Me, Myself and (A)I
My initial encounter, a chance rendezvous with AI, has led me on a thrilling ride as I've spent the past nine months exploring how to weave it into every strand of my Communication/PR role and day-to-day life.
Ready for the story? Here it goes.
The Algorithm Knows Me
My fascination with AI sparked on a snowed-in day in December. I was doing what we all love - wasting time trawling through the depths of the internet. Suddenly, I found myself face-to-face with something called "ChatGPT," which was writing someone's entire university essay in ten seconds. I immediately slowed my scroll.
I RAN to my computer to try out this new tech, and I was immediately fascinated and hopelessly obsessed.
It was as if my lifelong obsession with productivity hacks, the latest organization apps, and endless search to figure out the best way to streamline processes met its soulmate. There was music. And maybe even birds.
I posted about this amazing new tool to my social accounts immediately, and none of my friends had even heard about it. I re-visited my Twitter account for the first time in an embarrassingly long time to see how other School Pro pros were using it. Surely everyone was obsessed as I was, right?
*Crickets*
So I thought, "Why not me? Why not now?" So, I decided to dive in and learn. Boy, oh boy, did I ever!
Deep Dive
My quest for knowledge took off at full speed. I consumed every piece of information available, connected with self-proclaimed "experts" on LinkedIn, signed up for spanking-new newsletters and found myself embroiled in endless conversations about it with anyone and everyone.
I logged in religiously every day. I played. I experimented. In the pre-ChatGPT-app days, I'd make a note on my phone every time I mused, "Could ChatGPT lend a hand with this?" when I was sans laptop, just so I could put it to the test later.
(Spoiler alert: It was up to every challenge.)
Then came the pivotal 'Aha!' moment. It struck me that ChatGPT could shoulder some of my most monotonous tasks at work - specifically, generating content ideas and a content calendar for witty social media posts for special days within our school division (some days, you’re just not feeling witty enough for National Hat Day, ya know?) The thought of condensing a month's labour into an afternoon was tantalizing.
I wondered, what more could it do?
Gimme Gimme More
As I carved out more time, I started to venture further into the strategic side of communications. I leveraged AI for brainstorming sessions and spirited debates. It provided fresh angles on hot-button district issues. It granted me the opportunity to scrutinize my processes and venture into the sometimes overlooked crevices of my School PR role.
My professional landscape was dramatically altered when I employed AI to dissect stakeholder feedback, summarizing heaps of data and identifying trends in a blink. This innovative approach armed our district with actionable insights, paving the way for data-driven decisions. It was like seeing the world in a brand-new light!
Spolier: Resilience Wins
Now, you might be wondering, "Is it all as rosy as it sounds? Weren't there obstacles?"
Indeed, there were.
The dizzying pace of AI evolution, the deluge of information out there, the brisk pace of change, and the endless buffet of tools and AI news - paired with some resistance and hesitation from coworkers - felt a bit much at times.
But you know what? I stuck to it.
My moment of triumph, the feeling of it all being worth it, arrived when I shared my AI adventure with my peers at a small regional conference. The knowledge that I'd spurred professionals to give it a whirl and eased their worries about using it in their roles made it all worth it. At these and subsequent conferences where I presented, the swell of curiosity and openness towards AI was tangible. It was a truly rewarding experience!
Top Tips for AI Newbies
Feeling a touch overwhelmed? That's okay. Take a deep breath, and hold onto these tips:
Dive In: Download ChatGPT. Play around with it. Treat it like your new BFF. Spend time with it.
Prompts Matter: Your prompts set the stage for AI. Research, experiment, and build your library. Leverage my prompts!
Learn from the Pros: Trail industry leaders. Share your discoveries. Talk about it at every opportunity. Here are some great ideas for people to follow.
Embrace the Future: AI isn't going anywhere. Adaptation isn't an option - it's a must.
Envisioning the Future
As I stand on the brink of this exciting frontier of AI, particularly in education, communication, and PR, I'm buzzing with excitement about what lies ahead.
I see a world where AI is woven seamlessly into our professional lives.
It's a future where AI has our back, liberating us from tedious tasks and allowing us to focus on imaginative, big-picture thinking.
It's a future where AI assists us in connecting on a deeper level with each other.
It's a future I'm eager to be a part of.
Remember, we're all on this journey together. Lean into it, keep the positivity alive, and never be shy to ask for help. You've totally got this! The future of PR and communications is ripe for the picking. Let's grab it with both hands!