, ,

For what aspects of content marketing can you apply AI?

Have you used AI in your marketing efforts in the past year? By 2024, we are going to see an acceleration in the capabilities of AI, with an ever-increasing impact on all facets of marketing, including content creation, distribution, promotion and strategy development.

As marketers, we will have access to advanced AI tools to create countless forms of content, distribute it in the most personal and relevant way possible, as well as be supported by AI assistants to do this as efficiently and effectively as possible.

I am convinced that by the end of next year our way of working will be radically different than it is today - and this applies to the entire marketing landscape.

Let's take a closer look at the specific marketing aspects where AI can play a role and explore the potential risks.

Content creation 

For many marketers, content creation is the first area they use AI for. They use AI to create content (more effectively) such as text, images, audio and video:

  • Text: Generate, summarize and translate as well as answer emails, and respond to social media posts.
  • Images: Creating and editing visual material.
  • Audio: Enhance and edit sound recordings.
  • Video: Edit and modify video content, such as removing or replacing specific parts.
  • Audio to text: Convert audio to text for transcriptions of podcasts, for example.
  • Text to visuals/videos: Create visual content or videos from written text.
  • Images to videos: Converting images into dynamic video content.
  • Text to AI-generated audio: Convert written text to AI-generated audio, even with your own personalized AI voice.

See below an example from my colleague Denis Doeland, this video was created with only written text as input.

However, with the rise of AI-generated content, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between "real" content, created by humans such as copywriters or designers, and content created with or by AI. This could strain trust in online content, with implications for Google search results, for example, where we are already seeing an increase in AI-generated articles and even images.

If, as expected, AI is also going to be widely used for responses under social media posts, reviews of products and answering emails, trust will decline in those as well. It is therefore crucial for marketers to be transparent about the use of AI and develop strategies for maintaining authenticity and trust in an era when AI content is becoming more common and accepted.

Content distribution

AI can also be used for content distribution to increase visibility and effectiveness on channels such as social media, websites and email marketing. The possibilities are diverse:

  • Content planning: AI can help create a sophisticated content calendar by analyzing data and trends to determine optimal publication times.
  • SEO Optimization: As search engines continue to change, AI can be used to optimize content for both current search engine algorithms and AI-driven tools in which you also want to become visible.
  • Email marketing: AI helps determine the best send times, optimizes subject lines and creates personalized content for different user segments.
  • Personalized content: On websites and in-apps, AI can be used to make personalized product or content recommendations tailored to the individual user's behavior and preferences.

The use of AI in content distribution enables marketers to not only distribute their content more effectively, but also gain deeper insights into the preferences and behavior of their audience, leading to a more aligned and successful marketing strategy.

Online advertising

The use of AI can make online campaigns more efficient and effective. It can analyze large amounts of data and learn from user interactions allowing it to be used for:

  • Targeting: AI helps identify the most appropriate audience for a campaign using advanced data analysis.
  • Ad creation and variation: Choosing the most effective ad executions and creating several variations to maximize response pricing.
  • Personalization: Customize ads to individual users for a more personalized approach.
  • Advertising Space Optimization: Efficient procurement of ad space by predicting the most effective placement and timing.
  • Testing and Optimization: Continually test and adjust campaigns for maximum impact and results.

By using AI, you can not only refine your social advertising strategy, but also make real-time adjustments based on detailed insights, leading to higher engagement and better ROI.

Customer Service

AI is also a powerful tool for improving customer service, making processes more efficient and effective. A common application is the chatbot through websites, chat rooms, instant messaging apps and social media.

Here are some concrete ways AI is improving customer service:

  • Providing information: Chatbots can assist customers in finding specific information on the Web site, such as details about products, services, employees or the company itself.
  • Problem solving: They are able to help customers solve simple problems with products or services, or provide usage instructions.
  • Feedback and experience: Chatbots can actively gather feedback from customers about their experiences with the company, providing valuable insights for continuous improvement.

