AI and brand safety – a valuable but tricky partnership
The fact that the California AI Safety bill has been vetoed, doesn’t mean that the importance of brand safety can be disregarded by PR and marketing professionals. AI is going to continue on its meteoric rise. For many, AI has become a gamechanger for businesses. But trust is an essential ingredient to any company’s brand equity and therefore companies cannot compromise their trust when looking to integrate AI into workflows.
Brand safety strategies have always been crucial for PR and marketing pros to uphold their image through difficult times and to stay on the right side of regulations. And it still is, with 60% of respondents in a WARC survey stating brand safety is their top concern. It’s just that some uses of AI within corporate marketing departments is making it just that bit more difficult.
But For PR and marketing pros, brand safety doesn’t mean disregarding AI.. They need to work in alignment with its rise. Customers begin to rely more and more on AI – consumers are expecting to use AI-enhanced search over the next year and 70% already trust generative AI search results.
The growing influence of AI over search engines means PR and marketing pros need to work with AI algorithms, specifically focusing on quality and relevant context.
So, what can PR and marketing pros do to ensure brand safety in the age of AI?
The global fight against irresponsible AI is underway
Companies and global leaders have become more outspoken about the uncontrolled power of AI, with some calling for global polices to be in place to ensure AI safety. Take global brands such as Amazon and Microsoft, who have been calling for a global alignment on AI policies. In some parts of the world global leaders have introduced guidelines which AI model providers must follow – for example the EU AI Act sets rules for general-purpose AI models for companies operating in the EU.
Misinformation – AI of the detection tools are getting better
PR and marketing pros need to tread carefully when looking at implementing AI. One wrong move and it can be destructive to their brand image and reputation.
We have spoken about it before, but AI is a double-edged sword when it comes to spreading misinformation. When providing AI generated media content from press releases to thought leadership and opinion pieces, remember what tp one person may sound convincing and authoritative, to another can be the cause of disseminating bogus content. AI detection tools exist that are capable of detecting AI generated content – and they are getting better!
Some guidelines are already there – ignore them at your peril
So even though AI safety bills are getting vetoed this doesn’t mean that B2B organizations can rest on their laurels when it comes to regulations. Some AI practices are viewed as unethical, PR and marketing pros need to handle AI with great care. One negative message could land your business with a load of legal ramifications and facing financial consequences.
Why brand safety is a must in B2B
The importance of brand image for B2B organizations is as strong today as it ever has been, with the new generation of Gen-Z B2B buyers favouring to do their own research when entering the B2B sales funnel.
Brand safety is key to ensure that B2B buyers get a positive first impression when they come across your business in order to encourage them to carry on down the sales funnel with you instead of a competitor. However, one minor slip up from AI, whether that be in the form of content misinformation, an incorrectly interpreted brand message or SEO slip-up, and it could be the difference between turning a potential lead into a client or a disaffected prospect.
The brand safety formula
Cracking the code for brand safety is key for B2B PR and marketing pros in the battle against AI harming their brand, here are four tips to protect your brand image:
- Establishing trust in your brand: Within the B2B landscape, trust is built on understanding the value that you can bring to the customer. Think brand equity and targeting your campaigns at each of your target audiences with consistent messages tailored to their needs and concerns. This will help organizations build trust with the customer base.
- The 3 human eyes: PR and marketing pros need to remember their roots when it comes to implementing generative AI. Remember the PR golden rule for content creation – it’s the views of humans, written by humans, and read by humans! Customers will be more willing to trust content coming from the voice of a human than content being written by Generative AI. After all you never know when the next AI misinformation blunder is coming – PR and marketing pros need to use the strong thought leaders at their disposal!
- Plan for the worst-case scenario: Should your brand get involved in an AI blunder, PR and marketing pros need to be proactive in their approach to crisis management. Plans need to be put in place to ensure that the business and brand is aligned in what to do in times of an AI crisis. In today’s digital world, companies have very little time to react to a sudden PR crisis before the public voices their opinion, so having a crisis management plan in place is crucial.
- Have your back covered: With AI being introduced and implemented in many different aspects of business. PR and marketing pros need to ensure they have themselves covered with their own AI policy clearly outlining their stance on AI usage within their content – check out our AI Usage Policy as an example!
Act now to futureproof your brand as the AI storm surges on
The AI boom is still unfolding with new technologies filtering through and its future impact on lethe B2B landscape is unpredictable. PR and marketing pros cannot ignore the impact of AI on their brand. Understanding the uses and abuses of AI will enable PR and marketing Pros to strike a balance when implementing AI, to exploit the benefits of AI, while ensuring their business and brand image is protected from its darkside.
Sam Walker is PR Executive at IBA International.
