• The use cases for artificial intelligence in communications are increasing, generating new opportunities for those working in the field.

• As AI technology has developed, human-machine interaction has become a reality.

• Humans and machines are increasingly seen as complementary, augmenting each other’s weaknesses and increasing overall efficiency.  

Whether you know it or not, the chances are you’ve already communicated with a robot. Perhaps in the form of a chatbot on a website, or a virtual assistant in your home or car. When it comes to communications, the use cases for artificial intelligence (AI) are increasing by the day, making it increasingly important for professionals in the field to understand its implications.  

Enter the role of human-machine interaction (HMI). While it is true that machines have many unique strengths and comparative advantages, they also possess limitations that make collaboration through HMI desirable. Humans can deliver in areas where a machine is weak – such as leadership and creativity – while machines are scalable and can handle tasks at high speeds.

One company harnessing the latter is Ant Insurance, the insurance arm of Alibaba-backed Ant Financial. It has developed machine learning algorithms, natural language processing capabilities and computer vision to process insurance claims at a much faster rate than what was possible manually.

But this doesn’t mean the role of humans has been diminished. Rather, HMI is symbiotic, and raises productivity beyond what either humans or machines can achieve alone. According to an MIT report on BMW robots, factory workers that formed teams with robots were more efficient than just humans or robots alone, with the collaboration reducing human idle time by 85%.

A similar approach can be seen in the field of communications. For example, conversational marketing is revolutionising the way customers and prospects engage with a company. 

According to Drift, the company that pioneered this approach, conversational marketing “builds relationships and creates authentic experiences with customers and buyers… using targeted messaging and intelligent chatbots.” Wherever a customer or buyer interacts with a company – its website, mobile application, etc. – they can have an AI-powered conversation, a proven method for encouraging engagement. The human dimension of this process comes in the linguistic inputs from which the AI technology draws. Such inputs help to humanise the encounter between a customer or buyer and the AI chatbot they are interacting with.  

Another powerful example is Textio, an augmented writing platform that helps optimise job postings to appeal to a diverse range of applicants. It works by taking the text of a job post drafted by a human and identifying ways to improve it so that the language reads neutrally, to ensure the broadest possible range of people feel attracted to apply.

These examples are but a few of the ways that humans are leveraging machines to evolve the field of communications. If you are a communications professional, it is well worth reviewing your organisation’s website and other touchpoints with the market to see whether there are opportunities for AI to increase the efficacy of your own efforts.