Let’s explore the future of AI and marketing. Many marketers are focused on using AI for basic content creation instead of leveraging it for analytics and data. However, AI content often lacks the quality of manually created content. While AI tools can help in many areas, they typically require human oversight to refine and optimize the results.

Comparing ChatGPT and Bard for Content Creation

I get much better output from Bard than ChatGPT for content creation. Google likely has the largest dataset of any company which informs Bard’s knowledge. By 2024, Anthropic’s model Claude is predicted to be 20 times more powerful than ChatGPT. While ChatGPT can be useful, Bard seems better suited for marketing content applications.

AI vs Manual Content: The Quality Gap

None of the AI content creation tools produce results as high-quality as manual content creation, whether using OpenAI models, in-house solutions, or writer tools from various software companies. Expecting AI to fully replace human marketers often leads to disastrous outcomes. AI-generated content causes performance to suffer compared to human-crafted content. However, AI can still provide value when humans refine its output.

The Future Potential of AI

People tend to overestimate AI’s short-term impact but underestimate its long-term potential. In the next 5-10 years, AI will likely transform many facets of marketing:

  • Help create graphics, images
  • Generate ideas and content drafts
  • Automate tedious tasks
  • Analyze data to optimize campaigns

Rather than focusing solely on content creation, AI’s biggest near-term potential is to analyze ad performance and customer data to reduce wasted ad spend. By flagging issues in real-time, AI can enable marketers to make faster, better-informed optimization decisions.

Agencies Will Thrive with AI’s Help

AI can help agency profitability by improving efficiency. Higher gross margins can lead to better agency valuations. AI excels at automating simple content at scale to help expand website reach. But for high-value content, manual creation still delivers superior performance. AI is most effective when complementing human insight and creativity.

Distinguishing True AI from Current Marketing Uses

Most current AI marketing uses cases represent process automation rather than true AI. The levels of AI actualization include:

  1. Automated intelligence – Streamlines manual tasks
  2. Augmented intelligence – Enhances human capabilities
  3. Artificial intelligence – Simulates human reasoning

Today’s tools mainly provide the first two levels to help marketers be more productive. But in the coming years, artificial intelligence could transform marketing strategies and change how marketers operate.

Suggestions for Using Marketing AI Now

When using today’s AI tools:

  • Focus on time savings over final output quality
  • Refine AI-generated ideas/content before publishing
  • Emphasize analytics over content creation
  • Keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible

No matter what you’re currently thinking, think bigger in terms of use cases. AI can augment nearly everything marketers do – so continually explore how AI can maximize your marketing efforts.

Key Takeaways

AI holds incredible potential to enhance marketing when used properly. Be strategic about application areas based on current capabilities. With refined approaches and increasing sophistication, AI will become integral to marketing within the next decade. Maintain realistic expectations in the short-term but keep pushing boundaries over time.