The rise of generative AI has spurred main discussions and reconsiderations about its capabilities and position in comms workflows. It may help comms execs draft copy, tackle rote entry duties, ideate on content material, and rather more.
In our newest version of our new “How AI Helped Me” collection, we spoke with Megan DiSciullo, senior managing director of US and Mexico communications at PWC about how she got here to make use of AI, its impacts on her work, and extra.
Sean Devlin: Might you inform us slightly about the way you first began interacting with AI in your position at PwC, and the way it’s developed?
Megan DiSciullo: I had publicity to AI right here and there, however my journey with AI took off when PwC US made its $1 billion funding in AI final April. My group and I initially explored GenAI for routine duties like drafting and proofreading, shortly realizing the potential AI instruments needed to revolutionize our communications technique and day-to-day operations.
Over time, GenAI has enabled us to ship customized and impactful communications at scale, from planning and content material era to rigorous self-review. It’s serving to us join with our audiences in additional significant methods.
Whenever you first began utilizing AI, how did you educate your self on tips on how to use it?
MDS: I feel one of the simplest ways to study AI is through the use of it, so I began by experimenting with our completely different AI instruments and testing completely different prompts with my actual work, to see how AI might match into my present workflows.
Past hands-on studying, I’m continually studying from different leaders, specialists within the business, and members of my group about what works nicely, what doesn’t, and new use instances they’ve uncovered.
One key side of our strategy to AI at PwC has been upskilling our whole group, ensuring that everybody understands not simply tips on how to use AI, however how to take action responsibly. This ongoing studying journey has been important in serving to all of us improve the advantages of AI, whereas additionally lowering potential dangers.
How precisely does AI issue into your position at PwC?
MDS: AI performs a central position in my work at PwC, particularly as we proceed to innovate our communications methods.
We’ve co-developed a collection of GenAI functions in-house which can be tailor-made to the particular wants of our communicators and have built-in them seamlessly inside our present tech stack. These instruments allow us to handle the whole communications lifecycle; from technique formulation with our GenAI undertaking planner to content material creation to a reviewer software.
By integrating AI into the completely different steps of the method, we are able to produce customized, high quality communications extra effectively, permitting us to focus extra time on strategic wants.
Have you ever seen any modifications to your workflow or buyer/stakeholder satisfaction because you’ve begun utilizing AI and automation?
MDS: Undoubtedly! I’ve seen enhancements in effectivity, creativity, and high quality. It’s additionally helped to streamline a lot of our processes, like decreasing the time wanted to create, assessment, and scale content material.
For instance, our content material generator software creates preliminary drafts, giving us a spot to work from, which permits us to provide content material quicker and with better consistency.
What’s one thing about AI that you simply suppose communicators have to be speaking about however aren’t discussing sufficient?
MDS: As communicators, we frequently work with delicate and personal info. It’s subsequently important that we use safe AI instruments as a substitute of open-source instruments to guard firm information and shopper confidentiality. At PwC, we’ve created many safe AI instruments that enable us to provide communications for our stakeholders, whereas additionally safeguarding confidential information and knowledge.
If you’re on a communications group that isn’t leveraging safe AI instruments but, I encourage you to advocate for them to mitigate reputational and enterprise danger. All of that is tied to accountable AI use too, which is so vital!
Do you may have a giant prediction for AI utilization within the subsequent few years?
MDS: I imagine that AI will probably develop into an much more integral a part of the communications operate, with the potential to evolve from a assist software to a co-creator. As AI continues to advance, I might see it taking up a extra proactive position in technique improvement, suggesting communication approaches based mostly on predictive analytics and real-time information.
I additionally suppose the demand for transparency in AI will proceed to develop, resulting in the event of techniques that not solely execute duties but in addition present insights into their decision-making processes.
This shift will assist empower communicators to leverage AI extra successfully whereas sustaining the belief and integrity which can be foundational to our career.
To study extra in regards to the sensible makes use of of AI in comms, register for our AI for Communicators Digital Convention, which takes place on September 19.