So the use of AI in customer service goes beyond automation; it is about creating a more personalized, interactive and effective customer experience.

Content strategy

By 2024, AI will play a crucial role in developing content strategy. Through advanced data analysis and trend identification, AI enables marketers to gain deeper insights into what really moves their audiences. This goes far beyond traditional methods and includes:

  • Fan journey analysis: Understanding how the audience's fan journey unfolds and what moments are crucial.
  • Search Terms Research: Identify search terms relevant to the audience, which helps create SEO-optimized content.
  • Touchpoints optimization: Recognize key interaction points and optimize them for better customer experience.
  • Topic Selection: Determine topics that appeal to audiences based on their preferences and behaviors.
  • Story selection: Determine which stories best fit the fan journey.
  • Content concepts and formats: Analyze which content concepts and formats - such as video, blogs, infographics - are most effective.
  • Distribution Choice: Identify the most effective channels to reach audiences, from social media to email marketing to in-house GPTs.

Data and insight

AI can process large amounts of data to identify trends, consumer behavior and market developments. These analyses contribute to data-driven decision-making and help hone content marketing strategies. AI's capabilities include:

  • Predicting customer behavior: Using historical data to predict future customer behavior, which helps anticipate changing needs.
  • Effectiveness Measurement: Measuring the impact of content marketing, from user engagement to conversion.
  • Results improvement: AI algorithms continuously analyze the performance of different content forms and channels to increase effectiveness.
  • Strategic adjustments: Based on the insights gathered, AI can help refine the content marketing strategy to better suit the audience.

This overview is just a starting point; the possibilities of AI in marketing are almost endless. As is becoming clear, AI can play a revolutionary role in virtually every aspect of marketing.

Want to implement AI in your marketing efforts and across your organization?

Here are some essential steps to consider in 2024:

  1. Establish an AI steering committee: Create a team with representatives from each department. These "discoverers" will take the lead in developing and implementing AI strategies in your organization.
  2. Develop an AI policy: Establish both internal and external AI guidelines. Check out our template AI policy for inspiration.
  3. Invest in AI training: Make sure your team has the necessary knowledge and skills to work with AI.
  4. Map work processes: Identify where AI can have the greatest impact and how to deploy it effectively.
  5. Experiment with AI: Test different AI tools to see what works best for you. Consider an "AI Friday" to try out new applications.

Remember: with any major change, and especially something with an impact like AI, success depends on your team's willingness to adapt and take responsibility. It can be valuable to explore the different stages an organization goes through when adopting AI.

Check out "The 5 Phases of AI Implementation in Marketing" for more for more insight and practical tips.

With the right preparation and mindset, AI can be a gamechanger in your marketing strategy, making your business more efficient, effective and data-driven.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by
, ,

Google introduces an AI game-changer with Gemini

Last year, OpenAI, with their groundbreaking ChatGPT, shook up the world of AI. Meanwhile, Google, known as one of the pioneers in AI technology, remained somewhat out of the spotlight. But with the unveiling of game-changer Gemini, they seem poised to take a giant leap forward!

The game is on!

This week, Google introduced Gemini. Unlike current language models such as GPT-4, Gemini is a "multimodal AI model" capable of processing and understanding information from multiple sources in real time, including text, images, video, audio and code.

The introduction looks very impressive and promises applications we haven't seen before with ChatGPT or other AI tools. While the impression is given that this is a real-time demo of how Gemini works, soon after the introduction it turns out that this is not quite so. The video has been edited and there were no real spoken prompts. Google states that "all user prompts and outputs in the video are real but shortened to keep the video concise(read: among other things, the extra promps needed for this output were omitted). The video illustpricing what multimodal user experiences built with Gemini might look like. We created it to inspire developers".

Watch this 6-minute introductory video to get a first impression.

What can Gemini be used for? 

