AI means Artificial Intelligence. It’s a term used to describe technologies that allow machines to perform cognitive tasks as well as humans can - things like writing, reading or analysing information.
AI has been all over LinkedIn lately but it’s not that new. You probably use AI every day without realising it. For example, Gmail uses AI to predict your sentences and suggest what you’ll write next. Amazon uses AI to analyse your past purchases and recommend other products for you to buy.
But AI in the world of professional communication feels new. It could dramatically change how you work and your rate of productivity – if you embrace it. AI is going to shape our future, whether you like it or not. So don’t get left behind.
How can I use AI as an internal communicator?
Here’s a few of the practical ways that we can use AI in the world of internal communication:
Create first drafts of articles for newsletters and intranets
Summarise unwieldy documents into executive summaries comprised of key messages
Perform sentiment analysis on posts on internal channels
Convert speech-to-text to transcribe meetings, podcast episodes, internal presentations.
Turn a written blog into lifelike speech that gives your audience a different way to consume the information
Create beautiful slide decks from a written document
Does this list make you feel nervous? Like AI might turf you out of your job?
Don’t be worried. AI can do a lot – but it can’t deliver the creative, problem-solving that us humans do so well.
What AI can do for us is to automate or optimise a lot of the internal communication tasks that we do on a regular basis – freeing us up to do some creative, rewarding work.
So you, as a forward-thinking internal communicator, need to understand AI tools and their purpose in order to future-proof your career and stay in the game.
AI tools for internal communicators
Here’s a few AI tools that you can start playing around with.
- This is a versatile AI voice generator that enables you to make studio-quality voice overs for your content in minutes. It can translate text to speech using a range of lifelike voices. Use this for podcasts, videos or presentations.
- This is an AI video generator where you can easily create and edit high-quality video content. You don't need any experience in video editing or design - you can start simply by providing a written script or an existing article for the tool to begin. You can automatically caption videos or use this tool to summarise existing long videos into shorter ones.
- You can create videos by simply typing in text. Use this to make videos with human presenters in about 15 minutes. You don't need any equipment or video editing skills.
- Create slick, gorgeous presentations in seconds by simply pasting in your text. Here's a sample of how the input works and what kind of output it generates for you.
Input:
Output:
- Another AI tool for designing presentations. As you build a presentation, it adapts slides and layouts to follow best design practices. Has lots of pre-built templates that you can use immediately, such as this one on objectives and key results:
Tavus is an AI video generation platform that lets you create personalised videos for your audience. This one could be a game changer for marketing and communication teams.
This is just a tiny sample of the AI tools on the market that you can start playing around with to make your communications job more efficient and productive.
More, more, I want more!
If you're interested in this topic then here's two resources for you to explore further:
www.futuretools.io is a website with a list of 1000+ AI tools. You can search by keywords to find tools to help with podcasting, audio, transcription, text generation, photo restoration... anything you like.
Follow Zain Kahn on LinkedIn. He calls himself "The AI Guy" and he regularly posts lists of new tools and what they're useful for. He also has a newsletter.
Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
Consulting: I help organisations create effective systems of internal communication. This includes reviewing your current system, developing internal communication strategies, establishing internal communication functions and more. Book a free call to discuss how I can help you.
Coaching: I offer 1:1 coaching for a small number of clients to amplify your strategic abilities, gain confidence in your decision-making, improve your communication prowess and feel empowered to be creative at work. Email me for details of 8 and 12 week coaching packages, or simply book a one-off 60 minute session here.
Training: I run workshops on effective internal communication, measurement, AI in internal communication, newsletters, effective writing and other internal communication topics. I often develop bespoke training for clients. Email me to discuss your training needs at joanna@thecuriousroute.com.