Artificial Intelligence has taken momentum and sorry folks, it is here to stay. Should you be concerned about losing your job? Are you a marketer and worry if you need to think about a career change? Are you scared of becoming obsolete?

Short answer is NO. You don’t have to catastrophize the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence. But - there is always one - it doesn’t mean that you can be completely oblivious to the topic and how it is impacting the industry.

I created these steps so that you can identify in which step you are currently at on your relationship with Artificial Intelligence applied to Marketing. I hope it supports you on your path of making AI your ally rather than your enemy.

First Step: Acknowledgement

We need to acknowledge that the usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already making an impact across multiple industries. Marketing is not exempt from this Digital Transformation and the industry is showing the first signs of AI applied to Marketing through chatbots, personalized content or augmented reality being used as part of the shopping experience.

Something is certain, current marketing practices accompanied by the need to devise better marketing strategies continues to require the involvement of creative people. Machines need Humans to work.

Second Step: Acceptance

Regardless of the size of the marketing organization that you work for, I am sure that the upper management is already discussing (if not already implementing) new actions in line with the possibilities and benefits that AI offers to any organization. It is clear, regardless of the industry, that AI aims at increasing efficiency and effectiveness in organizations. This mean that those who do not adapt and implement AI into their organization will slowly - or rapidly - fall behind

In a nutshell, AI will happen, is happening, so don’t fight it, don’t deny it. Start becoming more aware of it and get involved in this growing tech as it will also boost many career opportunities for you. 

Third Step: Understanding the big picture

Before you start freaking out and thinking about how to pay your mortgage in case you lose your job, aim at understanding the impact that AI is having in the marketing industry today. This will calm you down and will help you identify your desired next steps.

While AI is useful and already being implemented in the Marketing industry, it is important to know that elements like creativity, inventiveness and originality to connect better with customers are key skills performed by Marketing professionals. 
In other words, digital marketing still needs that human touch. It needs storytelling and emotion, two things AI is unable to master in the ways needed for effective marketing today.

But whilst human abilities will always be needed, we all need to accept that the roles in digital marketing will have to change over time. 

The goal of any organization is to be efficient and effective and this does not precisely mean replacing humans but making sure humans have the time to focus on what really matters in the organization whilst removing inefficient and repetitive tasks that can and should be done by machines.

Fourth Step: Be proactive

Now that you acknowledged Artificial Intelligence; that you accepted its evolution within the Marketing Industry and that you also understand the bigger picture; it is time to ask yourself how to navigate this scenario:

• Self reflection:

Look at your organization and your day to day job. Identify out of your daily tasks which are the ones that are repetitive, time-consuming and overly boring. Likewise, identify those tasks that are non-repetitive, creative or that require any skill that AI is not expected to take over now or in the near future.

By doing this exercise, you will have a clear picture of which are the tasks/skills in which you need to start investing more time and develop them further. You might even increase the likes of your manager by proposing AI solutions for all those repetitive and boring tasks (make AI your friend not your enemy).

• Become Versatile

As we mentioned, it is clear that Artificial Intelligence is already impacting the Marketing Industry and generating changes. This means that changes will also impact you and this will require versatility from your side to adapt to those changes. Looking at the bright side, this is a great opportunity for you to stand out if you are proactive and ready to embrace whatever changes and/efforts required.

Keep your skill set updated, keep yourself up to date with the latest trends in the industry that might impact your role. Remember, you cannot stop changes from happening but you can determine how they will affect you and your job potential 

Conclusion 

You are not going to be replaced by AI any time soon. Still, changes will happen and while you may see artificial intelligence as a threat to the job you love, you should look at the bright side and grow in your career whilst accepting what AI has to offer at the same time.

My final question to you is: In which Step are you at? If you want to know more about our AI solutions contact us for a free demo or learn more here.