Its multimodality makes Gemini a powerful tool for a wide range of applications, including:

  • Natural language processing (NLP): Gemini can understand and process text, and can be used for tasks such as translations, summaries and answering questions. 
  • Computer vision (CV): Gemini can understand and process images and videos, and can be used for tasks such as object recognition, face recognition and pattern recognition.
  • Audio processing (AP): Gemini can understand and process audio, and can be used for tasks such as speech recognition, music analysis and sound synthesis.
  • Code understanding (CU): Gemini can understand and process code, and can be used for tasks such as code analysis, code generation and code assistance.

How does Gemini perform relative to other AI models such as GPT-4?  

According to Google, Gemini is based on one of the largest and most advanced AI models in the world and also significantly outperforms other AI models, including GPT-4.

For example, in a natural language processing (NLP) test, Gemini scored 20% better than GPT-4, and in a computer vision (CV) test, Gemini scored 15% better than GPT-4.

With a score of 90.0%, Google also says Gemini Ultra is the first model to outperform human experts on MMLU (massive multitask language understanding), which uses a combination of 57 subjects such as math, physics, history, law, medicine and ethics to test both world knowledge and problem-solving skills.

Key differences between Gemini and GPT-4 (according to Google)

  • Multimodality: Gemini is a multimodal AI model, meaning it is capable of processing and understanding information from different sources. For example, it can translate text, taking into account the context of the image associated with the text. Identify objects in an image, taking into account the text written about the object. Write code that performs a particular task, taking into account the audio instructions associated with the code. GPT-4 is a language model, which means that it can only focus on text.
  • Size and complexity: Gemini is the largest and most advanced AI model in the world. GPT-4 is a large language model, but it is not as large or complex as Gemini. Gemini is based on 1.56 trillion parameters, GPT-4 on 1.5 billion parameters. 
  • Different versions: Gemini is available in different versions, with different capacities and capabilities. GPT-4 is currently only available in one version.

Gemini will first be integrated with the chatbot Bard, followed by other Google applications such as Pixel 8 Pro, Search, Ads, Chrome and Duet AI. The amount of applications and data Google has access to (think also Gmail, YouTube, Next camera and Google maps), gives a huge potential and unique position compared to other parties such as OpenAI.

It will first be rolled out in 170 countries outside Europe, so we will have to be patient until we can start using it in the Netherlands as well. 

A side note is that Gemini's Ultra model is compared to GPT-4 and where it scores better these are only a few percentage points. The exact operation of Google's top AI model is still uncertain and is not expected to be rolled out until early 2024, while GPT-4 has been available since March 2023. OpenAI has been developing GPT-5 behind the scenes for a long time, so it will be interesting to see what the applications of this will be and when it is rolled out.

See more about the Gemini launch here. 

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by
, ,

Expectations for AI in 2024: Introducing Second Generation Large Language Models (LLMs)

It's December already, and many companies are busy finalizing their plans for the coming year. To what extent is AI an important part of your plans for 2024?

To prepare you for the latest AI developments, I will take you through the evolution and expectations of Large Language Models (LLMs). I'll also give you more background on these fundamental language models that underpin AI systems. 

LLM generation 1

An LLM is an advanced computer program that learns to understand and generate large amounts of text. It is trained on a huge amount of data, including books, articles, and Web sites, to recognize language patterns. This allows it to answer questions, write texts, and even conduct conversations in a way that resembles how people communicate. The model tries to understand the meaning behind words, allowing it to provide relevant and often accurate answers.

A year ago, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, introducing an accessible first-generation language model (LLM 1) worldwide. This launched a wave of innovations, with numerous companies introducing AI applications based on the same foundation.

Although these first-generation language models are revolutionary in their ability to rapidly process and generate language, they suffer from limitations in comprehension and contextual accuracy.

Effective use in our daily operations often still requires significant human guidance and correction. We see this in current applications such as ChatGPT and other available AI tools. These systems respond immediately to prompts, but the responses are not always accurate. .

