Can AI Replace a Strategic Communicator?

Everyone is talking about AI now. And many are wondering if AI will eliminate the need for strategic communications.  

A recent BBC article quoted Martin Ford, author of Rule of the Robots: How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Everything, who identified three areas that he believes are insulated from an AI takeover, at least for now.

• Jobs that require genuine creativity, meaning the work is not formulaic or just rearranging things. Roles that require coming up with new ideas or building something new cannot be replaced with AI.

• Jobs that require strong interpersonal relationships, such as nurses, business consultants, or investigative journalists. AI cannot replace the value of human interaction that builds genuine and trusted relationships.

• Jobs that require mobility, dexterity, and problem-solving skills in unpredictable environments. In other words, jobs that require humans to be nimble to pivot to changing circumstances.

These skills are the hallmark of strategic communicators. 

Strategic communicators are always employing creative problem-solving to address complex situations. AI cannot develop integrated communications plans to address business issues. 

Strategic communicators build relationships and develop mutually beneficial programs with stakeholders. AI cannot do that. 

Strategic communicators are crisis counselors and communicators, with the ability to assess and pivot in changing environments. AI can’t do that. 

That’s not to say that all communication jobs are safe. There are repetitive and labor-intensive tasks that communications teams do regularly that AI will impact. AI will ultimately change how we work as we adopt it into our workflows. But the need for high-level strategic thinking and creative problem-solving will not go away.