool to use in your strategy. It is not a strategy in and of itself. While AI tools can speed up problem solving and improve efficiency, they are only as good as the overall plan behind them. They should support your organization’s goals, not overtake them.

Another key consideration for AI adoption is that it is not just a technology issue. Using AI involves getting your people in a position to understand and implement AI tools according to the organization’s overall strategy. This requires leadership from the top to support teams throughout the organization. In organizations where employees have not been adequately trained for AI tools, over three-quarters (77%) think that AI has added to their workload.

AI’s effect on marketing channels must be considered. You can no longer count on just organic and paid search as drivers of traffic to your sites. You need to bolster your management of branding, positioning and reputation management as “traditional” search options are replaced. Measurement can also be affected by AI. It will take a shift in data sources and some digging to learn AI’s impact on your marketing efforts.

While AI can improve marketing by doing things faster – mainly those tasks that are repetitive and data-driven and just not much fun – you shouldn’t automate everything looking for better results. There still needs to be human involvement and oversight to make sure content is relatable and engaging. Human input is necessary to maintain quality, hone strategy and effective targeting. More importantly, only humans can effectively project human emotions – at least, at this stage of AI’s evolution.