The Ongoing History of Communications and AI

Written By: Cam Gordon, Director, Communications, Seneca Polytechnic

Communications is a noisy industry.

You need to like words if you want to work in comms, PR or publicity. After all, we use a lot of words in what we do. You also need to understand that words matter. So do photos. So do graphics. So does video and audio.

Luckily, AI is here to either make our professional lives as communicators easier or to replace us entirely. Your point of view will just depend on which LinkedIn post you read or which Substack you subscribe to.

My opinion: The best organizations will find smart ways to optimize both humans and our AI friends.

While plenty has been written about AI’s impact on the communications field, much of this content omits how comms pros are actually using it day-to-day, minute-to-minute. I can only speak for myself but I’ve found that folding some basic AI uses into the way I work has boosted the clarity of what I write, the creativity of my content and allowed me to work in a better, more efficient manner.

Here are five basic AI approaches that I use almost every day. All five are versions of things I’ve been doing my entire career. Only now, these new tools give us the option to work a bit differently, whenever we flick the switch.

“Is this clear?”

This is easily my favourite question to ask ChatGPT or Copilot. More often than not, the bot comes back with a “yeah but…”-type of response and some solid advice therein. When in doubt, AI can help ensure that your words are clear and concise whether you’re crafting an email, a business plan, a media pitch or a meeting recap. You can always add more style, humour and intent later but chances are if the bot doesn’t understand what you’re saying, your audience won’t either.

Building a better TLDR

There is an assumption that people don’t read anymore. That’s probably true in some cases and completely wrong in others. In a business setting, we’re all busy. Most of us don’t have time to read every single email, review every shared doc and keep on top of the latest industry news. Asking AI for a 100-word summary or five-bullet snapshot is not only a useful time saver, it gives one the ability to digest and ponder the broad strokes of a content item before coming back later to have a more thoughtful, informed deep read.

Less is more

Especially for items like media pitches and internal emails, brevity is paramount and you’re liable to lose the reader if you don’t get to the point within two or three sentences. For these kinds of communications, AI can play the role of a ruthless, emotionless editor. Ask it to chop 30 per cent or 40 per cent of your content without losing key passages, and it will do as you command. You can review it later to ensure core meanings weren’t lost but often, it’s easier to build words back up rather than do the full scan-and-delete job yourself.

Podcasts, Substacks, blogs

AI is getting better and better at identifying target audiences for whatever press release, blog post or event invite you might be shopping around. Beyond traditional media, I’ve found ChatGPT and Copilot are getting smarter and more precise where you’re asking for help in building a media target list in the broader sense. This is especially true with less obvious types of media such as podcasts and Substack newsletters that often aren’t always findable in Google search results or other archives. There obviously is no substitute for just staying current and reading, listening and watching as much media as possible. AI’s best role here is to help fill in any knowledge gaps.

Writing vs. typing

This last AI approach is more of a litmus test than a standard use case. It’s based on some shade that Truman Capote reportedly threw at his fellow writer Jack Kerouac several decades ago. When asked about Kerouac’s signature writing style, Capote apparently quipped “That’s not writing, that’s typing.” Though slightly rude, Capote’s words resonate in the present day. Often when asked to write something at work, I do a quick assessment of whether I’m being asked to write something or if I’m merely being asked to type something. There is a place for both in any work environment and while even the most basic email needs a bit of artistry, I find it’s the requests that fall more in the “typing” bucket that can benefit from an AI assist to keep the words and meanings moving.