1. AI in Communication – A New Era?

The challenge:Emails, SMS, social media and other online services have become indispensable nowadays. We are all bombarded with messages, information, advertising. We are no longer masters of our perception and suffer from distractions – more and more even while we sleep. So we slide into an agitation society, where we get more and more upset about what we perceive. The agitation is fed by filter and echo bubbles that we build around ourselves to cope with the chaos. The problem is that these only provide one-sided information, which makes interpersonal communication difficult in the analog age and almost impossible in the digital age.

The goal:In order to master this powerlessness in the digital age and also to communicate successfully(more successfully), we must become more digitally fit. This digital fitness will become so important in the future because we are increasingly outsourcing communication to applications that work with artificial intelligence.

Status quo:AI has already consistently made its way into communication – and in many different ways. Privately, we know you from the voice assistants on smartphones (e.g. SIRI) or in the home (e.g. Alexa).

AI is generally understood as the ability of machines to mimic or imitate human behavior. In the area of communication, cognitive AI is used above all, i.e., AI that is capable of imitating human behavior.

Opportunities for Business: In business communications, however, AI is really taking off.

Five examples for business communication with AI

1. One example of this isspeech analysis. By analyzing speech patterns, AI can detect whether a person is emotionally charged or not. This can be helpful in customer conversations, for example, to see whether the customer is satisfied or not. AI can also already be very helpful in translating speech. By analyzing speech patterns, it can detect and correct errors that a human would overlook.
2. In social networks, AI already plays a major role today. For example,chatbotsare increasingly being used to interact with users. Here, too, speech analytics can be used to detect users’ moods and offer them appropriate help.
3. In marketing communications, it can be used to improve a chatbot’s voice output or make it easier to search for specific information. AI is also being used more and more in social networks, for example to play out personalized advertising. In this context, AI can be used both for content creation and for the analysis and targeting of communication measures.
4. The creation ofpersonalized contentis a key benefit that AI offers. By analyzing user behavior, AI can create content that is tailored to the exact needs of the user. Among other things, it can display messages or advertisements that are precisely tailored to the recipient’s interest.
5. AI also facilitates thesegmentation of target groups and the targeting of communication measures. By analyzing data, companies can find out exactly which target group is interesting for which product or service. This enables companies to target their communication measures specifically at the relevant target groups and thus maximize their impact.

However, therisksassociated with the use of artificial intelligence in communication should not be ignored.

2. What are the risks of AI in communication?

One of the greatest dangers lies in thedistortion of communication. Distortions are usually caused by a lack of information between sender and receiver. No technology can help here if the artificial intelligence only has unilateral access to certain information.

Everyone knows an example from the analog world for the distortion of communication. When I’m talking to my friend, and he says something that hurts me, I may think he meant it. But in reality, maybe he didn’t mean it at all. Maybe he was just teasing me. Or maybe he wasn’t in a good mood himself at the time, and I misinterpreted his words.

Another example from the digital world of the distortion of communication is illustrated by the social networkFacebook. On Facebook, people can create their own profile with all kinds of information about themselves, such as their place of work, their favorite music, or their political views. Other Facebook users can see this information and draw conclusions about that person. However, people can also spread a lot of false information about themselves on Facebook, which can lead to a distortion of communication.

Digital communication is a processin which information is exchanged between many people. In a perfect world, these communication processes would run smoothly and without distortions. But unfortunately, the world is not perfect and communication suffers from distortion.

The most common type of distortion is called “semantic distortion.” This type of distortion occurs when the meaning of a message is misinterpreted. Another common problem is “Syntactic distortion”. This happens when a message is not understood correctly because it has not been formulated correctly.

3. This is how to develop your digital communication with AI

As with any other type of communication, there are some essential rules to follow when communicating digitally. These include:

Be clear and precise

When communicating digitally, it’s especially important to be clear and precise. Since you can’t talk face-to-face, misunderstandings can easily arise. Therefore, make sure to formulate your message as clearly as possible.

Listen

Good communication is always a two-way process. Listening is at least as important as speaking. Make sure you understand what the other person is saying before you respond. This way, misunderstandings can be avoided.

Stay calm

It’s easy to blow up and lose your temper in an argument with someone. However, in a digital communication, it’s especially important to stay calm. Avoid sending nasty or abusive messages – this will only cause the conflict to escalate further.

Remain empathetic

Be sensitive to the needs of your counterpart. Find out what he or she wants to know and focus on that in your communication. Ask questions to get feedback and new impulses.

Train your digital fitness daily

Practice digital fitness regularly. Keep up to date with the latest developments in the digital world and test out new tools and apps. This will keep you fit for the challenges in digital communication.

Personal Growth: Stay open to the world

Stay open to criticism and suggestions. Take them seriously and rethink your own position. Be ready to change if it makes sense.

4. Conclusion: AI opportunities harbor risks

All in all:AI in communication is one of the most important developments. It enables machines to conduct human conversations. This can be very useful for companies, as it allows them to save on customer service employees, for example. AI in communication is also interesting for private individuals and offers a new way to play with exchanges.

Outlook: In the future, its importance will continue to grow and it will make many things possible that still seem unimaginable today. However, AI in communication is not yet perfect. Nevertheless, AI in communication is already an exciting technology with a lot of potential. In the future, it will certainly continue to improve and even more people will be able to use it.

The most important thing? – People:But technology is only one side of the coin. People, the users, must also develop if they want to make effective use of the opportunities privately or professionally. After all, technology is only a means to an end. It provides tools for practical applications and gives impetus to make current tasks more efficient and productive. But without the cognitive abilities of humans, any technology remains soulless and interchangeable.

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