In late 2023, generative AI (GenAI) had a massive impact on workplaces of all kinds. With the introduction of ChatGPT and, quickly after, several other types of GenAI tools, rapid disruption began to occur.
While many workers lamented—even feared—the disruptive impact and what it might mean for their jobs, others quickly embraced the new technology, finding ways to streamline and augment their work, freeing themselves from rote, administrative tasks to focus on more interesting aspects of their jobs.
Beyond Creating Content
While one obvious use case for GenAI tools like ChatGPT is to create content, and it’s certainly used to do just that, there are several other ways this technology can be used.
Here we look at some creative ways that organizations and individuals are deploying GenAI to get more done and to drive innovation and creativity.
Generating Ideas, Spurring Innovation
Brian Prince is founder and CEO of Top AI Tools in St. Petersburg, Florida, an AI resource and educational hub. In his work, Prince says, he uses AI tools “to run, manage, and market our website, as well as to provide comprehensive evaluations for readers who seek AI information and recommendations on our platforms.
“We have used AI for content ideation, outlining, and graphics since the launch of Top AI Tools,” Prince says. But he adds: “We avoid using AI for actual writing.” AI, he says, simply can’t match the talent of his own experienced team of writers.
However, AI can help these writers and others in unique ways. For instance, Prince says: “We used ChatGPT to help us create outlines for our AI Crash Course and our newsletter, AI Essentials.” ChatGPT, he says, is great for brainstorming and research—with one caveat: “it’s important to fact-check details against a reputable online source.” Prince and his team at Top AI Tools also use ChatGPT to “generate the perfect headline and brainstorm meta descriptions, article topics, and ways to enhance and build upon content we develop.”
These, Prince acknowledges, are standard AI uses, but he shares a unique use case: using GenAI and Sora, an AI video creation app, to convert an AI crash course into video form. His writers also use DALL-E and other graphic creation AI apps to produce images to complement their content.
For HR leaders, GenAI tools can serve as a good starting point when creating messaging for employees around specific topics, or when building presentations for various groups. Giving the tool specific background information about the topic, the goals and objectives of the efforts, and the audience can help generate the most precise outputs.
GenAI itself can help with profiling specific audiences.
Understanding Target Audiences
Renee Bigelow is a fractional CMO and marketing consultant in New Orleans. Bigelow says she’s been using GenAI tools as far back as 2021 and 2022 with early tools built on GPT-3. As these tools have advanced, though, so have the applications she’s found. From simple use cases like creating interview transcriptions, email drafts, headlines, or subject lines, she says, her uses have evolved to more strategic efforts.
For instance, Bigelow shares: “My favorite use case is using AI for deep buyer personal research and feedback.” To do this, she says, she uploads knowledge bases into Claude or Gemini which might include interviews, target persona or ideal target profiles, content strategy and proprietary frameworks and models.
“Then, I ask the AI to assume the role of that target persona and provide feedback on drafts, help identify gaps or opportunities in our messaging, adjust the language to match the target persona’s language, and understand their pain points more deeply.”
Consider how this process could be used to improve various types of employee communications—from onboarding materials to information on benefit offerings.
Here are some additional ways that HR leaders can incorporate the use of GenAI tools into their processes to save time and improve outcomes.
- Mandy Idol, co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Indigo Collective Group, in Charlotte, North Carolina, says her firm uses GenAI tools to “analyze trending topics and keywords relevant to our clients’ industries.” This, she says, helps to “identify emerging trends and generate fresh, engaging content ideas that resonate with our target audience.” That same approach could be used by HR professionals to stay on top of trends related to the workforce, employee engagement, and the job market.
- If you have employees in global locations, GenAI can also be used to generate content in multiple languages or variations for specific target audiences—including audio or video content. For instance, if your CEO is in the United States and makes an announcement for employees, that message could be easily translated into multiple languages for distribution in other locations.
- Content can be personalized in other ways as well, expediting the content creation process to create highly personalized content. For instance, during open enrollment season, personalized messages could be sent to employees based on their demographics as well as past selection options and utilization. This could help to make benefit options easier to understand and more likely to be acted upon.
- GenAI tools can be used to quickly summarize information in reports, articles, studies, presentations, etc., saving time and helping to stay up to date on relevant trends and issues. Or use GenAI to summarize inputs from employee surveys, polls, focus groups, or other inputs.
We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the many ways GenAI could aid organizations and their leaders, managers, and employees.
“By integrating GenAI into our content creation and marketing processes, we have been able to enhance creativity, streamline workflows, and deliver more personalized and effective marketing campaigns,” says Idol. “This innovative approach has not only improved our marketing efforts but has also provided significant value to our clients.”
It’s not just about content creation, of course. How could you more strategically use the wide array of GenAI tools available to provide added value to your employees and your organization?
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.