LLM generation 2 announces itself

The AI industry continues to rapidly evolve, and is on the eve of introducing the next generation of language models: LLM 2.

This generation offers a much more accurate and contextually sensitive understanding. They are better able to interpret nuances and complex language structures, and can arrive at results with greater attention and logic.

A key characteristic is their ability to "think" more independently and deeply, leading to better outcomes. These systems can also improve themselves through experience and feedback.

What to expect from LLM 2 systems:

  • Can read and generate text
  • Real-time Internet access and reference to local files.
  • Integration with existing software infrastructure (calculator, mouse, keyboard, Python)
  • Seeing and generating images and videos.
  • Hearing and speaking (such as GPT voice), including music generation.
  • Customization for specific task execution, adaptation and refinement (such as custom GPTs)
  • Communication with other LLMs.
  • Longer "thinking" processes for optimal results.
  • Self-improvement.
  • More knowledge on subjects than any human being.

Some of these features are already starting to show up in systems such as ChatGPT and Google Bard.

Interested in learning more about these language models?

Andrej Karpathy, a leading AI researcher at OpenAI and former director of AI at Tesla, posted a one-hour video on YouTube, "The Busy Person's Intro to LLMs.

In it, he offers unique insight into projects from leading AI labs. His presentation provides a practical introduction to LLMs, their operation, and visions for the future. Highly recommended! Watch the video here. 

Tips for your AI plans in 2024

How will you implement AI in your organization? Here are some tips to include in your plans for 2024: 

  1. Establish an AI steering committee consisting of representatives (discoverers) from each department in your company. This group takes the lead in developing and implementing AI policies within your organization.
  2. Establish an internal and external AI policy. Check out our template AI policy for inspiration.
  3. Invest in AI training and education for your team.
  4. Map all work processes. Identify where AI can have the greatest impact and plan how to effectively deploy AI here.
  5. Experiment with AI. How about introducing "AI Friday" to test new applications?

With any change, especially one of such great impact and magnitude, successful implementation depends on how well the people within an organization can adapt their behavior and take responsibility.

Therefore, it is useful to examine the different phases an organization goes through when implementing AI. Check out "The 5 phases of AI implementation in marketing" for more insight.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by
, ,

The 5 Phases of AI Implementation in Marketing

In the ever-changing world of marketing, AI (Artificial Intelligence, although I prefer to call it IA; Intellente Assistant) is central to transforming day-to-day operational work such as content creation, customer interaction, analytics and strategies.

For any change, and especially one like it with this impact and magnitude, successful implementation hinges on the extent to which people in an organization know how to adapt their behavior and take responsibility.

An important first step is to become aware of the different phases in which an organization matures in applying AI. For this purpose, I have defined 5 phases and made a first sketch of what each phase looks like approximately.

Below I'll take you through these different phases, in which AI is scaling up within all marketing activities and our role and operations are also changing significantly with it.

Phase 1: Experimentation

In this phase, the marketer is responsible for all aspects of content strategy and execution such as content creation and promotion. This includes coming up with ideas, writing and formatting the content, selecting distribution channels, publishing the content and analyzing the results.

The work is still mostly done manually, which is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Marketers have complete control over their work and AI does not yet play a role in the beginning.

In this initial phase, one or a few individuals on the marketing team do begin to explore and experiment with AI applications in their daily tasks. This includes simple automations such as e.g. asking questions, writing (basic) texts, creating summaries, captions for social media posts, converting the audio of a podcast to written text etc.. The goal is to reduce somewhat simple and repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more strategic and creative work.

The role of LLMs (such as ChatGPT) in this phase is limited but essential. For example, they can be used to generate basic content or do analysis.

The few AI explorers in the company are becoming somewhat familiar with the capabilities of AI, laying the groundwork for more advanced applications in later phases.

