n the dynamic world of marketing, the maxim “content is king” remains as relevant as ever. But today, generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) is transforming how marketing, advertising, and public relations (PR) agencies produce high-quality and consistent content for their clients. At the same time, these agencies are actively shaping strategies to ensure their ethical, transparent, and responsible use of Gen AI.

Gen AI empowers users to quickly create text, images, audio, video, and other content with minimal human input. In essence, Gen AI leverages machine learning algorithms that analyze existing data patterns to synthesize new content. From blog posts and social media updates to advertisements, pictures, movies, and music, Gen AI renders content based on simple text instructions—known as prompts—provided by users. Examples of popular Gen AI tools include chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini (formerly Bard), as well as text-to-image programs such as Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and DALL-E.

Marketing, advertising, and PR professionals are increasingly adopting this rapidly evolving technology. Software platform Muck Rack released a State of AI in PR 2024 report that found 64 percent of professionals surveyed are using it, up from 23 percent the year before. Furthermore, 74 percent said they improved the quality of their work by using AI.

The trend is nationwide, and creative firms in Alaska are no exception.

Gen AI is helping Wasilla-based Optima Public Relations refine its efforts when concepting and finalizing content. This enables the small agency, which has several offices in Alaska as well as in Arizona and Nevada, to better serve its diverse clients, which include local nonprofits, family-owned businesses, medical facilities, and political candidates.

“I think AI is a great tool for getting some thought-starters going,” says Optima CEO Becca Koonce. “We write all our copy, and sometimes we will run it through the AI platform. It’s an autopilot for improving grammar, adjusting a tone, or seeing if there’s anything else that needs to be included.”

However, she treats AI as a tool, not a one-and-done resource. “It’s a great jump starter to get some ideas going and a great option to see if there are any little tweaks,” Koonce explains. “It’s like having another team member. We are using it as a platform to see if our bases are covered and we’re not missing out on any opportunities. We are human, after all.”

AI adds a unique element of objectivity to content development, she believes. For instance, ChatGPT can help fill gaps in messaging that team members might overlook. “When you’re all working on a project, it’s like drinking your own Kool-Aid,” Koonce says. “Using AI is kind of like pitching to a fake client.”

Occasionally, Optima uses AI to tweak graphics, taglines, and other elements. It’s nice to be able to input original designs or current logos and ask AI for feedback and alternative concepts, Koonce says. However, she points out, “AI is only as good as the information it’s provided or the prompt you give it.”

Optima also relies on AI to summarize team notes from client meetings and complete other time-consuming administrative tasks. “All and all, it’s about working smarter, not harder,” Koonce says.

Likewise, Gen AI is helping redefine content creation at Spawn Ideas, a full-service Anchorage advertising agency. AI helps Spawn Ideas expedite the “creative journey,” according to Amy Adams, creative lead and director of digital and social engagement. “In the past, we might have gained our footing with content ideas by spending hours and days in content ideation and building a plan for content,” she says. “AI helps to shape that plan much faster. AI helps us get a lot of that thinking out of the way, and we can make it [the content] our own after that. It gives us a head start, a jumping-off point.”

Gen AI also helps the agency streamline its approach to creating storyboards, saving hours in the process. “In the past, we might have had to employ an illustrator; now with the Gen AI illustrator tools, we can prompt an image to come out that matches our script and storyboard,” Adams says.

Marketing and ad agency ARM Creative is taking a calculated approach to Gen AI. The Anchorage company doesn’t employ AI tools every day or for broad purposes. Instead, it’s selectively using AI to assist medium-to-large-size businesses with marketing campaigns, media buying, graphic design, and social media. ARM Creative primarily implements AI tools in the early stages of developing ideas for projects ranging from organic social media content to full-scale marketing campaigns to pre-production.

“It really helps to kick start our creative concepting,” says President and CEO Zach Aregood. “We’re not using it for every project, but it’s helping us to streamline and focus on the more strategic aspects.”

For instance, with the preproduction process for video and photography, AI acts as a “research partner” in the preplanning and ideation stage with creative briefs. This can save a considerable amount of time, as there can be numerous shots, lenses, and angles involved with some photo shoots. “We can input our brief, goals, and objectives and then give ChatGPT a prompt to create a shot list,” Aregood says. “It’s much easier to start with that than from scratch. And it [AI] can come up with missed opportunities that we may not have gathered in our research.”

Gen AI also enables the agency’s copywriters to minimize frustrating situations like writer’s block. “When you have tools like this, if you can find ways to prompt it [the AI model] and make it work for you, it can help tremendously with that,” Aregood says.

Humans are still in control, ensuring the uniqueness and creativity of the content they generate with AI.

