While many of us are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots to ask silly questions and generate ridiculous images in our spare time, AI is rapidly being integrated into many of the social media platforms and apps used every day. Major players like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat have all caught on to the intriguing trend and rolled out new AI-powered tools and features over the past year…showing no signs of slowing down as AI capabilities continue advancing.
What does this mean for us?
Below, we share what features platforms are leveraging and how your organization can take part in the shifting social media sphere.
Who’s Using AI and What For?
Twitter was one of the first to embrace AI with features like automatic caption writing for images and predictive text suggestions when composing tweets.
Instagram quickly followed suit by integrating similar AI caption generators and even AI-powered filters and effects.
TikTok’s supportive AI capabilities now include automated video editing tools.
Finally, Snapchat has AI-driven cameo selfies that can superimpose your face onto videos.
This AI integration provides some compelling benefits for social media users. One is that AI captioning can make content more accessible for those with disabilities (Real-time captioning or translations for people with a hearing impairment or even people who don’t speak the language).
Predictive text can also help get ideas flowing while drafting posts. Even if it doesn’t produce the entire draft, it provides suggestions to move past writer’s block and move forward without stopping. AI editing tools can elevate the production quality of videos and photos by cutting and merging content with ease, giving your precious time back.
However, there are also valid concerns about AI’s potential downsides like perpetuating biases, spreading misinformation, and compromising privacy. There have already been a few instances in which organizations have had their wrists slapped for perpetuating poorly constructed content that could have been unbiased in their stance.
Where Does This Leave You?
AI is powerful and can cut writing/editing/posting time significantly. However, for organizations looking to leverage AI on their social channels (appropriately), here are some key recommendations:
1. Prioritize transparency about AI usage and get user consent when appropriate.
Be open about what AI capabilities are being utilized. This means citing resources and noting that some content was generated by AI. This ensures you are being transparent about your content and forthcoming about where ideas started.
2. Implement robust testing to identify and mitigate risks like biases being baked into AI models before deploying publicly.
This means you have to read…actually read and vet what AI is spitting out there. Validate that facts are correct and ensure unfair and unfruitful bias is removed where possible.
3. Have a clear AI governance framework outlining principles for ethical and responsible AI development aligned with your brand values.
This can vary based on your organization and some compliance departments. If AI is acceptable, be sure to outline where to draw the line. If there already is a line, follow it.
4. Focus AI efforts on areas that tangibly benefit your audience like accessibility, content personalization, and productivity optimizations.
Again, AI is incredible in cutting down time. But it can’t come at the cost of poor content. Users and readers can catch robotic content and if they sense it’s going to become a trend for you, they may navigate elsewhere to original and unique ideas. AI may be helpful, but it does not replace our creative minds.
5. Continuously monitor AI outputs and be prepared to make adjustments as AI models evolve and new risks emerge over time.
Like with any new technology, it doesn’t work to push it away with all your might. Work alongside AI to understand and leverage it wherever possible, but as always, keep your target audience in mind and what their needs may be.
When applied thoughtfully with proper safeguards, AI can enhance the social media experience for users and open creative possibilities for organizations. A shortsighted “AI at all costs” approach is bound to backfire. Responsible adoption with human supervision is key for harnessing AI’s potential in society.
If you want to understand more about Onya’s policies when it comes to AI or how your organization should respond, we would love to chat more. Contact us today!