Our role is this phase is not very different from before, except that we can get certain work done faster and easier:  

  • Experiments and first steps of implementation: People are responsible for starting to discover and initiate experiments with AI tools and implementing basic AI features, such as automated email marketing or social media management.
  • Evaluation and feedback: Evaluate benefits and results of AI-driven tasks and provide feedback to improve the accuracy and relevance of AI results.
  • Individual training and development: Learning the basics of AI technology and developing a mindset open to technological change and innovation. Starting to develop an AI-first mindset.

Phase 2: Deepening

In this phase, the ad hoc individual use of the "AI explorers" shifts to using AI more intensively and consistently as a team. This includes sharing knowledge and collaborating on the best AI solutions for the team.  

Marketers are beginning to automate certain routine tasks. While this is not yet a full application of AI, it is an important step in that direction. For example, tools introduced at this stage can help plan social media posts, automate email campaigns or generate simple reports. This reduces manual effort and increases efficiency, but human involvement is still needed for strategic decision-making and more complex tasks. It also gives the marketer more time to focus on strategic thinking and creative work.

What does our role look like:

  • Team-functional collaboration: Active collaboration within the marketing team to perform more and more work with AI.
  • Strategic decision-making: Based on AI-driven insights, they make decisions about marketing strategies and customer segmentation.
  • Data collection and analysis: Employees work together to collect and analyze data, using AI tools to gain insights.
  • Team-oriented training and development: all team members will learn the basics of AI technology and develop an AI-first mindset that is open to technological change and innovation.
  • There is an ongoing need for training and adaptation to new AI-driven processes and tools.

Phase 3: Integrate

The third phase marks a significant shift where the entire organization becomes involved in integrating AI. Machine learning, a core aspect of AI, enables systems to learn independently from data and experiences. This increases AI's ability to assist in more complex decision-making processes.

LLMs are becoming crucial here for generating insights and automating decision-making processes. For example, they can predict customer behavior or help identify the most effective marketing channels. This phase requires close collaboration between different departments to ensure that AI systems are well integrated into the organization.

What does our role look like:

  • Cross-functional collaboration: All departments will work together to best integrate AI into the overall marketing and organizational strategy.
  • Introduction of an AI steering committee: leaders from the various departments form an AI steering committee together to determine the direction of the organization with each other.
  • System integration and management: Employees are responsible for integrating AI systems across the organization and managing the interaction between AI and human tasks.
  • Advanced Analytics and Application: Employees will understand and apply advanced AI analytics to more complex marketing challenges.
  • Organization-wide training and development: all colleagues will learn the basics of AI technology and develop an AI-first mindset that is open to technological change and innovation.
  • There is an ongoing need for training and adaptation to new AI-driven processes and tools.

Stage 4: Autonomy

In phase four, systems are becoming increasingly autonomous. LLMs can now take on complex tasks such as automating content creation, promotion, customer service via chatbots or generating personalized marketing campaigns. This phase emphasizes accountability for both processes and results, with AI helping to drive marketing initiatives based on real-time data and feedback.

The autonomy achieved in this phase allows marketers to focus on the most strategic aspects of their work, while AI ensures operational efficiency and effectiveness.

What does our role look like:

  • Supervision and control: Employees oversee autonomous AI systems, maintaining control over key decision-making processes.
  • Creative and strategic input: Human creativity and strategic thinking remain essential, especially in developing marketing strategies that complement and reinforce AI recommendations.
  • Innovation and Development: Driving innovation and developing new ways to leverage AI functionalities.
  • Organization-wide training and development: There is an ongoing need for training and adaptation to new AI-driven processes and tools.

Phase 5: Optimize

In the final stage, AI systems, including LLMs, are fully integrated and play a central role in all marketing activities. Everyone in the organization bears responsibility for continuous improvement and innovation. LLMs support strategic decision-making and help continuously optimize all marketing activities.

