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3 Minute Read
If you've noticed the tsunami of software updates recently, new tech products, and the disorienting pace that AI seems to be progressing, there's an overlooked reason why—AI is now writing code. It's building software of all types, and most strangely—AI is building itself.
This eerie development has enormous implications for public affairs and campaigns professionals. In today's short read, we show you what it means for you, and how to stay ahead of the curve.
Six months ago, a software developer might spend weeks building a new feature. Now, AI can write that same code in hours, test it, and even improve it automatically. The result? Software that used to take months to build now takes days.
This isn't just happening at the tech giants like Google and OpenAI. Small companies with three-person teams are now building tools based on AI that compete with products from massive tech firms. The barrier to entry has collapsed. And the explosion of new products has detonated.
This has already upended public affairs and campaigns in numerous ways. Here are just a few examples:
🔱 Expensive, legacy influencer targeting products are obsolete. With natural language processing (a branch of AI) and other AI-driven tools, we can now find influencers instantly, at exponentially lower costs.
🔱 Targeting is more precise than ever. With the help of AI, we can reach people home-by-home, and even person-by-person.
🔱 Ad production prices have plummeted, while quality has increased. This allows for micro-targeting messages, without eating up your budget.
The new reality of AI building AI has countless specific implications for public affairs and campaign professionals. But at a high level it comes down to one overarching point:
Plan for obsolescence in your advocacy tools, and embrace change.
Fighting change will only let your competitors race ahead. If you haven't made changes to your advocacy tools recently, you are being left behind.
Here are a few suggestions on how to keep up in the AI age:
🔱 Don't sign long-term contracts with your technology vendors. If you do, you won't be able to adapt to new products that can give you an edge over the competition.
🔱 Have regular team meetings to discuss new tools, topics, and technology changes impacting your work. Here at Neptune Ops, we have a standing team agenda item called "Something I learned This Week." This simple act of talking out what we're all seeing helps us sort through the clutter, and create a culture of learning.
Consider hosting guest speakers at your team meetings to discuss AI and other technology developments. The authors of this newsletter regularly get requests to speak at such meetings. Simply respond to this email if you'd like one of us to join!
🔱 Read and listen. The AI age demands more professional development time than ever. Embrace this fact and reward it on your teams. There are numerous helpful podcasts, newsletters, and books to help keep up with the latest developments. Here's a few of our favorites:
The great Ben Thompson keeps you up to date on the latest in technology news from a business perspective.
From our friends at Hubspot (the platform that hosts this newsletter), a practical breakdown of how to deploy the latest AI tools.
Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
From the renowned author of Sapiens, a big picture pull up on where we are in AI, seen through the long lens of history.
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