The Future of Communication: AI Takes the Wheel (With Stats You Need to Know!)

This week has been a whirlwind in the world of communication tools. We’ve seen existing platforms get major updates, while others fade into obscurity. The future of AI in communication, in particular, is a complex and rapidly evolving landscape.

One thing’s for sure: staying informed is key. That’s why we’re constantly on the lookout for the latest tools that can empower communicators across all fields.  But before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s address something most communication blogs don’t:

The Rise of AI in African Communication

The shift towards AI-powered video creation is particularly exciting for Africa, a continent brimming with talent but often looking to develop tools that are available on different platforms. These tools can bridge the gap between limited resources and the ever-growing demand for engaging video content. By leveraging accessible AI technologies, African businesses, entrepreneurs, and creators can compete on a global stage and share their stories with the world. Here’s a stat to consider: A report by Pulse Nigeria indicates that AI will contribute $1.2 trillion to Africa’s economy by 2030 (source: Pulse Nigeria). 

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Adobe Firefly image generation tool

Now, let’s get into the juicy details: Top AI-powered Communication Tools (April 2024):

Video Content Creation:

  • Repurpose.io: This platform (stats unavailable, but a rising star) uses AI to identify the most engaging moments in existing videos and automatically create short, shareable clips across platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.
  • InVideo: This online editing tool offers advanced features, templates, and stock media libraries, making video creation for social media a breeze. InVideo boasts over 7 million users (source: InVideo website: https://invideo.io/) worldwide.
  • Submagic: Effortless Captioning: Submagic is a free, web-based tool that leverages AI to automatically generate subtitles for your videos. This is a game-changer for content creators on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, where captions are crucial for discoverability and accessibility.
  • AdGen AI (adgenai.com) is an AI-powered ad creation platform that helps you design eye-catching visuals and compelling copy for your social media ads. It tailors content to your audience, lets you publish across platforms like Facebook and Google Ads, and offers features like templates and bulk publishing to streamline your workflow. While AI generates ideas, you’ll still have creative control before launching your campaigns.
  • Dollar Tub (Caution Advised): Watch & Earn (But Read the Fine Print): Dollar Tub, a website claiming users can earn significant money by watching videos, has grown in popularity. While the idea of effortless income is tempting, it’s important to approach such platforms with caution

AI Writing Assistants: 

  • Jasper (formerly Jarvis): This popular tool boasts new features for long-form content creation, allowing you to craft entire blog posts or articles with AI assistance. Jasper reports having over 100,000 paying customers (source: Jasper website: https://jasper.ai/)
  • Writer.com: This platform focuses on teamwork, offering functionalities for real-time co-creation and improved workflow for marketing teams.

AI-powered Chatbots:

  • Tidio: This platform offers an upgrade to their chatbot builder, allowing for more complex conversation flows and improved handling of customer inquiries. Tidio reports having over 3 million users (source: Tidio website: https://tidio.com/) worldwide.
  • Mesha: This newcomer focuses on AI-powered chatbots specifically for B2B sales, offering features like appointment scheduling and lead qualification.

General Communication Tools:

  • Gmail (Beta): Google is piloting an AI-powered reply writing feature within Gmail, aiming to improve email response efficiency.
  • Otter.ai: This popular transcription tool now offers real-time translation capabilities, making communication across languages seamless. Otter.ai boasts over 6 million users (source: https://otter.ai/) worldwide.

Accessibility and Language Tools:

  • Microsoft Translator: This service continues to improve its fluency and accuracy across a vast number of languages.
  • Voiceitt: This AI tool allows the creation of realistic synthetic voices, aiding people with speech disabilities or those who require multilingual communication.

While some tools will undoubtedly be game-changers, many others will simply iterate on existing ideas. But a select few, like my go-to tool, RunwayML, will continue to push boundaries and offer unique functionalities.

What will be the emerging trends to watch?

  • Personalization: AI is being used to personalize communication across channels, tailoring content and offers based on individual user preferences.
  • Multilingual Communication: Advancements in AI translation are breaking down language barriers.
  • AI-powered Project Management: AI is being integrated into project management tools to streamline workflows

This is just a glimpse into the ever-evolving landscape of AI-powered communication tools. As communicators, it’s crucial to stay ahead of the curve and leverage these advancements to enhance our effectiveness and reach. In essence, the tools go beyond the hype and offer practical solutions for various communication needs.
Enhancing Written Communication: Grammarly Business offers advanced features like clarity, fluency, and tone detection for professional writing.
Boosting Customer Service: Amazon Connect integrates AI for sentiment analysis and real-time coaching for customer service representatives.
Optimizing Meetings and Video Conferencing: Otter.ai offers automatic meeting summaries and speaker identification, while Vowel takes notes, assigns action items, and generates transcripts.

Other tools that support other functions: 

Internal Communication:

    • Worklytics: This tool uses AI to analyze internal communication data (emails, chats) to identify communication gaps, improve team collaboration, and boost employee engagement.
    • Polly by Polly.ai: This AI-powered voice assistant integrates with project management platforms like Asana and Trello, allowing users to manage tasks and access information hands-free.

Specialized Industries:

    • Lexalytics for Healthcare: This AI platform helps healthcare providers analyze patient data and identify potential health risks, leading to more proactive and personalized care.
    • LawGeex for Legal Services: This AI tool automates legal document review, highlighting potential issues and streamlining contract negotiations, saving lawyers valuable time and resources.

Accessibility and Education:

    • ReadSpeaker: This text-to-speech software utilizes AI to convert written text into natural-sounding audio, aiding people with dyslexia or visual impairments.
    • Duolingo with AI: The popular language learning app is incorporating AI to personalize learning paths and improve speech recognition, making language acquisition more engaging and efficient.

The Future of AI Communication:

    • Affective Computing: This emerging field focuses on AI that can recognize and respond to human emotions. Imagine AI assistants that adapt communication style based on your mood or frustration level.
    • Explainable AI (XAI): As AI communication tools become more complex, XAI aims to make their decision-making processes transparent and understandable for humans, building trust and user confidence.

Which tools are you using?

Paid or unpaid?

How much are you spending?

Has your work become easier?

Let us know, by commenting below.

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