Each week we’ll gather headlines and tips to keep you current with how generative AI affects PR and the world at large. If you have ideas on how to improve the newsletter, let us know!
What You Should Know
How to Stand Out in an AI World
AI is everywhere: your phone, your smart home devices, search engines, social media platforms, maybe even your glasses. It’s becoming less and less of a differentiator and more table stakes, no matter the industry.
Despite widespread adoption, many companies struggle to realize tangible benefits. A recent McKinsey report found that 80% of businesses using AI haven’t seen significant earnings gains, highlighting a gap between AI’s potential and its actual impact. So, how do you stand out when everyone has access to the same tools?
Saying “we use AI” won’t get you far. That phrase has all the meaning of “we use the internet.” What matters is how and why you’re using it.
AI doesn’t replace strategy or judgment. If your inputs are vague, the outputs will be too. What separates high-performing teams is the ability to give AI tools clear direction: the right brief, the right tone, the right context.
AI makes it easier to create, but harder to be heard. If you know how to use these tools and prompt them properly, you can stand out in a world that is increasingly “AI-powered.”
Elsewhere …
- Apple Reportedly Considering Acquisition of Perplexity AI
- AI and Data Centers Could Cut More Climate-Change-Causing Emissions Than They Create
- An AI Video Ad Is Making a Splash. Is it the Future of Advertising?
- University of Delaware Launching First State AI Institute to Push Boundaries of Research and Innovation
Getting useful edits
What’s happening: In April, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made headlines for saying an update to GPT-4o was “too sycophant-y and annoying,” promising to further tweak that model. It wasn’t just ChatGPT, though, and it’s often still the case even after the update to the update. Other models and tools are more affirmative than constructive, too. Getting compliments is nice, but if you’re using AI to edit content, you’d rather AI have other personality traits.
Why it’s important: AI can be a helpful editing partner as long as you know how to ask it for feedback. It can easily align with AP style, for instance, identify whether a pitch would resonate with a reporter, or point out where an article deviates from source material. The key is giving pointed instructions.
Try this: Be more specific than asking “Can you provide feedback?” or “What do you think of this?” Ask AI to challenge your logic or test your reasoning to see if arguments hold up. Ask it whether it thinks the content will resonate with your intended audience. Ask it to compare the current version to the examples you shared at the onset of the assignment. All of these unambiguous requests will produce more “thoughtful” feedback.
This approach isn’t infallible. AI tools may still hallucinate and say something is vague when you give a specific example, for instance, but it should produce edits you’ll more likely find valuable.
Quote of the Week
“Journalism remains our core, but it’s evolving. The business model of maximizing clicks and advertising is over! We must focus on deep and long-term relationships with our users.
“Direct traffic is the proof that users choose Axel Springer,” Döpfner continued. “Dependence on search and Social is a weakness. Owning the audience is a strength.”
— Mathias Döpfner, CEO of media conglomerate Axel Springer, presenting the company’s new corporate strategy
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