Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay and Public Relations (PR) professionals must get familiar with it, according to Jackie Namara Rukare, the CEO of Iguru Consult Limited.
She was speaking during a panel discussion on “Artificial Intelligence & its Impact on PR Strategies” at the 3rd National Public Relations Symposium organised by the Public Relations Association of Uganda (PRAU) at the Golf Course Hotel on June 7, 2024.
“AI has been here longer than we realised e.g. Microsoft Office workings have been using AI but now in a much more realistic and more human way than before hence we’re paying more attention to it,” she noted.
“We can therefore process information more accurately. Our narrative and perspective has to be fed in with the information that reflects the current realities.”
Namara cited the need to develop capacities to help in the use of content to reduce the robotic influence.
“AI will not help if you do not have fundamentals right. You must have a communication plan, communication crisis plan etc.”
Speaking on the same panel, Somdev Sen, the Chief Marketing Officer at MTN Uganda, praised AI for its ability to process data at a much faster speed than ever seen before.
“Every company needs to understand the dynamics of it,” he noted.
Roger Anguzu, the Commercial Director at Crown Beverages Ltd, said AI has been in existence for 50 years and has gone through numerous changes.
“AI augments what we do, therefore, skills to utilize it for lead conversions, revenue growth and writing can all be enhanced for PR practice. All operations have got to be data driven e.g. customer and employee data,” he stated.
He urged companies to automate business processes and get top-to-bottom buy-in from members of the organisations.
“Ethical issues must be considered to avoid feeding systems with the wrong data. Machine learning bias is key,” he noted.
Data capturing
Kevin Kaija, the General Manager of Afromobile, spoke on the challenges of data capturing and recommended integrating data into multiple platforms.
“Curate content with target audiences, that is, accurate data for eyeballs and paid audiences.”
He said data protection policies and stringent measures are taken to keep users safe.
On a volatile digital landscape to collect and analyse audience needs, he said they measure sentiments through engagement in a post, a poll, or a survey.
Arimi Barbra, the Head of Marketing and Communication at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) said the Fund effectively segments members and staff and demonstrates the effectiveness of initiatives that are then aligned to organisational objectives.
“All campaigns are measured on impact at least at 60 percent (e.g., midterm benefit campaign). Every communications initiative must fit into the objectives of the organisation because data translates into something that decision-makers can rely on to make decisions,” she noted.
