Is AI enhancing or replacing business development outreach?

My thoughts here are based on my use of AI as a tool to assist with business development.

Like many of you I've been experimenting with ChatGPT (since Feb 2023), Google Gemini, Microsoft CoPilot and other CRM AI tools for some time now. 

Initially, I found them of limited help with business research and writing as they weren't really good enough or accurate for my work needs. Fast forward over two and a half years and its progress has been incredible. Now these tools have genuinely increased my productivity, sped up my research and quickened my understanding of whatever business queries I throw at it.

It's a bit like having some hyper intelligent, faceless, formless sci-fi character sat on my desk with an encyclopaedic knowledge of everything and anything or so it seems. Providing its sage like opinions and thoughts to whatever dilemma I'm facing. 

As a freelancer, one  of the downsides is not always having someone next to me to run through or bounce ideas, help with research and analysis, proofread my copy or just give another perspective on things.

But now I do. It never gets tired or busy, tetchy or bored and is always attentive and on standby for my next question. 

Where AI supports me:
- Proofreading and helping to polish up my initial drafts (ChatGPT my fave)
- Research and analysis (prefer Google Gemini)
- Brainstorming ideas
- Giving another perspective or angle I may have missed

Where it falls short:
- Tone of copy not me. Often seems a bit generic, American, AI produced or over polished. And have you noticed how fanatical it is with adding hyphen's into sentences everywhere.
- Information can sometimes be inaccurate or out of date
- Sometimes given too many similar options that may slow me down
- Very limited accuracy and help producing prospect lists - maybe 10-20 useable suggestions at best

But when it comes to outreach, the human relationship building core element of business development, that's where AI still falls short.

Handing over your entire outreach to AI will at best deliver something mediocre and at worst with what's now being called 'AI workslop'. It's dull, it's generic, it's so soulless that you end up having to redo it all, costing you more time and more money. 

AI output is only as good as the input provided by you and its sources of information. It doesn't create anything uniquely you nor replace the connection that only a human can bring to outreach efforts. It doesn't really understand all the sensitivities, subtleties or nuances that only a real, breathing human person would know. So it needs our oversight to amend, refine or reject its suggestions. 

Just like us it's not perfect but I've found it a useful tool that helps to improve my efficiency and augment output.

So, in answer to the question in my header: Yes, AI assists but it doesn't replace your entire new business outreach without missing something and human involvement is what will make your outreach work at it's best.

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