How we’re using AI to maximize productivity (and you can, too!)

When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022, there was a lot of talk about generative AI rendering human creatives obsolete. While we haven’t found a tool that can match the nuanced output of experienced marketers, we do find ourselves using it to supercharge idea generation and speed up mundane tasks.

If you’ve been meaning to incorporate AI into your routine but haven’t found the time to do so, we encourage you to take the plunge. The new year is the perfect time to play around with AI tools and see what works best for you. We promise, you’ll be glad you did.

Here, we share some of the tasks we use AI for — so we can spend more time on the stuff that demands a human touch.

Have you ever sat down to write an email and felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the message you need to convey? Say it’s 4:00 on a Thursday afternoon and you need to update a diverse group of stakeholders on the status of a project that affects each of them in different ways. Rather than writing five different introductions before you find the tone and structure that feels right, you can simply prompt a generative pre-trained transformer (GPT), such as ChatGPT or Gemini, to generate a first draft, then refine the text from there.

It’s important to note that the quality of the output you receive is only as good as the level of detail you provide. In this example, you would want to tell ChatGPT what you want to do (write an email), what you want it to say, how you want it to sound and who your audience is. If you have a sample of an email that mimics the style and tone you’re looking for, attach that, too, so the GPT can use it as a template. The more information you input, the better your output will be.

Whether you need a new company name or a theme for your next event, AI can help to get the ball rolling. At Design At Work, we rarely experience a “eureka” moment based on the original output, but we have found that AI tools sometimes spark ideas we might not have had otherwise. Think of AI as a team member you’re inviting into the brainstorm. Even if all its suggestions end up on the cutting room floor, it can still add valuable perspective and get other participants’ juices flowing.

Looking for ice breakers for an upcoming networking event? Perhaps you want to sponsor a panel discussion at an industry conference, but you’re not sure what topic to cover. With a detailed prompt, GPTs can help you consider your audience and offer suggestions that get you thinking. As with brainstorming, the ideas may not be usable as generated, but they can serve as helpful thought starters. As marketers, we sometimes use AI tools to help us develop prompts or ideas for blogs, eNewsletters and social media.

Depending on the word count, translation services can be costly. GPTs can quickly translate large amounts of text for free, or as part of a monthly subscription. As with any prompt, it’s important to provide all the relevant details, including (of course) the source language and the language you want it translated into. Stipulating the persona you want the tool to adopt and how you want it to handle idiomatic expressions will help to refine the quality of the results. For example, do you want the GPT to find an equivalent idiom in the new language, or find another way to express the idea without using an idiom? The more details you provide, the better.

Generative AI offers a wealth of ways to streamline the photo editing process. Have a product you want to showcase? With an AI photo editing tool such as Adobe Photoshop’s Generative Fill, you can situate images in any context — such as a kitchen, office or worksite — to show your products in their best light and connect with your target audience. If you have an image that’s been cropped in an unhelpful way, AI tools can also expand the image and fill it in with whatever you dictate.

While we always recommend using a professional, human photographer for headshots, if you’re in a pinch and just need something that looks polished, GPTs can help. Upload as many photos of the subject as possible, provide instructions about clothing, lighting and background, and you’ll be amazed at what AI can create.

We know — life is busy. It can be hard to set aside time to familiarize yourself with a new tool, but the long-term benefits are so worth the initial investment of personal resources. One way to start the process is by making a list of the mundane tasks you don’t enjoy. Start with your least favorite and experiment with different prompts in your preferred GPT. Before you know it, you’ll be saving time left and right.

Looking for a crew of efficient marketing professionals to help with your branding and marketing needs? Contact us to learn about partnering with Design At Work.