As artificial intelligence continues to disrupt industries from law to media to public relations, you don’t need me to sing its praises. AI is most likely here to stay, and all of us—from agency owners to entry-level employees—need to accept our new reality.
If you fail to embrace AI, you will fail to adapt to a rapidly changing workplace. The most appealing workers know how to integrate AI into their daily workflows to broaden the horizons of their productivity, and the best employers know it.
However, we can’t overestimate AI either. There is (still) much more to the modern workplace than the power of large language models like ChatGPT or Google Gemini. Especially in fields like PR and marketing, many agencies are going all in to automate their processes with AI, but people are going to keep craving the human touch (yes, still). Agencies that double down on real, authentic relationships will be the ones that win because they will stand out more and more.
Countless surveys prove this. Whether we’re making a complex purchase, working with customer support or consulting a real doctor, we are human beings who want to see and speak with other people. Our need for social contact may have changed in recent years, but most people don’t want to just talk to bots all day.
Call it “the other AI,” or “authentic intelligence.” Being more human—from understanding human tendencies to communicating with personality—has emerged as a major competitive advantage for leading brands. We’re seeing companies lean into emotion as a form of brand personality, which is a key to breeding familiarity and loyalty. Remember: In order for people to know, like and trust you, they need to feel like you actually see eye to eye with them as a fellow human, like you’re on their same wavelength.
Trust is perhaps the most important currency for business leaders. You need people—from customers and clients to employees—to see you as someone who is operating in good faith, with people’s best interests at heart. When brands become overly automated with AI, they often lose their emotional resonance, and they may inevitably lose trust as their competitive advantage blends into what every other brand is doing—automating and automating some more.
In my experience, relationships always outperform algorithms. I have always placed a premium on developing real, human connections with people, whether it’s a vendor or a governmental official. When you see people you know, it’s best to smile, look them in the eye, give them a firm (but not too firm) handshake and tell them you are glad to see them. That type of personal connection will last for a long time and resonate more than any LLM response.
Empathy drives engagement. If you know what people are going through, and let people know you care, they will want to stay in touch with you. A journalist I’ve known since the 1990s recently broke her ankle, and her daughter was nearly killed while crossing the street. She was feeling very down in the dumps, so I sent her flowers with a handwritten note. That gesture will surely beat any bot telling her to feel better online. Hopefully, it keeps our relationship strong for the next 30 years.
People need to associate AI with amplification. It has the potential to make us more productive and keep us more informed, bringing out the very best of our humanity. AI amplifies human energy, but it does not replace us, and there is immense value in relying on smart humans for their brainpower to build and manage relationships.
Relationship management takes time. You have to be into networking and connecting for the long haul, and not just for instant gratification. You can’t just request a new connection on LinkedIn and expect them to become a new client or colleague overnight. And you certainly shouldn’t have a bot approach all of your LinkedIn contacts to pitch them new products and services.
Getting lazy with AI is not the right approach. Dehumanizing yourself, at the expense of others, is never the answer.
The right approach is to amplify your humanity with AI. Lean into artificial intelligence, but don’t forget authenticity along the way.
Feature image credit: Getty
By Nancy Marshall
Nancy Marshall, The PR Maven has been in PR for 35 years. She talks about growing your audience with media relations & personal branding. Read Nancy Marshall’s full executive profile here. Find Nancy Marshall on LinkedIn and X. Visit Nancy’s website.
