It’s a difficult question to answer when the ‘todays’ seem to be getting shorter. After all, it’s been less than 18 months since OpenAI’s ChatGPT was released and turned the content creation world on its head almost overnight. Since then, we’ve seen it and other generative AI tools introduce new communication methods for us to learn at pace so we can maximise their potential and take advantage of the opportunities – as well as avoid the pitfalls – presented by these new technologies.
As AI and its applications continue to evolve at pace, the nonverbal and verbal communication skills creative teams require will have to adapt to these advancements quickly, to continue to meet their clients’ needs while also retaining editorial control and their unique creative signatures. As the dust from the AI whirlwind begins to settle, we look at what it means to have strong communication skills in today’s rapidly changing digital landscape.
By necessity, an effective communication team already looks almost unrecognisable to how it did just a few years ago (if you need any convincing, just read our blog written by our resident Gen Z), and its skill set will continue to evolve along with the latest technological trends and market disruptions. Video is everywhere now, the social media landscape is constantly shifting and thought leadership is on the rise. Effective communicators must be able to react to the changing needs of their clients, driven in turn by their audience’s values and how and where they interact with content.
The speed of AI development has intensified this shift, and it is likely to do so for a long time to come based on the current trajectory. The global AI market is expected to have a compound growth rate of 36.2% from 2022 to 2027 – increasing to $407 billion – according to data from Hootsuite. Good communicators will approach AI with a cautious optimism, recognising its potential while bearing in mind its challenges when using it to inform editorial or creative decisions.
ChatGPT started the conversation on what the future of written content will look like but it’s not only writers and editors whose work is being mirrored, if only in part so far, by AI. OpenAI is among those who have taken their first steps into generative video with Sora, its engine that turns text prompts into moving images. The results so far are impressive, with pirate ships being buffeted convincingly on the surface of a stormy cup of coffee and an astronaut who is well on this side of the uncanny valley being shown off by its creators.
“The model has a deep understanding of language, enabling it to accurately interpret prompts and generate compelling characters that express vibrant emotions. Sora can also create multiple shots within a single generated video that accurately persist characters and visual style”, a description on the OpenAI website explains. At first glance, this shift could raise concerns about the future of creativity and the important personal touch a skilled editor brings to the production process. However, as AI continues to advance, video editors will need to adapt by focusing on soft skills that are harder to replicate, such as creative storytelling, problem-solving and understanding the emotional impact of AI-generated visuals on the audience.
