Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Social Media

Picture of Aliza ShermanAliza Sherman is a web pioneer, author, and international speaker. Sherman is the author of 8 books about the Internet including The Everything Blogging Book, Streetwise Ecommerce, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Crowdsourcing and Social Media Engagement for Dummies.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Social Media

With the advancements in artificial intelligence-powered software, many questions arise around how to use AI-based apps, programs, and platforms properly and what risks might be associated with doing so.

Here&rsquos a breakdown of ways AI is being used in social media marketing including:

  • Text content development
  • Visual content creation
  • Rapid data gathering (from the Internet)
  • Idea generation

Some things to look out for when using AI apps to generate any kind of content include:

  1. Accuracy/Quality - These apps are not infallible and could include inaccurate content. Visuals created by AI could appear distorted.
  2. Appropriateness - Make sure the content is clearly suitable for your audience.
  3. Cadence - Content generated by AI can either sound human or sound stilted and missing some human conversational nuances.
  4. Punctuation/Grammar - Double check that the text content is correct, particularly if you use a specific style guide.
  5. Copyright -AI generated content could incorporate copyrighted material which could cause a problem for you and your company if you publish it.

AI and Content Development

ChatGPT is the most well-known of the artificial intelligence-driven chatbots. These are software programs that use natural language processing and that can "learn" over time. This type of software attempts to create more human-like conversational dialogue, responding to questions and creating text content. ChatGPT, for example, can rapidly sift through existing content found on the Internet and incorporate it composing articles, blog posts, social media posts, emails, memos, and more.

ChatGPT and similar apps can access and synthesize a vast amount of content from across the Internet and compose content based on a few text commands or parameters.

A few ways you can use ChatGPT or other content generation AI apps like Gemini (formerly Bard), and ChatSonic for social media marketing include rapidly:

  1. Conducting research online
  2. Composing content for social media posts and email newsletters
  3. Composing responses to direct messages or comments

Here&rsquos an example of what ChatGPT can compose in seconds.

PROMPT: Write a one-sentence description of ChatGPT

RESPONSE: ChatGPT is an AI-powered conversational agent capable of engaging in natural language conversations, answering questions, and providing assistance across various domains.

Here&rsquos an example of how ChatGPT can supplement brainstorming.

PROMPT: Give 5 ideas for blog posts for millennials

RESPONSE:

  • "Navigating the Gig Economy: Tips for Millennials on Freelancing Success"
  • "Mindful Money Management: Budgeting Strategies for Millennials in Their 20s"
  • "Finding Purpose in Your Career: A Guide for Millennials Seeking Meaningful Work"
  • "Breaking the Social Media Addiction: How Millennials Can Cultivate a Healthy Online Presence"
  • "Traveling on a Budget: Millennial-Friendly Destinations and Tips for Affordable Adventures"

AI and Visual Content Creation

Like text content generators, visual content generators process requests through text prompts. Composing clear, descriptive, properly formatted prompts can help generate better results.

AI apps can help generate "original" images - graphics, illustrations, animation, videos, and even photographs - for blog posts or social media posts. Be careful that the final product does not include copyrighted material. Because these apps cull through content accessible on the Internet, chances are they will contain bits and pieces from other people&rsquos work.

Some of the art or visual creation AI apps include DALL-E, Shutterstock AI Image Generator, and Canva&rsquos AI feature. While some AI image generators can also produce animations or videos, there are also free-standing video generators like Leonardo.ai, Synthesia, and Sora.

The main thing to remember when using AI-powered apps is that the technology is not perfect. Think of the generated content as inspiration or starting points to creating content.

Carefully review what is generated, make any necessary corrections, add additional information as needed, and avoid copyright infringement. While the technology will improve over time, there will still be a need for human intervention when it comes to social media marketing. After all, social media is about humans engaging with humans, not "machines."