Generative AI is Creating a New Kind of Knowledge Work

While AI becomes the standard for automation and idea generation, marketers are developing new roles and responsibilities.

Disclosure: This article was generated in partnership with AI. We first recorded an interview and transcribed it with the Whisper.cpp AI model. Then, we condensed it with Google’s Gemini Ultra 1.0 model, along with a lengthy writing sample of Chris’ so that the language model mimicked his writing. Humans were also brought into the loop for editing and refining.

What's On My AI-Mind

For marketers, the AI transformation is bigger than the invention of the internet. If you think the internet changed the world, you haven’t seen anything yet. AI is about to turn the workplace upside down, especially for knowledge workers. We’re talking about Industrial Revolution levels of change. Remember when a bunch of machines took over the factory floor, and humans had to scramble to learn new skills?? That’s what’s coming, but this time it’s for every job that uses words — i.e., all of them. From the mailroom clerk who decides where the packages go, to the marketing folks, all the way up to a CEO presenting at a board meeting, AI will operate as a new kind of coworker — one that can write reports, generate creative ideas, answer your questions, or crunch a massive pile of data faster than you ever could. It’s a brave new world in the making, and those who learn to work with these new “colleagues” are going to have a massive advantage.

Marketers aren’t being replaced; we’re being asked to do something different. Machines are starting to do a lot of the routine stuff marketers do — write basic emails, draft blog posts, and crank out simple social media ads. So, where does this leave marketers? Well, you can think of AI like a whole new team of interns, except they work at lightning speed. Marketers will be the supervisor, the editor, and the person responsible for making sure the machines are on the right track. But one thing to remember is that AI is changing so fast that what’s cutting-edge today will be laughably old-fashioned in six months, maybe even less.? So buckle up, because trying to figure out the future of our jobs right now is a little like trying to drive while looking in the rear-view mirror!

Humans have enduring value. Before panicking about AI taking your job, remember that machines aren’t great at everything (yet). They’re not creative problem solvers with a knack for connecting unrelated ideas, and they can’t look at your historical data, compare it to what’s happening right now in the world, and predict which marketing campaign is most likely to hit. AI needs us more than it lets on. If you’re the person who brings fresh ideas to the table or you happen to have the best, most complete data on your customers, then guess what? You just became the hottest commodity in your company.

AI also has significant limitations we need to acknowledge. As impressive as chatbots and image generators can be, AI products still have their limits. Remember, these are prediction machines, not sentient beings, and their predictions can still be way off base.?So, while you can let AI draft a press release, please, don’t just hit send without a thorough fact-check. Treat that piece of content like the first draft an intern sends you — you still need to copyedit it and provide feedback. Who knows what the future holds, but for the time being, humans need to remain as the final filter for AI and its accuracy.

AI will lead to emerging roles and jobs. Get ready for a bunch of new job titles popping up, most of them sounding like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie. We’re going to meet people whose entire job is training AI models, teaching the machines everything about a company and feeding them the best data. There will be managers who oversee both humans and machines. And hey, you may even see the position of Chief AI Officer pop up at big companies — an executive position dedicated to figuring out how to best use AI tools.

To secure your future, you need to adopt AI now. The writing is on the wall. AI is here to stay, and it’s going to change how we work in ways we can’t even imagine yet. The people who jump in now and start learning how to master these tools — to understand how they work and how to make the most of them — are going to have a massive advantage in their careers. It’s going to be the difference between getting that big promotion or being left in the dust. If there’s one thing we’ve learned from past tech revolutions, it’s that those who adapt survive, and those who don’t… well, their names are soon forgotten. So, start exploring and learning AI skills now because the future of your career depends on it.

The Single Best Thing I've Watched About AI Recently

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