Right now, the world doesn’t really look like we dreamed it would during the ‘90s. There are no flying cars nor robots taking over the world. What we witnessed instead is major progress made in terms of technology and how it helps us ease our daily life (just check the utility of Siri or Alexa!).
However, it isn’t really artificial intelligence. In fact, none of the tools and products available to us today are part of the entire AI concept.
Marketers, are you using AI?
As active members of the marketing world, we all see services, tools and products labeled as Artificial Intelligence.
Well, they’re not.
While there may be a couple of mutual characteristics with actual AI, martech is really more part of the IA: Intelligent Automation.
But how can we know that for sure? Are so many marketers using AI as a deceiving means of advertising their own products? Probably so.
The best way to clear this issue is to define and see the difference between general AI and narrow AI (or IA).
General AI
All the glorious high-tech products you see in Sci-Fi movies are part of general AI. This type of artificial intelligence is capable of learning on its own and it works pretty much like our brain does. The only difference between human intelligence and general AI is that we built the latter.
Yes, general AI will become reality some day. However, right now it is not available to the public and you most certainly won’t find it while online shopping.
While we’re waiting for it, though, we can have some fun with narrow AI…
Narrow AI
Now we’re getting closer to reality. If you take a quick look around yourself (or online), you’ll see plenty of evidence of Narrow AI.
We all know Alexa and Siri, right? Well, most of the devices and tech services we’re using right now work the exact same way – in the background. Although it may not turn SF lovers’ dreams into reality, this type of intelligence helps us live our lives much easier.
Whether it’s booking a hotel room, making a doctor appointment or just answering questions, Narrow AI quickly became the world’s virtual best friend. It’s great at interpreting information and completing multiple tasks at once.
However, Narrow AI is still automation – just a more complex form of it. Automation is far from something new and our biggest achievement is learning to use it in a better way each day.
How Automation Changes Marketing
Just because automation isn’t rocket science, it doesn’t mean we should overlook it. This amazing technological progress has already had a major impact upon marketing strategies.
Here are some of the main areas of benefit:
- Increased revenue. Whether it’s sending multiple emails at once or getting bots for customer support, every small detail counts to gaining new clients. In fact, statistics showed that nearly 80% of CMOs admit that their revenue growth and automation are strongly linked.
- Increased productivity. With this one, it’s pretty obvious: the quicker and easier you perform a task, the more productive you get. From operational systems to apps and other programs, automation can speed up marketing campaigns, strategy and company organization from every point of view.
- Reduced conversion time. Automation makes everything more efficient, thus making customers more likely to become buyers. After all, who doesn’t enjoy buying a good product in a matter of a few clicks?
We’ve come a long way from giant computers of the 20th century to intelligent aids such as Siri, Alexa or Cortana. Although there’s still a long way until general AI is available at every corner, we can use the present technology to make our businesses thrive.