“The potential of ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI, in retail marketing is enormous,” according to an article that ChatGPT wrote about itself using our prompted inputs.
Clearly, OpenAI’s free, AI-powered content tool doesn’t lack confidence. As the self-referential article goes on, it does point out some use cases for how companies can leverage the tool like a chatbot: automating customer service tasks, providing personalized customer service and gathering customer feedback and insights.
In all seriousness, the tool is regarded as one of the best AI-powered chatbots released, and there are ways businesses can incorporate it. At Cloudinary, we have been testing the program to see how it could be used for market analysis, engagement, messaging, as well as validating its understanding of our APIs.
No doubt, it is a fun tool and an impressive chatbot. However, there are limitations, making ChatGPT more of a tool to support and augment original work done by marketers.
Related Article: 6 Ways ChatGPT May Change Digital Customer Experience
The Reality of ChatGPT in Marketing
OpenAI was founded in 2015, later unveiling its GPT-3 technology and core algorithm that included an AI text generator. The company upgraded the program to a GPT-3.5 version and is embarking on a version 4.0.
For now, where ChatGPT stands, the free-to-the-public tool only has access to content and data inputs from 2021 and earlier. It is accessing an enormous amount of content, but it is not real-time content and the tool does not search the internet for answers.
This makes ChatGPT a solid supporting resource, used to help teams validate earlier market data, support a hypothesis in mind or present a new look at an old problem. While nothing compares to a first-hand account of users for validation, ChatGPT can be used to provide a second opinion or open teams up to new questions, messaging tactics to explore and so on.
For example, a marketer might use it to look up insights on how to improve customer acquisition costs and find some baselines to consider. It’s a source of information that can help educate team members and help companies make broader, informed decisions.
Since the tool isn’t serving up real-time information, companies can’t rely on it for timely insights like how consumers might be thinking about a brand or to identify current trends impacting a market. ChatGPT is like a spell-check tool. Run it after a plan or strategy has been discussed and see if any ideas were overlooked or identify new questions to consider.
Related Article: ChatGPT: What You Need to Know
The Marketing Potential of AI Imagery Over Text
The other consideration when thinking of the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and the ChatGPT tool is there are some limitations to just what text can do.
OpenAI’s DALL-E image generator, for example, is a tool that evokes a lot more imagination. The generative AI is blending and merging images never seen before, whereas a text generator might be sourcing various pieces of content together but they’re known sources of content.
One criticism of a chatbot like ChatGPT, particularly when asked to create a story, article or even a motion picture screenplay, is that by sourcing derivative content, it can perpetuate stereotypes and recycle themes.
The interpretation of the text can be imaginative, but when performing a visual query through an AI generator, the results can be incredibly unique. Brands, for example, might be able to create and deliver new, personalized visual experiences at scale. Nontechnical users can gain access to professional quality media assets that adhere to brand guidelines and grow brand awareness.
Like text generators, there is work to be done for visual generators. Automating image sizing, editing video content and imitating a brand’s look and feel 100% to its standards are issues being worked out, but it is a burgeoning tool.
The True Power of AI in Marketing
Be it an image generator or text generator, AI is continuing to earn a role among marketers, developers and business teams. With programs like ChatGPT, DALL-E and more, the technology is evolving into a consumer-facing role, becoming more than just a hobby or support source.
It may be early days for finding ways that AI-powered text or images can create direct value for customers, but it’s exciting to see where it will go. As ChatGPT says about itself in the ChatGPT-written article, “the potential is vast.”
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