Use AI ethically in your marketing

I steered clear of AI to start with.

As a purpose-driven writer working for nonprofits, I thought I was above it. Robots writing? Robots writing my words? Never will I ever, ever, ever use AI in my work.

[Quick cut to two months later]

I’m using AI in my work.

Look, it’s here and it’s here to stay. 

And develop. 

And possibly take over the world.

But let’s not focus on that.

Let’s focus on the fact that I can now cut my research time in half (more than half, actually).

Let’s focus on the fact that I can create a structure for a post in seconds. 

Let’s focus on the fact that I can generate 20 possible content ideas in the time it takes for me to create a good prompt.

After a month of dabbling with tools like ChatGPT and Claude (my fave), I realised that, far from taking over my job, AI is the personal assistant I always wished I had.

AI isn’t perfect by any stretch (and I have some questions I’d like to ask the Her Royal Overlord about privacy and copyright) but on the whole, it’s freed up more of my time to be creative and strategic – both things I’m a pretty big fan of.

AI isn't inherently good or evil. It's a tool, like a Swiss Army knife or a potato peeler. (Though I'd argue the potato peeler is inherently good.) The ethics come into play with how we use it.

Sooo…

Using AI ethically in your marketing: A how-to guide

1. Transparency is your new best friend

Remember when your nan told you honesty is the best policy? Well, she was right (as usual). Be upfront about your use of AI. If you're using a chatbot, let people know. If you're using AI-generated content, disclose it.

Example: Cosmetics brand Lush clearly states on their website when they're using AI-generated images, maintaining transparency with their customers.

2. Check your bias at the door

AI systems are only as unbiased as the data they're trained on. And let's face it, humans are about as unbiased as a parent judging their kid's macaroni art.

Regularly audit your AI software of choice for bias. Are they favouring certain demographics? Excluding others? Time for a check-up.

3. Prioritise privacy like it's the last biscuit in the tin

With great data comes great responsibility. Use AI to enhance your marketing, sure, but not at the cost of your customers' privacy.

Stick to data collection practices that are GDPR compliant and ethical. 

4. Don’t let the robots takeover the humans

AI is brilliant, but it's not infallible. If it were, I'd be out of a job already, and you wouldn't be reading this charming piece of human-generated content (with some planning help from Claude.)

Always have human oversight for AI-driven decisions, especially when it comes to content creation. Never just generate and publish.

You’re the marketer – you have the expertise and so have the final say. If the robots start having the final say, we really are doomed.

5. Use AI to amplify your purpose, not replace it

As purpose-driven marketers, our job is to make the world a bit better. Use AI to amplify that mission, not to add to the generic noise.

Example: Nonprofit organisation DoSomething uses AI to analyse user data and personalise campaign recommendations, helping young people find causes they're passionate about more easily.

The ethical AI marketing checklist

Before you unleash your AI-powered marketing campaign on the world, run through this quick and dirty checklist:

If you can tick all these boxes, you're on the right track to ethical AI marketing.

The idea is to use AI to enhance your marketing efforts – to plan, to personalise, to generate options – not to replace the human touch that makes purpose-driven marketing so powerful. 

Be transparent, be ethical and always keep your audience's best interests at heart.

These days I like to think about AI in the same way I think about becoming rich — some of the good folks have to do it, otherwise it’ll just be baddies ruling the world for evermore.

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