“It’s not just a dump that you can copy and paste out of and expect it to deliver value to clients,” says Koonce. “Any time we utilize anything that’s AI-generated, it’s something that’s contributing to, refining, or adding to content. At the end of the day, everything will be unique to our brand or the client’s brand. It’s leveraging the value and efficiency of what AI can bring.”

AI is not a replacement for creativity, but a complementary tool, Koonce emphasizes. “There are some things that can’t be auto generated,” she says. “I think if we harness that, there can be a harmonious blend between efficiency and human ingenuity. We can continue to create impactful, thoughtful, and inclusive content that resonates with our client.”

Using AI, Koonce says, is about balance. “It’s one of those things where we’ll keep tabs on it and keep our checks and balances in place. We’ll do our due diligence but utilize and leverage things that can be beneficial for our client.”

Like Koonce, Adams notes that it’s human creativity that formulates the prompts. “We, the humans, have the relationships with the client to know the nuances of what they are looking for, and that’s driving the prompts for AI,” she says. “AI is not necessarily the generator for us; we own these campaigns. We are enriching our ideas in ways we might have previously outsourced, such as hiring an artist to do a storyboard or prompting AI to get us started on some email headers or a content plan. We use it to get started and add a personal touch with the brand we know so well.”

Gen AI can only answer what humans ask of it, Adams says. “When we put in quality prompts and creative solutions, it’s helping us down the path in creating our creative vision,” she says. “We own the process. Even though AI is filling in the gaps, it’s under our supervision.”

Spawn Ideas is also using AI to expand its resources and competitive advantage in the marketplace. “We call it the great equalizer because it allows us to have more tools at our fingertips, but we still own the creativity that’s driving those tools,” she says.

Gen AI is vulnerable to “garbage in, garbage out” errors, so human oversight remains essential. While Koonce says she hasn’t noticed any biases with AI-generated content, her agency is vigilant about the issue. “When we are putting out content, we always look for anything that may come across as inappropriate in a context and make adjustments,” she says. “We want to make sure things are inclusive and accurate. The most important thing for us is to make sure that anything we put out is authentically representing the client, not just Optima, and that it’s work we will stand behind.”

ARM Creative relies on the skills of its diverse and experienced team to address the inherent weaknesses of AI. “We’re aware that AI models can inadvertently perpetuate biases, so it is important that we closely review and fact check anything we get from these models to make sure we are genuine, factual, and authentic,” Aregood says. “For us, all the work is done by ARM Creative. Our biggest asset is our team, their minds, and their skills. We’re just using the tools for efficiency and brainstorming.”

Marketing and advertising agencies in Alaska are also focusing on applying AI tools transparently. Optima, for example, informs clients whenever it can use AI. Optima uses AI to summarize its quarterly reports for clients, saving a considerable amount of time and effort. “We obviously have to audit the report, but being able to get that off our plate is beneficial,” Koonce says. “Rather than using all those hours and bandwidth up front, we can use our time to make a better, more polished final product.”

Spawn Ideas is also forthright about using AI in content creation. It’s not a tool to be ashamed of using, Adams says. In fact, Spawn Ideas’ strategy is to use Gen AI as a point of differentiation. “We’re upfront with clients when we use it,” she says. “We’ll say, ‘This story board was generated with AI.’”

Increasingly, the agency’s clients are expressing an interest in using AI in their business. That interest—often coupled with a sense of awe—gives Spawn Ideas an opportunity to educate them.

So far, ARM Creative has not had clients asking about AI, but when they do, Aregood says he will be transparent. “We’re still learning how to work AI into our business for creative purposes,” Aregood says. “We’re doing the research to make sure we are doing it transparently and responsibly. We don’t ever want to replace that human element [with AI].”

Aregood says Gen AI is revolutionizing many industries, and it will be interesting to see its long-term impact on marketing, advertising, PR, and graphic design. In the future, AI will become commonplace and allow teams to tailor content more swiftly and efficiently.

“Attention spans are shorter than ever; consumers want more content and content more frequently,” he says. “I think we will see AI creators, AI accounts, or brand pages create content more quickly… I think it’s important for people in our industry to understand how AI will factor into the customer’s journey.”

At this stage, Aregood feels many people in the marketing industry—particularly creatives—are apprehensive about AI. However, he says, “It’s just a tool, and I think the artistic and creative side will always do better with a human touch. We don’t know all the mediums in which it will be applied because this is just Day One. But it’s fun to think about these opportunities.”

From Adams’ perspective, it will be interesting to see how AI will be the “great differentiator” with content development. As a creative, she appreciates AI because it augments the capabilities in her toolbox.

“It gives me more flexibility with creation styles and the ability to change images,” she says. “But I think we’re still going to want to see real images and videos of people. It will be interesting to see how the world starts to view AI use. I think at the end of the day, relationships and the people factor are still important.”