“Hey ChatGPT, will I be out of a job soon?”

Front pages, talk shows, Twitter – wherever you look these days, sooner or later we will all inevitably be confronted with it: ChatGPT, the chatbot from OpenAI, is currently creating a new “iPhone moment”. An existing technology, in this case AI, is evolving abruptly and is turning the market, the internet and perhaps even society upside down. The program is not only changing our search behavior on the Internet. With a little patience and the right input, ChatGPT is also able to produce high-quality texts.

And this is where it gets interesting for us communicators. After all, texting is a fundamental tool for us. But what happens when the AI can already do this much faster and (almost) as good as its human competitors? Or to put it another way “ChatGPT, will I be out of a job soon?”

In case of doubt for the accused

Unlike artificial intelligence, we humans tend to make hasty judgments and panic prematurely. So before rushing off to the job center, I'll give ChatGPT the chance to speak for itself. Because AI also deserves a fair trial.

Me: “Hey Chat GPT, I work in the PR industry. Will I soon be out of work because of you?”

ChatGPT: “No, don't worry! As an artificial intelligence, I can perform various tasks, but I can't replace human creativity, empathy, and interpersonal relationships completely. In the PR industry, skills such as strategic planning, relationship building, creativity and emotional intelligence are needed. These skills are still indispensable and will continue to be needed in the future. However, I can help automate routine tasks such as analyzing data and generating reports, so that you can focus on the more complex tasks.”

If you don't move with the times, you will be removed over time.

Is this the AI's obvious attempt to lull me into a false sense of security before it strikes in cold blood? Probably not. In fact, ChatGPT has already summarized it quite aptly. Good corporate communication continues to thrive on qualities that humans can claim exclusively for themselves. For research, summaries, standard texts or as a source of ideas, the program can, despite all its teething troubles, certainly lend a helping hand.

As communicators, we should therefore not close our minds to technical innovations, but rather see them as a useful tool. However, it is also clear the job profile of PR will continue to change through the use of AI and digital competence will play an increasingly bigger role.

This text was written with the support of ChatGPT. The cover image was generated by DALL-E.