I remember in late 2022 asking Chat GPT to help write a release. It was amazing. Not so much the quality – just the speed and organization.
Fast forward to today, and we have massively transcended that elementary use of Gen AI.
In today’s hyper-fast and brand-critical digital environment, organizations must respond to stakeholder inquiries with agility, navigate increasingly complex compliance landscapes, and ensure all our communications resonate inclusively with a diverse global audience.
Within the corporate communications team at Experian, we have been developing ways to customize ChatGPTs that help us operate with speed, accuracy, efficiency and inclusivity.
Let me share with you a few examples of how we’ve customized GPTs that help us with stakeholder and issues management, social media analytics, accessibility evaluator, and brand alignment.
Accelerating Stakeholder Communications
In an era of heightened misinformation and disinformation, the ability to act quickly to provide accurate and timely information to stakeholders is paramount. Our Stakeholder and Issues Management GPT equips our team with the tools to develop first drafts of thoughtful, timely responses in less time than ever before. This engine works off our approved positions and company information to allow quick access and development of responses.
What once required hours of research and revisions is now handled in a matter of minutes, enabling us to provide rapid and effective communication to key stakeholders. We can also use this to generate concise summaries for our internal stakeholders with key talking points, ensuring our entire team is coordinated and prepared to engage with our key audiences in a unified voice.
Real-Time Monitoring for Reputation Management
With more than 5 billion active social media users globally, there are millions of posts, comments, and mentions happening every minute. For brands like Experian, staying ahead of conversations that could impact reputation is critical. Our Social Media Analytics tool was developed to monitor these real-time discussions across the digital landscape, providing us with concise summaries of potential risks.
It identifies key themes, evaluates the potential impact on Experian or the industry, and assigns a sentiment score to help contextualize the significance of the social media thread. It also prompts for engagement metrics, helping us gauge the influence and virality of specific discussions. This real-time insight enables us to address emerging issues before they escalate, significantly improving how we manage reputational risks.
Accessibility Evaluator: Ensuring Digital Accessibility
Roughly 25% of U.S. adults live with a disability, making accessibility essential in all our content.
The Accessibility tool ensures every image shared on our platforms is accessible to visually impaired users. It automatically generates detailed alt-text, short descriptions, and multi-sensory descriptions for people using assistive technologies.
Automating this process ensures our content meets ADA standards without increasing our workload. This bot reinforces our commitment to inclusivity while ensuring compliance with legal accessibility requirements. I would also encourage you to visit DisabilityIn to get more information on what you can do to make your content inclusive and accessible.
Brand Alignment: Guaranteeing Compliance and Consistency
With 75% of consumers expecting companies to demonstrate social responsibility, compliance in corporate communications is non-negotiable.
We all write content, and immediately seek a second pair of eyes to review our copy. We have developed a Brand Alignment tool that scans all of our content for legal, regulatory, DEI, and brand alignment. It flags any risks and suggests revisions, ensuring our communications consistently reflect Experian’s values and meet regulatory guidelines. To be sure, this does not replace our formal compliance and legal reviews, but it does help us create cleaner, more precise copy – and fewer redlines from our partners in compliance and legal.
This AI Journey is Iterative
As we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in corporate communications, our custom GPTs are iterative tools that we consistently evaluate, refine, and improve upon. They strengthen our work and our operating capacity, increasing response times and our ability to create content that is inclusive and accessible.
These AI-powered innovations can serve as strategic partners in our mission to stay ahead in a complex, ever-evolving landscape. However, as with any of these Gen AI outputs, we should continue to give it human review and validation.
We are just beginning this journey – let’s travel together.
Gerry Tschopp is senior vice president and head of global external communications for Experian, leading a team of communications professionals from all major regions. In addition, he also serves as Chief Communications Officer for North America with direct oversight of external and internal communications. He is a member of the USC Center for PR board of advisers.