Short cut, phata phat!

Which of the below statements would you want to be true?

  • One can lose weight without much of an effort
  • The only exercise required to lose weight entails you to sit on a chair and flex particular muscle(s)
  • Pop a pill and simply make the extra weight disappear

All, perhaps!

Mankind’s quest for easy solutions for weight loss has triggered the finding of an easy exercise that can be done sitting on a chair. All it takes now is to activate a muscle in our lower leg for burning fat while sitting on a chair!

Sounds like a dream come true! A relaxed way to lose weight without much effort!

We love short cuts. We adore quick solutions and quick fixes. Look at how ChatGPT is transforming the way we search for answers. We are now able to find answers to almost any solution, just a click away! Who cares if there is no source to authenticate the information? It is an amazing short cut to getting solutions, which in turn, can accelerate decision making.

ChatGPT and artificial intelligence (AI) are taking every industry by storm, and it is not hard to see why. Does this however mean that we no longer have to work hard? Is the era of human touch, human interaction, human brainstorming coming to an end? Will the world be dominated by AI bots that will slowly make robots of all of us?

Who shall rule the future?

There is a plethora of science fiction and fantasy movies that envisage the extinction of human race. Thank God, those are fiction and fantasies. Experts however predict that by 2030, using AI at a larger scale will add as much as $15.7 trillion to the global economy. While researchers predict that AI will overtake humans eventually one day, there are those who feel that human intelligence combined with AI will ultimately be the best combination. The jury is still not out.

Staying ahead of the game

As communicators, our role involves developing narratives and the right kind of messaging. As an experiment, if you were to turn to ChatGPT and ask for a press release, it is highly probable that it will churn one out that ticks most of the boxes for you! It could create customised stories for specific media channels. AI can also help you analyze your competitor’s media strategy! Scary, isn’t it?

But we need not be scared of AI and/or technology. The answers are in integrating AI and technology in our work and producing better outcomes and creating more impact.

Some examples:

  • Digital media is the most preferred platform today to share a corporate story/message. Communicators can effectively use AI to get a sense of new trends in this field, followed by exact insights. This can be used to adapt the story line accordingly.
  • With the support of AI, communicators can up the game when it comes to crisis/reputation management. Scenario planning can be rational, objective and far more detailed. Issues can be predicted, and consistent, and error-free messages developed that can aid in assuaging a crisis early. This kind of deep planning can be an asset for communicators and their involvement can become critical in the risk management team.
  • AI and other technology can also be effectively used to develop the best metrics to measure the outcome of messaging and overall communications, whether it is internal or external.

What needs to be done is to make people aware of the benefits and limitations of AI right from the beginning. We can no longer shut the door over this one. There are however no shortcuts for the right results. We will need to be friends with AI and co-create a new way of functioning.


The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Sarita Bahl
Sarita Bahl is an alumnus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and the Swedish Institute of Management Program. An experienced and versatile leader, she comes with nearly four decades of professional experience. She has over the years successfully overseen the communications and public affairs function and led the corporate social responsibility strategy for Bayer South Asia, Pfizer, and Monsanto, among others. Sarita has held multiple roles across diverse industries, the public sector, trade associations, MNCs, and the not-for-profit sector. Her areas of interest include advocacy, stakeholder engagement, sustainability, and communications.

As an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Senior Practitioner (Mentoring) from the European Council of Mentoring and Coaching (EMCC), Sarita specializes in career transition, inner engineering and life issues. Sarita enjoys writing and is passionate about animals, books, and movies.

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