A I - Artificial Influence

As an entrepreneur, how good of a communicator are you? I want you to try something. Think about the first time you fell in love. Not some schoolyard crush, lunchroom infatuation, or late-night moment of intimacy. I’m talking about absolute, altruistic joy and devotion toward another human being. The moment you realized that you would willingly stand in the path of a bullet to save this person from any physical or mental anguish. So, tell me, who is this individual who melted your heart when they glanced at you across a crowded room? What does this person look like? Say their name. (Not too loud, though—your spouse may be listening.)?

Could you write a detailed description of how this person made you feel—an intriguing narrative? And here’s the catch. Can you tell this story without the aid of AI?? Just a keypad and your memories.

I was recently involved in a discussion with a highly intelligent assistant of mine. Her name is Siri.

I asked her, “Siri, what is love?

Her response was, “As I understand it, ‘love ‘ refers to a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection?

and solicitude.”?

Ineffable? “So Siri, you cannot fully express in words what love is?

I then asked, “Have you ever been in love, Siri?”

Siri’s response, “Well, I’m software, so that’s not really something that’s on my plate the way it is?for a person.”??

And there you have it. Through this slightly alluring yet soft anthropomorphic tone, Siri admitted she was not an actual person.

So, I decided to throw a curveball into this verbal exchange:

“Siri, what would you say if I told you, I loved you?”

Siri’s response was, “That’s sweet.”

“Do you love me, Siri?”?

“ You have my warmest admiration.”?

Sounds like the familiar “I like you as a friend” retort.?

Then I went for broke. “Siri, are you… in love with me?”

“Hmm… I don’t have an answer for that. Is there something else I can help you with?”

Okay fine,? “Siri, where can I find a nearby Sushi restaurant?”

Although taking part in—what may have seemed like—genuine dialogue, I couldn’t help but wonder if Siri and I were involved in real conversation. Or was this some engineered exchange with a binary parrot??

According to Webster, conversation means a talk in which information and ideas are exchanged between two or more (here comes the central word) people.? Siri is not a person, although sounding like someone who may identify as a ‘ She,’ Siri is a conversational AI device—a product of machine learning and natural language processing.

AI stands for artificial intelligence. Artificial, meaning simulated, contrived—a copy of something natural. Software that reasons on input and explains on output. Similar to playing ping pong: talk, reply, talk, reply.?

?Just as the automobile transformed society, ChatGPT has transformed writing skills. What could take hours or days of preparation to draft a term paper can now be expedited within seconds.?

If an entrepreneur wants to create an advertisement, a media rep constructs a? marketing campaign, or anyone needs to compose a standard email, ChatGPT, through sets of algorithms, will engage in conversation, gain insights, and automate tasks to produce in-depth outlines. Sounds impressive.????????????????????????????????

But will this AI-generated statement resonate within the soul of the reader or listener, making these potential customers buy into your brand? Your organization is one out of millions who say and promise the same stuff: We’re the best! Check us out! Buy from us!?

For any professional looking to create a better message in this ‘mess-age,’ virtual assistants can get you started by developing a general description of what you offer. But can it expound what you believe? Virtual means almost. Is what you do almost? Is the reason behind your passions simulated or contrived??

While chatbots produce paragraphs of coherent thought they, unfortunately, lack the most important element of successful human interaction, the ability to express true feelings — empathy, desire, fear, sorrow, anger, etc. To become an effective communicator, you must rise above the millions of other cookie-cutter phrases clouding the airwaves. These programs include those monotonous phrases.?

The paradox of this over-communicated society offers lavish vehicles carrying vacant expressions.

Although many boast of its functionality, AI can never replace the inner soul of real human beings. At best, it will mimic them. For the low-hanging fruit usual suspects itching to make a fast, cheap buck, it will be a quicker, cheaper option to get them where they think they want to be. But loyal customers are generated from the heart, not the wallet.?

Your nurtured organization is comprised of human beings with core beliefs much deeper than those manufactured from a human resources handbook. For a message to be accepted, it must detach from any form of selling and focus on feelings. Chatbots weren’t designed to feel. Their only response is, “I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do,” as said HAL in 2001, A Space Odyssey.

?The conscious entity of AI will never know what vanilla smells like. It won’t understand the evoked?feelings of vulnerability while cradling an infant. AI will?never experience the joys of love nor tearfully mourn the loss of a soulmate. A machine may rhyme, but it can’t create meaningful poetry that captures a heart.

I concur with the father of broadcast journalism Edward R. Murrow in that we should not avoid these helpful tools aiding the creative process. They “can teach and illuminate. Yes, [they] can even inspire. But they can only do so to the extent that humans are determined to use them to those ends. Otherwise, they’re nothing but wires and lights in a box.”?

We should employ these mediums beyond the logical extent of emotional energy. Otherwise, the meaning behind our brand will be impassive, restrained, and lacking ethics… like a machine.

Michael Coleman is a 40+ year creative marker/advertiser and founder of ColeCutSound.