Choose A Human Writer, Not AI

AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is being touted by some as the answer to all our problems. 

But like past years' fads, like expensive NFT cartoons and graphics, AI has problems of its own, and rushing to ditch humans in favor of machines in all fields make no sense.  

A New York lawyer last week was duped by ChatGPT and is now facing legal sanctions,  after he used  the AI model for research, insisting he didn’t realize it could lie. 

"New York aviation lawyer Steven Schwartz may face professional sanctions after a legal brief he submitted was discovered to be full of “bogus judicial decisions” and fake quotes authored by AI language model ChatGPT, according to court records published last week." Reports the BBC.

"Schwartz told the court in an affidavit on Thursday that he was using ChatGPT for legal research for the first time when he put it to work drafting the ten-page brief he hoped would convince Manhattan Federal Judge P. Kevin Castel not to dismiss a case he was advocating. He explained that he 'therefore was unaware of the possibility that its content could be false.'

It turned out that every case cited in the AI program-generated brief was fake, entirely made up by the program. 

AI-written pieces have come under scrutiny lately. But most articles about it have been glowing and optimistic about how AI and various Chat bots can help humanity. 

There are a few obvious ways In which it seems AI could be very useful. In space exploration,  over 5500 new exoplanets have been discovered in the past decades by large telescopes that have been put into orbit around the earth. Sifting Through all the data that they have collected may take decades, but using AI has greatly sped out the process. 

AI-run rockets making journeys of thousands of years may make more sense than humans, when it's time to visit another solar system.

When such superhuman tasks aren't required, however, we should keep humans employed. While more training in some fields,  like law, may be required, this attorney's experience is a lesson on overreliance on AI.

Putting millions of future attorneys and paralegals  out of work is not good for society or that profession. One can see an early backlash to relying on machines in the growing unease with "self check outs" at Walmarts and other retailers. Doctors that rely on AI and not  human experience can be envisioned making horrific mistakes in the future.

Doing away with article writers seems like a logical step to some,  but a recent Wall Street Journal article noted that while some AI articles presented to a publisher of a retirement magazine contain no grammatical mistakes, most devolved into gibberish and "nonsense," and were sifted out by the publisher. 

One suspects that news editors are doing the same thing. Professors also warn of this threat, but have sifted out plagiarism for decades.

By Stephen Abbott of Abbott Media Group

[AI was NOT used to write this article.]

When Parties Screw Up.. the Latest Example

Political parties,  just like candidates, need to always take care to use public events to build their images, and avoid negative stereotypes about them that could be used by opponents.  For Democrats,  the attack by the GOP that they, deep down, really HATE America, is one they need to be fighting, not reinforcing.  

But in Arizona,  the Pema County Dems this week advertised a July 4 rally in a city park  to protest the overturning of Unlimited Baby Abotions and Legalized Race discrimination in higher education by the US Supreme Court. But the wording of the flyer and name of the event,  "F**k the Fouth" said too much about their real feelings of America. 

The AZ Republican Party and even the AZ Democrats condemned the event poster, tho Dems said the event's orananizers' "anger" about the decisions was justified.

The unaltered tweet, shown below,  was deleted after it hit the media

Similarly, last year, Democrats trashed America in an Orlando, Florida city newsletter meant to discuss Fourth of July events.

New Roles For the Old News Release

 

Long gone are the days of your PR firm or your own organization simply sending out a press release to the local TV and print media, sitting back, and thinking that the job of promoting product, service, or individual has been completed.

That's because the news media are no longer the sole audience of the news release; and understanding this new truth is vital to keeping this communications tool fresh.

Stephen Abbott of Abbott Media Group is skilled in using tried and true tools and techniques such as the news release, but putting them to work in new ways.

AMG understands that news releases today can play several functions in the promotions process,. Releases sent to the media aren't necessarily to ensure immediate coverage. In fact, it's unrealistic to assume that everything sent will be published.

In Abbott's political campaigns, frequent releases have served the purpose of showing that a campaign is active, has hired staff, is raising money, is engaging with voters, and is seriously contesting the race. 

From these roles, it becomes clear that releases from political campaigns have several audiences. 

It's not just local news media, which may or may not be covering local politics, but also political leaders, local business leaders, elected officials, and of course, voters, especially those who are engaged in the process early on. 

Sometimes several releases, specifically targeted to these Publics, make more sense than a single, standard release.

Releases written for business can play a similar role by simply reminding local news media and others that the business is active in the community and open for business.

Releases sent to internal Publics - sush as repeat, regular clients - also have a reassuring effect, and can communicate best practices within a business organization, as well as communicating new policies and procedures to everyone, not just to a select few.

Effective internal Communications  like this can also build a sense of rapport and togetherness within organizations,  reduce gossip and misunderstandings, as well as lower employee turnover.

They can also be employed to convey the new or long-held mission and vision of a group or company. 

These reminders, written in news-worthy, fresh ways, help solidify the reputation of the group or company within a community, and help clarify the purposes towards which they're striving. They can also clear up misconceptions that could damage reputations or cloud the purpose of a company in the public's perception in the long term.

News releases, of course, continue to fill the traditional role of introducing new products and services to current and future clients and customers. 

They still must primarily be sharing something NEW, and be News Worthy in order to be considered for print and digital distribution. 

But they also can demonstrate to clients that a business has the expertise in the field in which they operate, and that they are capable of bringing the latest technology and techniques to bear on their behalf.

Frequent news releases posted on a company or campaign website are an easy way to provide fresh content for visitors. Web content that is frequently changing and updated ranks higher in searches, and encourages future traffic to the site.

Finally, news releases can play a vital role in conveying to relevant Publics within the community that a business is engaging actively with it, playing a positive role by giving back through charitable giving and social involvement. 

This has the effect of building positive feelings towards the business, enhancing its reputation and making future business transactions with them more likely.

AMG and Stephen Abbott understand how to fully employ all the aspects of news releases, and use them to the fullest effect on behalf of clients. 

Contact AMG today for more information. 772-261-1173.

Objections to PR Spending Answered [Abbott Media Group]

 

"I can't afford public relations to build my company's reputation." Really? If you aren't building a reputation, customers won't view your company as reputable, and will visit your competitors. You are either losing or gaining a good reputation every single day. Guess what's happening to your business if you are ignoring it?

"Money is tight. There's a recession coming." Money will get even tighter if your customers stop using your products or services because they don't know how they will benefit from using them or they don't grow to like your company.

"PR isn't effective." it may seem that way in the very beginning, but even short-term PR campaigns can reap great benefits by changing perceptions of your company or the services that it offers. 

"the PR people on the internet promised to get my name in the paper a few times for a flat fee."  Public relations, when done right, isn't just an ad or mention placement service. Anyone with media contacts can get you into Dog Journal or a community shopper or other irrelevant media that won't drive sales, and PR is meant to be a long-term relationship in which the professional gets to know your business and its needs.

"We tried public relations once, but they charged too much and it wasn't effective." The fact that you overpaid, probably for people who were new to the profession, doesn't mean you should judge an entire field on one bad experience. Generally, you get what you pay for. But there are some people who price gouge in every field, whether it's your mechanic, a hospital, or a fancy restaurant. You wouldn't hopefully judge all mechanics, hospitals and restaurants based on those bad experiences. And it's hard to believe anyone would say,  "I tried a mechanic once, but they charged too much. I'm never going back to one."