Artificial intelligence (AI) has become widespread, impacting various industries, including email marketing. However, the increasing use of AI in this field has raised legal, ethical, and social concerns that need to be addressed responsibly.
The journey to modern-day AI has seen major advancements, with the release of tools like DALL-E 2 and ChatGPT. These advancements have also brought to light several concerns, including privacy, bias, inaccurate data, copyright infringement, plagiarism, and data breaches.
Despite these concerns, AI remains widely used, as it offers productivity benefits and cost-saving potential. However, since AI regulation is still evolving, email marketers must rely on common sense and adhere to guiding principles.
To use AI responsibly in email marketing, marketers should vet their vendors, ensuring data security, accuracy, and transparency. Regularly evaluating vendors for bias and discrimination is also crucial, especially when using AI for imagery. Email marketers should be cautious about using generative AI for copy as some outputs may be nonsensical or offensive.
Transparency is essential when using AI in emails. Disclosing the use of AI to subscribers fosters trust and builds stronger relationships with customers. Providing credit to AI tools when appropriate can also enhance brand trust.
In conclusion, AI can be a powerful tool, but its use requires responsibility and awareness of its capabilities and limitations. By following these guiding principles, email marketers can incorporate AI in a way that addresses concerns and benefits both marketers and recipients.