The advancement of AI is both scary and exciting, but it offers digital marketers new ways to better support their clients.

The article you’re reading right now was written by a human. That might have seemed like an unnecessary thing to mention in the past, but with the new advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, reading an article that wasn’t written by human hands is a real possibility

For digital marketers, this advancement is both exciting and a little scary. AI brings a ton of new potential for marketers, but there is also the fear of human jobs being replaced by AI tools.

Fear not, marketers! AI isn’t going to make your field obsolete. However, it is a good idea to learn about the new technology and how it can impact your role and your business.

Let’s dive into the impact AI is expected to have on digital marketing!

What Marketing Tasks Can AI Do?

AI uses machine learning to comb through massive amounts of data, and uses that information to complete tasks. Depending on the program, those tasks can vary to many different areas of marketing.

ChatGPT is an AI program that lets users type prompts to generate copy, from simple things like headlines to more complex items like term papers. It can even answer questions in a real-time chat.

DALL-E is another AI program that got a lot of buzz for a similar feature with images. Simply enter a description of what you want, and you will receive AI created images to match the request. So, even a hyper-specific prompt like “a Renaissance style painting of an anime character eating a hot dog” will generate a myriad of oddly specific responses.

Since AI can perform tasks that are based on a lot of core skills that digital marketers use, like writing, research and visual creation, it can definitely be used to achieve a lot of marketing tasks.

However, even the most advanced AI still is most effective when there is a human involved in the process. It needs the right data, the right prompts and the right editing to work. In short, marketers are still needed, but they will have to start learning new skills to adapt to potential changes in their roles.

How Can Digital Marketers Make the Most of AI?

One thing for marketers to keep in mind is that though these new advancements in AI are impressive, they are still far from perfect. Mistakes have already been publicly made by brands that immediately jumped on the AI bandwagon. Even Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak told CNBC that the technology “can make horrible mistakes.”

So digital marketers should start by using AI as a brainstorming tool for complex topics or as a way to knock out low-risk tasks like YouTube descriptions or subject lines. This frees up the humans to work on the more in-depth projects and take what they learn from their AI brainstorming to a more personal level.

AI might be able to help with ad optimization or even keyword research. Marketers are used to a playing field that frequently shifts with new technologies, so this may be the start of another era. Embrace it and make it work for you!