What does our role look like:

  • Strategic leadership and innovation: Employees assume the role of strategic leadership, focusing on innovation and setting the long-term vision of the marketing strategy.
  • AI collaboration and management: The focus is on collaborating with AI, managing advanced systems and ensuring that AI seamlessly aligns with business goals.
  • Continuous improvement and adaptation: everyone is involved in continuous improvement and adaptation of AI systems to ensure maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

At each stage, our role evolves, from initiating and guiding AI implementations to strategically managing and innovating advanced AI systems. I believe that people play a critical role in ensuring the alignment of AI with business strategies and goals.

The integration of AI into marketing, provides an experimental and challenging path for organizations to grow and innovate. This journey, from automating basic tasks to achieving a culture of continuous improvement, allows us to push the boundaries of all marketing activities and customer interactions to become increasingly personalized and relevant. Each stage of this journey brings new challenges and opportunities, but if we take a structured approach, organizations can begin to harness the full potential of AI in marketing.

The first step to an AI-first mindset 

Where to start. What helped me to start actively using AI is to choose something that I did often, that took a fair amount of time, and for which I wanted to start experimenting with AI to see if it could be done differently.

I chose to no longer use Google as my starting point for anything I wanted to look up, but rather ChatGPT. This was a successful experiment for me, which is why I now use ChatGPT by default as the first one to get a question answered. 

This then progressed incrementally to numerous other applications where various AI tools have become the starting point for me and with these I train myself every day on an AI-first mindset. With that now comes the speech feature additionally. 

Good luck with your discoveries in AI! We look forward to hearing about your experiences.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by
, ,

OpenAI launches impressive ChatGPT VOICE

OpenAI had an unprecedented turbulent week, with CEO and co-founder Sam Altman being fired by the board, his co-founder Greg Brockman resigning immediately thereafter, both men were hired a few days later at Microsoft to build a new AI research team, but a few days after that, both men still returned to OpenAI where the board was immediately shown the door and replaced.

By the way, OpenAI also launched a very impressive VOICE feature for all users on Wednesday (in celebration of the return of Atman & Co).

They did so in a very appropriate and playful way. Listen here to the first VOICE dialogue between an OpenAI employee and ChatGPT.

This voice feature is a chatbot that responds to spoken words. When you say something, ChatGPT understands your question or comment and returns a spoken response. It uses advanced AI to process spoken language and provide appropriate responses and succeeds amazingly well. 

So you can now talk to ChatGPT and all other GPTs via the ChatGPT app on your phone, just in Dutch, and also get replies in spoken Dutch text. This allows you to have a conversation just as if you were talking to a human being.

These spoken texts also appear directly in a text version (or a picture, if you command a picture) in your ChatGPT screen including links to the sources of the information given. This is displayed with a [ " ].

Also, the answers are completely based on current events. For example, I asked about the election results and about the possible formations and received a very comprehensive and correct answer with links to all sources.

This also makes it immediately clear that there are going to be important new ways that people are going to find your website, rather than traditional search channels like Google.

It is also possible to have pictures taken via the voice function.

When I asked for a picture of a sunset in Thailand (for a moment that was the first thing I thought of, now that I get beautiful pictures every day from my oldest son who is traveling in Thailand) I got this beautiful picture within seconds.

How do you use ChatGPT VOICE?

Very simple. Open your chat and on the right side click on the headset icon. Ask your question or give a command, wait a moment and you will get a spoken and written text back.

Staying in voice mode also allows you to have further dialogue. You interrupt it only by clicking on the red cross. 

Want to change the voice? On the home screen, click on the 3 dots next to your profile name and select your 'Voice' under the heading 'SPEECH'. There you can also set your 'Main Language' to Dutch. 

