Bridging the Generational Divide with Generative AI

Evolving from Storytellers to Strategic Storytelling Engineers

By Bob Beasley and Lauren Baker

As of 2020, Generation X and Millennials make up 73% of today’s U.S. workforce. These two generations fuel much of the strategy, execution and innovation across industries, but approach it from vastly different perspectives. Each generation has had a variety of lived experiences and has used various technologies to deliver on their workplace goals.

When it comes to Generative AI (Gen AI), viewpoints and feelings on if, when and how to implement and foster the technology can differ greatly. Bob, a Gen Xer born in 1970, and Lauren, a Millennial in her late 20s, discuss how they are approaching the rise of Gen AI in the public relations industry.

What do you think of Gen AI at this moment in your career?  

Bob:

One of the advantages of age and experience is the ability to expect – and accept – the fact that things will change. As a communications professional for the past 30-plus years, I’ve seen many changes in the media landscape – the convergence of broadcast, print and digital media, the birth of social media and the rise of mobile communications … to name a few.

When I started my career as a reporter for a weekly community newspaper in the early 1990s, we had a whole department of production employees whose job it was to “paste up” stories and ads on layout boards that were used to create printing plates for the pages that would eventually make up the newspaper. As desktop publishing took hold, that work shifted from cardboard canvases to digital pages. Those workers traded in their scissors, knives, wax rollers, cardboard and paper for mouse clicks and keystrokes. Of course, not all were willing or able to make the transition. But those who did learned new skills and increased their efficiency in the process.

Over the years, many communicators have adapted to new technologies, platforms and audiences and learned how to create engaging and effective content for different purposes and contexts. Now comes this thing called Gen AI, which some view as the biggest-ever threat to writers and other creative types like us. I don’t see it that way. Instead, I see it as the next pivot point in a career filled with pivots. I like to think of Gen AI as a tool for leveling up my game once again. As I become more comfortable with it, I expect it to help me evolve from a writer/editor to more of a storytelling engineer.

Lauren:

My professors and mentors always taught me that change is inevitable and that’s something I’ve taken to heart. While members of my generation now hold many different roles and responsibilities in the workforce, we must expect change in how we work, and at an even faster and more disruptive pace than previous generations.

At the younger end of the Millennial generation, I am approaching double-digit years of experience and have seen the rise of platforms growing up – from Twitter (now X) to TikTok and the rapid rise of jobs such as platform influencers and social media managers, even the “death” and resurgence of QR codes.

Gen AI is not a passing trend. I have no doubt it’s a big technological evolution that we all need to embrace. Some may say it is the first momentous change to the communication industry for the millennial generation that can significantly impact how we do our work, akin to how production roles changed during Bob’s career. Not only do we need to be storytelling engineers, but strategic experts and consultants as well, because the outputs are only as good as the inputs.

How can we use Gen AI to be better writers?

Bob:

So, strategic storytelling engineers? I like the sound of that, Lauren.

Before we dive into the art and science of what it means to be a strategic storytelling engineer, let’s ground ourselves in the facts of what Gen AI does in the context of writing. After all, Gen AI has a lot of different applications. In my work as a writer, I define Gen AI as a natural language-generation system that can help me produce high-quality content faster and easier. It’s not a replacement for my creativity or expertise, but a complement that can enhance and amplify those traits.

Gen AI works by taking your input, such as a topic, a prompt, a key word or a sentence and generating relevant and coherent text that matches your intent and style. Gen AI can also suggest ideas, facts, sources and formats that can enrich your content and make it more appealing and persuasive. I know this to be true because I just used it to help me articulate this!

Do you think Gen AI is going to help you, or hurt you?

Lauren:

Efficiency is going to be the most immediate outcome of Gen AI adoption. But, as Bob outlined, the person using the tool must input prompts to get an outcome. The outcome is going to be tied to how good we are at providing and even coaching with the inputs.

Gen AI is going to put an even greater emphasis on strategy. How are we going to get the greatest, best and most unique outputs out of a tool that anyone can access? And how are we approaching data inputs – either public or confidential – and using that data effectively to get smarter and arrive at our desired outcome.

Gen AI has been great to experiment with in its early stages, but as we continue to evolve, we are going to become methodic prompters with strong targets on strategy to get the most out of it.  

Bob:

A strategic storytelling engineer is someone who can use data, analytics and artificial intelligence to design, build and optimize compelling content for various channels and audiences. A strategic storytelling engineer is not just a writer, but a problem-solver and an innovator. While all people can leverage Gen AI to create content, seasoned communicators can refine that content and make it their own.

Overall, Gen AI can:

Boost your productivity and efficiency. Gen AI can help you generate content faster and with less effort, saving you time and energy for other tasks. Gen AI can also help you edit and revise your content, checking for grammar, spelling, tone and readability.

Improve your creativity and quality. Gen AI can help you generate more diverse and original content, avoiding clichés and repetition. It can also help you improve your content’s structure, logic and clarity, making it more engaging and convincing.

Expand your knowledge and skills. Gen AI can help you learn new facts, concepts and perspectives, broadening your horizons and enriching your content. It can also help you explore new formats, styles and genres, challenging you to experiment and grow as a writer. I’ve been writing professionally for three decades, and I still struggle at times – from creating that first draft to producing a pithy quote or writing a catchy headline. Gen AI is the perfect aid for helping you erase the time spent staring at a blank page. 

What’s on the horizon?

Lauren:

We’re going to get smarter faster, and pivot even faster. The technology is rapidly changing, as are companies’ approaches to Gen AI. We can access this technology wherever we go – it’s on our computers, phones and even in applications we use every day.

The increasing accessibility, accuracy and speed is going to bring about even more change. So, let’s dig in and experiment and find new ways to use it. The possibilities are endless and, every week, I see use cases that make me think “I didn’t realize I could use Gen AI for that.”

Good to Great

Bob and Lauren:

Gen AI is the perfect tool for helping people who are already good at what they do become great. It’s a tool for helping writers become strategic storytelling engineers who can leverage the power of artificial intelligence to create better content for their audiences and clients.

The two of us have been dabbling with Gen AI for several months now but are just starting to groove with it. Not only are we excited about how it’s going to help us better serve our clients, but we’re anxious to see how it’s going to help us develop personal content, ranging from song writing, drafting short stories and maybe even penning a novel or screenplay (something we never thought we’d have time to do!). We encourage you to try it for yourself. You just might be amazed – and less intimidated – by what you can achieve with it.

How are you approaching Gen AI? Do you see it as an opportunity or a threat to your career?