Tuesday 2¢ - Robot, Say My Name

This week, when the robots own the internet, and it's a synthesized cesspool, we need to own relationships.

Just like we had back at the turn of the century, when everyone was wondering what the future of everything was as we embraced the internet, we are all wondering what’s next in the age of AI.

Some contend that the Internet will just be a place for the robots, our agents, and synthesized content generators will all be talking with each other, and there will be little human-to-human interaction left.

We are certainly getting a whiff of this cesspool ahead, with AI slop, auto-generated comments, and god knows what is going on with the algorithms.

But I am wondering, and I’ll be honest, this thought is definitely of the half-baked variety, if the opposite might be true, that in marketing and commerce, perhaps we are entering a new era of brands and people connections?

For example, if you try to cut through here on LinkedIn, if you want real engagement, whether to maintain a network or audience, or to do something specific, like being hired, the real person-to-person network seems to be making the difference, rather than digital outreach.

Folks are sharing that despite huge follower numbers, people are not engaging with their content. They are not getting the impressions, likes, etc., and they shake their digital fists in the general direction of the algorithm. The advice for applying for jobs here is to foster a real relationship with the hiring manager, rather than just clicking 'apply’.

Maybe this deluge of content we are getting across every channel is creating friction, and to engage or be engaged with, we have to overcome this friction.

If I want to know what an industry chum I have known for two decades is doing, I have to remember them and seek them out, or swim through a sea of poorly algorithm-curated and most likely AI-generated shite to see their latest post.

Meanwhile, the algorithm sends me a notification every time someone I barely know, but it thinks I am interested in or it wants to promote, farts.

Of course, the network of people we know in real life has always been more valuable than followers, but it seems that depending on the algorithm to maintain a human relationship and create meaningful connections is an increasingly flawed strategy.

To connect and engage now takes work.

What worked before, in terms of creating digital connections, has been industrialised by AI, not just the content being published, but the outreach for connections, and we are all becoming overwhelmed.

Small-scale, human-to-human connections will stand out; having a billion followers will have way less value compared to a hundred engaged chums, and you won't get that by firing up your AutoRobotConnect3000 and pointing its indiscriminate attention cluster bomb at the billion of us that match your loose criteria.

And I wonder if it will be the same for brand engagement, especially in B2B, it’s going to be increasingly important to engage potential customers before they have the problem we solve, as they won’t be swimming in the robot-infested cesspool, they will be taking a more surgical approach and seeking us out by name.

OK, asking their faithful robot agent to seek us out by name.

Go on, robot, say my name :-)