Revolution from typing to speaking

The introduction of this speech feature is a major step forward toward speech-based rather than type-based working and living. This will bring huge behavioral changes and benefits:

  1. Ease of use: Speech-driven interactions are often more convenient than typing, especially for people who are on the go or have difficulty typing. It makes technology more accessible.
  2. Natural interaction: People often find it more natural to talk than type. Speech-driven AI makes interacting with technology more human and intuitive.
  3. Improved language processing: AI systems are getting better at understanding and processing natural language. This means they can understand more complex tasks and provide appropriate, contextual responses.
  4. Integration into everyday life: Voice-activated assistants are increasingly being integrated into everyday devices, such as smartphones, cars, and home assistants. This makes it easier to use technology without interrupting daily activities.
  5. Personalized experiences: Speech-driven AI can learn from previous interactions to provide more personalized experiences. This could include language preferences, the way it speaks, or even recognizing the user's voice.

The shift to speech-enabled AI thus offers new opportunities for accessibility, ease of use and personalized interaction. It is part of a larger trend where technology adapts to human preferences rather than the other way around.

Take a leap forward in your marketing AI transformation every week

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by
, ,

First experiences GPTs & Launch Denis Doeland GPT

Last week was all about experimenting with do-it-yourself GPTs, which OpenAI launched last week. This new technology opens up a world of unprecedented possibilities, where anyone can have digital assistants and create their own tools for infinitely different purposes. 

With GPTs, it is now possible to code via words (chat). So you don't have to be a programmer to build your own modules quickly and easily. These can answer questions, provide advice, automate processes and much more.

However, we still experience GPTs having similar shortcomings to ChatGPT, such as inaccuracies and inconsistency. Also, it remains important not to share sensitive or personal information that is not publicly available. Anything you enter could potentially be used as training material and become public. But despite that, it is impressive what is already possible.

And we are only at the beginning of AI development. The current AI and GPT versions are the most limited we will ever see. Major players in the AI industry such as OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Amazon and Anthropic are investing billions to further develop these technologies at a rapid pace.

When we can seamlessly integrate GPTs into our daily lives and systems, they will increasingly function as personal assistants, coaches, and "colleagues.

We are only at the beginning of an exciting and challenging AI era!

Launch Denis Doeland GPT

My colleague Denis also got into DIY GPT (generative pre-trained transformers) last week. He trained a GPT with his over 1,500 blogs and 3 books. Within days, he developed a first version of his personalized GPT.

Our first experience? This GPT provides comprehensive answers and advice on digital strategy and transformation as if they were given by Denis himself. Moreover, it proves possible to effectively train the GPT to ask relevant follow-up questions.

We did notice that beyond the trained content and instructions, the GPT puts its own spin on conversations, sometimes even hilariously off-topic. For example, when asked a question about Italian cooking, I received a surprising answer, complete with Denis' "signature.

"As Denis Doeland, I would normally help you with advice on digital strategy and transformation, but I can certainly recommend a simple and delicious Italian recipe. How does a classic spaghetti carbonara sound?" 

It is also interesting how Denis has set up the GPT as a potential lead generator. Depending on the conversation topic, the GPT provides a relevant referral including links to articles, newsletter subscription and contact. You can see an example below.

For a first version, the result is impressive and shows the versatile capabilities of do-it-yourself GPTs. And this is just a Beta version that is only getting better by the day. 

How does Denis see this customized GPT:

"I see it as an interactive knowledge base of my thinking that has already transformed the way I share information and transfer knowledge.

The AI succeeds remarkably well in capturing the nuances of my writing style and the key points of my insights into the world of digital strategy and transformation, giving users access to that all the information I have developed to help companies accelerate in the digital age.

I see it as more than a technological innovation; it's an extension of my life's work, made accessible to a new generation of digital thinkers and doers.

The launch of the Denis Doeland GPT naturally includes an introduction video generated entirely with AI 😀.


Experiencing the Denis Doeland GPT yourself? Check it out here and let us know what you think.

Discover other GPTs

It is also interesting to discover other GPTs via GPT4's 'Explorer' (available for €20 per month - highly recommended if you ask me 😉 ). This will give you a good impression of what is possible and you can get inspiration for your own GPTs.

