Where biopharma comms veterans today can say they remember waiting by the fax machine on PDUFA dates, pretty soon, we’re going to be the ones saying,
Back in my day, we had to Google.
The 2024 edition of the Ragan Communications Leadership Council Benchmark Report says that “survey respondents highlighted gen AI as the top specialization that communicators will need to future-proof their roles.”
Some, like Cision’s Director of AI Strategy Antony Cousins, say that “80% of your job will change,” and “the tasks in the 20% which you wish you had more time will become more of a focus.”
But what does that look like exactly?
Comms thought leader and researcher Stephen Waddington says there are several categories in our profession where AI, right now, can help:
“Editorial assistance, content creation, professional support, education, creativity, and research, analysis and decision-making.”
Conor Grennan, Chief AI Architect at NYU Stern, posits that this fundamental shift in how we work will consequently impact who we hire and how we hire them, too.
Where we’ve historically hired for specific skills and experience, he suggests through his “AI-Ready Hiring Matrix” that, instead, focusing on critical thinking, adaptability, AI proficiency, communication, and creativity will become more important.
The jagged frontier is not only that – jagged – but it’s evolving by the second.
It’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed by the speed of change.
So, our call to action is to lean into the possibilities instead.