The bottom line: Artificial intelligence threatens tasks, not roles. At Allegory, we’re already using AI strategically to level the playing field with larger competitors whilst preserving the human expertise that our clients truly value.
I recently had a fascinating conversation with my colleague and friend Charlotte Nichols, owner of the agency, Harvey and Hugo, in my native North East, about how AI is reshaping the communications landscape. As someone who has spent the last two years experimenting with these tools – sometimes falling into terrible rabbit holes in the process – I wanted to share what I’ve learned about both the opportunities and pitfalls that forward-thinking businesses need to navigate.
The reality check – promise vs practice
We’re witnessing a fascinating disconnect in the market. My hunch is that many businesses are making decisions based on AI’s promise rather than its current reality, often without experimenting with the tools themselves. This creates both risk and opportunity for organisations willing to invest time in understanding what generative AI can actually deliver for their communications strategy.
I think we are at a really early stage when it comes to the adoption of generative AI. A lot of assumptions are being made off the back of some very clever marketing, where clients aren’t necessarily using these tools themselves or playing with them in the way that you really need to in order to get familiar and comfortable with them.
Where AI excels – delivering value for clients
The real value lies in AI’s ability to democratise capabilities that were once exclusive to larger agencies, allowing us to provide exceptional value to our clients. I’ve been experimenting with custom GPTs recently – essentially building our own ChatGPT – which has been genuinely transformative for the quality and efficiency of our client work.
We use them to analyse invitations to tender, understanding scoring criteria and what we need to do to pull together compelling proposals. In our recent experiments with the GPT that we’ve built, the proposal writing time has likely been reduced by about 50%. This efficiency enables us to invest more time in the strategic thinking and creative elements that truly add value for our clients.
Key applications delivering client value:
- Deep research functions for market analysis that would previously require expensive external research
- Competitor analysis provides insights that inform strategic positioning
- More thorough proposal development within budget constraints
- Enhanced workflow efficiency that translates to better value for money
This allows us to provide our clients, who often have more focused budgets, with the same calibre of strategic insight and research depth that they might expect from much larger agencies, but delivered more efficiently and cost-effectively.
What AI cannot replace – the human element
Whilst AI handles administrative tasks brilliantly, it fails spectacularly in areas requiring human judgement. I can’t see a world where generative AI could ever handle crisis communications effectively.
Whether the crisis emerges online or in real life, that human judgment and ability to just know what a good response looks like – and even before that, what preparedness looks like – doesn’t come without experience. We’ve seen significant growth recently in demand for crisis communications and reputation management services. I suspect this could be, at least in part, because in-house teams are being reduced in size, sometimes losing more experienced people in the process.
The content quality crisis
The widespread adoption of AI for content creation has led to what I call formulaic, obvious AI-generated content that’s reducing the quality of social media experience. It’s so obvious when people have done this, and frankly, it’s harming engagement with social media platforms.
This trend creates a significant opportunity for agencies that prioritise authentic, data-driven thought leadership. I’ve read that LLM algorithms favour quality editorial content over marketing material when answering queries. This means investing in proper research and authentic perspectives isn’t just good practice – it’s potentially algorithmically advantageous.
Strategic recommendations from our experience
Embrace authentic thought leadership: We’re persuading our clients to invest in well-reasoned opinions that are genuinely their own and that they’re prepared to stand behind. Most organisations produce vast amounts of data or have customer bases they can interact with – you can glean valuable insights from analysing your own data.
Invest in crisis preparedness: As teams become more junior and experience levels drop, external expertise becomes increasingly valuable.
Balance efficiency with expertise: We utilise AI for research and administrative tasks, while maintaining human oversight for strategic decisions. You have to know what really good looks like to check everything properly.
Develop AI literacy carefully: I’ve learned everything through trial and error – it’s the only way. The most important thing to remember is that generative AI is essentially a very clever probability engine. It’s not human, and treating it like a calculator rather than a colleague will give you better results. But when you think you’re ‘an expert’, you’re probably in the danger zone and could trip up – the technology is constantly evolving, so learning is a weekly, if not daily, task.
The skills evolution
The role of communications professionals is expanding rather than contracting. I think this is partly due to client expectations; they want comprehensive support that spans strategic thinking, social media, digital marketing, content creation, and now AI tool management. For agencies working with public sector organisations, non-profits, and SMEs, this multidisciplinary approach is essential because these clients need maximum value from their investment and want to work with teams that can deliver the full package.
Looking ahead – the strategic imperative
The most successful agencies will be those that use AI to enhance human expertise rather than replace it. At Allegory, we’ve developed clear policies about AI use – it’s becoming common for tendering processes to ask how agencies use these tools.
People still want quality, integrity, and truth in their communications. As the market becomes increasingly saturated with AI-generated content, the premium for genuine expertise and strategic guidance will continue to rise.
Contact us to discover how thoughtful AI integration can enhance your communications strategy.
