The Age of AI: Will It Take Our Jobs?

By Joel Nekooie

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, altering the way we connect, share information, and conduct business. With the exponential growth of the industry, the sheer volume of data and the complexity of managing online communities can pose significant challenges for social media professionals. 

However, the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has proven to be a game-changer, empowering specialists and making their jobs easier. In this feature, we explore how AI has streamlined various aspects of the social media domain, and how it measures up with the human influence. It’s time to battle it out! 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

So, what exactly is AI capable of? Let’s dive in. 

Content Creation and Curation 

AI-powered tools have dramatically improved the efficiency of content creation and curation for social media professionals. Content creation algorithms can generate personalised content suggestions, streamline content creation workflows, and even automate the creation of visually appealing graphics and videos. By factoring in AI, social media managers can save time and resources to focus on strategy and engagement. 

Enhanced Audience Analysis and Targeting 

Understanding the target audience is crucial for effective social media marketing. AI algorithms can analyse vast amounts of data to provide valuable insights into audience demographics, interests, and behaviours. By leveraging this information, we can optimise content, create highly targeted campaigns, and improve user engagement. AI-powered tools can also track sentiment analysis, enabling brands to monitor real-time feedback and quickly respond to customer needs. 

Intelligent Chatbots and Customer Support 

Community management can be quite the headache for humans when big projects and deadlines pile up by the minute. AI-powered chatbots however, have transformed customer support on social media platforms, particularly when flooded with messages that may be too much for a human to handle at once. These virtual assistants can provide instant responses, answer frequently asked questions, and handle routine enquiries. With natural language processing capabilities, chatbots can simulate human-like conversations, offering personalised and timely assistance to users. By automating customer support, the social media team can ensure round-the-clock availability, enhance user experience, and allocate resources more effectively. 

Sentiment Analysis and Reputation Management 

Maintaining a positive brand image on social media requires vigilant monitoring and timely response to customer feedback. AI-driven sentiment analysis tools can sift through vast volumes of user-generated content, detecting positive, negative, or neutral sentiments towards a brand or its products. This allows social media professionals to identify potential issues or crises quickly and take proactive measures to manage reputation, address concerns, and engage with users in real-time. 

Advanced Analytics and Performance Tracking 

AI-powered analytics platforms provide social media professionals with deep insights into the performance of their campaigns and content. These tools can analyse engagement metrics, audience reach, conversions, and other key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness of social media strategies. With AI assistance, professionals can identify trends, predict user behaviour, and make data-driven decisions to optimise their social media efforts. 

Streamlined Advertising and Influencer Marketing 

AI algorithms have significantly improved the efficiency of social media advertising and influencer marketing campaigns. Through sophisticated targeting techniques, AI-powered platforms can match brands with the most relevant influencers, optimising collaboration and amplifying brand messages. AI also enables dynamic ad optimisation, automatically adjusting targeting, bidding, and creative elements to maximise campaign performance. By leveraging AI in advertising and influencer marketing, social media professionals can enhance their ROI and drive more effective results. 

Point for AI! 

Human Intelligence 

Now let’s weigh up — what can we humans do better? 

Whilst AI has made significant advancements in various aspects of social media management, there are still certain areas where human intervention and expertise outperform AI. 

Creativity and Originality 

AI algorithms excel at generating content based on patterns and data analysis. However, when it comes to truly creative and original content, humans still have the upper hand. Humans can think outside the box, come up with unique ideas, and inject emotions, humour, and personal experiences into their content, which can resonate more deeply with social media users. These are also important elements for developing more concrete social media strategies that will truly maximise content performance. 

Contextual Understanding and Nuance 

Social media communication often involves complex nuances, sarcasm, and cultural references. Whilst AI can understand and process language, it may struggle to interpret the subtle contextual cues and sarcasm accurately. Humans, on the other hand, possess the ability to understand the underlying meaning and engage in nuanced conversations, adapting to the specific needs of different social media communities. After all, we humans invented online memes and trends that dominate the internet today, so who would understand better than the creators?  

Crisis Management and Reputation Repair 

During times of crisis or reputation damage, human intervention is invaluable. Social media crises require empathy, quick decision-making, and the ability to understand the emotional state of users. Humans can provide a compassionate response, engage in meaningful conversations, and implement tailored strategies to rebuild trust and repair brand reputation. This is particularly important in the incredibly challenging sports industry, which Uni4m is heavily involved in. Such scrutiny in high-pressure situations can only be achieved with an equipped team of knowledgeable content specialists with basic human instinct and brain wiring.  

Building Authentic Relationships 

Authenticity and building genuine relationships are crucial in social media. Whilst AI-powered chatbots can provide quick responses, they often lack the human touch. Humans possess emotional intelligence, empathy, and the ability to connect on a deeper level. Social media professionals can engage with users in a more personalised manner, address their concerns, and build authentic relationships based on trust and empathy. 

Strategic Planning and Adaptability 

AI can provide valuable insights and data-driven recommendations, but it is humans who have the ability to develop comprehensive social media strategies and adapt them to changing circumstances. Humans can analyse the broader business goals, consider external factors, and make strategic decisions that align with the brand's vision and objectives. 

Ethical Considerations and Judgement 

Social media professionals must navigate ethical challenges such as privacy concerns, online harassment, and controversial content. Humans possess moral judgment and ethical decision-making abilities that are necessary to address these complex issues. They can apply ethical frameworks, exercise discretion, and make informed choices that align with societal values and the best interests of the brand and its users. 

Point for the humans! But wait... 

Let’s take a closer look into the human mind. What is ‘human intelligence’ exactly? Whilst AI works as a computer system and mimics our cognitive processes in problem-solving, the human response is rooted in mental traits developed over time — creativity, critical thinking, perception, and memory. Where does the ‘intelligence’ in AI come from? AI abilities are the result of human instruction. Therefore, social interactions, awareness, and multitasking are areas that are out of bounds for AI. Untouchable human intellect? Point advantage! 

Final Score: AI 1 – Human 2 

AI is indeed a revolutionary development in the world of media, but complex cognitive and social tasks are practically out of reach. Socially and psychologically superior, the human interaction is imperative in social media, particularly in situations that require immediate reaction. 

The integration of AI into social media has, of course, transformed the way professionals navigate the challenges of this fast-paced industry. By streamlining a number of key areas, AI has empowered social media experts to work more efficiently and effectively. Whilst it may not replace the human touch, AI undoubtedly augments our capabilities, enabling us to adapt and thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of social media. 

All in all, the combination of AI's analytical power with human creativity, emotional intelligence, contextual understanding, strategic thinking, and ethical considerations can create a powerful synergy, allowing social media agencies to deliver the best possible outcomes for brands and users alike. 

Using solely AI tools to promote your business on social media can cut costs in the short-term, but investing in a social media agency unquestionably gives you the whole package. Teams like ours have a passion for social media that runs deep, and nothing can amount to the creative work we do or the physical aspects of the job! That’s not to say we should embargo AI tools; AI is a revolutionary tool that should (and in our case, will) be taken advantage of for the most effective and timesaving digital approach, without erasing the critical human aspect. 

And here’s the perfect twist: AI helped us write this article! 

Want to optimise your social media strategy? Get in touch with us at info@uni4mbrand.com