“As many folks realize by now, AI is serious disruptor across all avenues of life. But how bad is it going to get for the career-minded marketing professionals, publishing houses and the creative talents among us.
This year the publication of my first novel The Dutchess of Chadwick, a feel good romantic tale of star-crossed lovers that navigate life through the Gilded Age with a mix of horses, High Society, pomp and promiscuity on both sides of the Atlantic, took me to the largest gathering of publishing professionals in the world, the Frankfurter Buchmesse, to help market Foreign Rights on the title. The Dutchess of Chadwick makes a lovely holiday gift by the way, so if you haven’t bought it please pick up a Limited First Edition!
According to the industry professionals speaking at this prestigious event, we can truly say, “Auf Wiedersehen” to the publishing world as we know it. It was mentioned in a variety of ways by a variety of industry leaders that the present day and historical publishing industry that we all love could be eviscerated by AI in the near future.
The alarming tone was set by the opening speech from the German Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer who told us in no uncertain terms that AI could “rip the world of literature to pieces”. He accused AI companies of “organized robbery”.
Many companies across the globe are embracing AI for all their business needs. Amazon layoffs for replacement by cobots of 600,000 workers are the tip of a very large and melting job iceberg. Authentic authorship voices will be drowned in this tide of watered down content, as FOMO rips through the rocky industry shoreline. Business owners seem driven by their fear of missing out and are spending a lot of money on engaging AI across their companies with little idea that it offers little engagement at all.
Ironically it may seem, even as a content creator when submitting creative assets to clients’ marketing teams you may be the recipient of an automated response. Repetitive, non-personalized confirmations of receipt like, “Great. Thank-you,” fill your inbox. These oblique responses make good business relations hard to nurture and develop. It’s difficult to fathom the logic.
We have gone from phone calls where we asked our colleagues how they were doing before launching in to work talk and letter writing that was always prefaced with an inviting opening statement, sandwiched work content then a call to action with a final good wish close to emails where no-one seems to know how succinct their messaging should be.
We quickly learned about the diminished attention span people paid to content and the need to only bring up one question per email if we wanted our questions addressed.
I have worked my entire career with an international customer base, and there is a massive difference in business culture even across emails. The British preferring a more personal and less formal approach (rather surprisingly perhaps) than Americans, Australians and New Zealanders being chatty and open etc. And the higher up the corporate ladder you go the more accentuated the differences seem to become. Short one liners being the ‘go to’ in some instances.
Short bursts of repetitive responses produced by AI to minimize the message workload can leave the recipient feeling unworthy of attention and underappreciated. And this goes to customer service as well as bucking Richard Branson’s ethic of showing your workforce that you care about them and appreciate their efforts.
With AI you’ve got to laugh or you’d cry. We all grudgingly admit that we use it somewhere in our lives, even though we know at this point in time it is deeply inaccurate and flawed. The next steps are going to challenge us all in every walk of life. And the expression, “If you can’t beat them join them,” comes to mind.
But there is hope. At round table chats in less formal environments (read relaxing at the bar) at the Buchmesse that over 118,000 trade professionals attended this year, there were many authors vowing to fight the good fight and remain true to authentic writing and publishers still keen to produce human-authored books in print.
Perhaps AI and writing will go the same way as the TV dinners that took over the American marketplace in the 1950’s. Decades later folks realized that what they were being fed was highly processed fare and that almost inevitably the food was detrimental to their health and well-being. The realization causing a 180 response with people returning to a farm to fork/farm to table ethic and interest in organic food. Alongside which for many folks has come a raised level of awareness of the benefits and importance of dining together as a family around a table and engaging with each other instead of eating from trays on their laps focused on a screen in front of them.
Perhaps people will wake up and smell the coffee. Perhaps not. But wherever this AI takes us we are all in it together. And like the huddle of like-minded folks at restaurant tables gathering to discuss the uncertain future, we’ll learn to lean on each other sooner or later for support and get back to what is our USP, being human.
To this end I must add a call to action. You are invited to come dine at my table and enjoy some healthy ROI fare, authentic and non AI!
I have crafted a new VIP menu of services for business owners seeking to utilize our marketing strategy experience and expertise as a specialist PR/Marketing company. Another Hemmingway quote to remember is, “If you can’t write. Don’t.” AI, which we human authors jokingly refer to as ‘Artificial Information’, is not going to make engaging content. According to Bill Gates we have about another 100 years to go to perfect AI. At Horse in a Kilt we provide our clients with consistently creative assets. Fresh material, accurate and educational and always on point. Thought leadership is still highly significant in producing meaningful content that sells products. Don’t be afraid to reach out to me directly if you’d like to learn more about how to build your own bottom line.”
Email Nikki@HorseinaKiltMedia.com direct or visit Horse in a Kilt Media Inc., and learn more about Nikki’s stable full of marketing skills as an artful content writer, equestrian blogger, columnist, marketing specialist and strategist.
As a British/American professional Grand Prix competitor/coach/clinician Nikki brings unique angles, experiences and thought leadership/authority to her wordsmith wizardry with a proven successful track record in boosting brand visibility and viability and a willingness to interject some much-needed human intelligence into your marketing content.
About Nikki:
Internationally published author/writer, content creator, PR/Marketing specialist, photographer and equestrian Nikki Alvin-Smith offers “Engaging Content that Engages Riders to Read,” with unique and fresh material for your horse or pet related business, magazine, website, newsletter, blog, and email blast sales machine. Her portfolio of works is extensive and includes equestrian and pet features that have been published worldwide in over 260 different magazine titles. Her clients include/have included: equestrian and “B” list movie celebrities for whom she regularly ghostwrites and provides PR services; manufacturers of equine and pet related medical devices, feedstuffs, supplements, grooming supplies, fencing and barn equipment, horse transport, horse structures and professional equine service providers; profit and non-profit initiatives and organizations; and non-equestrian related businesses/publications in the pet industry, investment, real estate and international travel and rural lifestyle.
Nikki Alvin-Smith is a British international level Grand Prix dressage competitor/trainer/coach/clinician. Together with her husband Paul, who is also a Grand Prix dressage rider, Nikki operates Willowview Hill Farm , a private dressage yard and organic hay farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York. The duo provides ‘team’ clinician services to clients worldwide to riders of all levels and many riding disciplines.
Media Contact:
Contact: Nikki Alvin-Smith: Content Writer; PR/Marketing Specialist
Email: Nikki@horizonnasWebsites: https://www.horseinakiltmedia.com/
Cell: 607 434 4470