GPT Sous Chef

With Sous Chef, you get recipes tailored to your preferences, dietary restrictions, and the ingredients you have on hand. You can even upload a photo of your refrigerator or pantry and get a customized recipe, complete with preparation instructions.

GPT Creative Writing Coach

The Creative Writing Coach, which also works in Dutch, provides analysis and feedback on your text within seconds, with suggestions for improving both style and grammar.

Questions about GPTs?

Last week we had many conversations about the potential of GPTs in organizations and noticed a lot of interest in exploring and developing them. 

Are you also interested in having your own GPT? Let us know!

We're curious to hear about your experiences with AI. And if you feel like experimenting, GPTs certainly offer an exciting world to explore.

Good luck with your discoveries in AI!

An innovative greeting,

Michiel Schoonhoven

Get a jump on your marketing AI transformation every week?

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by
, ,

Elon Musk launches Grok, an alternative to ChatGPT?

Elon Musk, who was a founder of OpenAI in 2015 but exited in 2018 due to "disagreement," has now introduced a "competitor" to ChatGPT: Grok.

According to xAI, Musk's AI company:

"Grok designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don't use it if you hate humor.

A unique and fundamental advantage of Grok is that it has real-time knowledge of the world via the X platform. It will also answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems."

Right now, the platform is still limited to verified users, so little is known about what exactly it can already do. According to rumors, it is currently somewhat similar to GPT-3.5 and the model has only been trained on about 2 months of data.

It will be interesting to keep an eye on this development, because Musk, with his companies such as Tesla, X (formerly Twitter) and SpaceX, has access to a great deal of unique real-time data, which he will start using for his AI models. This could quickly make him a major player.

You can sign up for the early access program here

Get a jump on your marketing AI transformation every week?

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by
, ,

OpenAI introduces custom GPTs

Almost a year ago, ChatGPT was introduced by OpenAI and a flood of numerous AI developments followed.

Nov. 6, 2023 OpenAI announced important new developments. For example, it is now possible to develop your own custom GPTs, such as a "DenisDoelandGPT.

Introduction GPTs

GPT stands for "Generative Pre-trained Transformer" and is simply put, a kind of language model for artificial intelligence to generate answers to questions.

With OpenAI's introduction of GPTs, you can create your own versions of ChatGPT "without any coding" that combine instructions, extra knowledge and skills.

These GPTs can help you in your daily activities, in specific tasks, for yourself and for your business. You can share them with others, and there will also be a GPT Store in January 2024.

The GPT Store allows individual developers and organizations to offer their own customized GPT models. This increases the accessibility and diversity of AI tools, allowing users to find specific models to suit their unique needs and projects.  

This is an interesting next step in the lightning-fast AI development, which is fast moving toward AI assistants that can perform certain tasks completely independently for you.

My first experience of creating my own GPT was mixed. I started out very optimistic and a huge amount is going to be possible with it, however, I encountered a lot of teething problems.

For example, my first GPT was trackless for a while, it often crashes and the outcomes still shoot in all directions. But this will be a matter of (short) time before this works many times better. A first properly working GPT I hope to show you soon.

Do you have an OpenAI Plus account and want to explore this for yourself? .

Read more about the introduction of GPTs

ChatGPT4 updates

If you use ChatGPT4, you no longer have to keep choosing which option to use such as 'DALL-E, Browsing with Bing' and 'Advanced Data Analysis'. You now have one customized chat window, in which you can immediately perform all the actions you want. 

Also, the timeliness of dates has been updated to April 2023 and you can now handle up to 100,000 words (equivalent to a book of about 300 pages). 

Get a jump on your marketing AI transformation every week?

Every Friday, we bring you the latest insights, news and real-world examples on the impact of AI in the marketing world. Whether you want to improve your marketing efficiency, increase customer engagement, sharpen your marketing strategy or digitally transform your business, "Marketing AI Friday" is your weekly guide.

Sign up for Marketing AI Friday for free.

/by