AI For Marketing
Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, seems to have taken over the world recently. However, the truth is AI has been with us for a while. The concept of AI started early in the 20th Century in books and movies, but eventually a young British mathematician, Alan Turing, explored the mathematical possibility of artificial intelligence. The result? In 1950, he wrote a paper entitled Computing Machinery And Intelligence. In his writing he basically created the structure for building artificial intelligence.
Unfortunately, computers back in 1950 were not as powerful as they are today, so Alan Turing was not able to immediately test his theory. However, in 1955 Allen Newell, Cliff Shaw and Herbert Simon, along with funding from Research and Development (RAND) Corporation, created a program designed to mimic the problem solving skills of a human. This program called, Logic Theorist, was a game changer. In 1956 it was presented at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence (DSRPAI). That event crystalized the idea that AI is possible.
Over the years, there have been many programs and iterations of programs that have been built on the idea, that computer software programs can imitate humans in making decisions. What was and is still needed for computers to do this? Information. Data.
Let’s fast forward to today’s world and see what we have available. We have an abundance of information at our finger tips. The amount of data stored on the internet is estimated to be at least 1,200 petabytes, according to starry.com. In 2020, the amount of data on the internet hit 64 zetabytes, which is about a trillion gigabytes, according to sciencefocus.com and statista.com. Another estimate by starry.com puts the world’s data storage capacity at 295 exabytes, or 295 billion gigabytes.
There is no need to try to wrap your head around those numbers, just know there is a lot of data available for artificial intelligence to learn. We can use AI to:
- Solve real world problems
- Learn new things
- Start or expand a business
- And much more…
In order to do those things, we need AI tools.
My profession has been in sales and marketing for over 20 years. I started with brick and mortar stores where I had to learn quickly how to drive traffic to a physical location using print media, radio and TV ads, and that ultimately lead me to the wonderful world of internet marketing. Back then, the idea of using websites to drive traffic to my physical stores was a foreign concept to me, but I am so glad I tried it!
In fact, it changed the entire course of my life. I sold my brick and mortar stores and created digital stores online. Some were websites for my products and I also became an affiliate marketer for other company’s products. I became tremendously successful doing both, but AI is changing things for me right now!
If I had to start over and begin a new marketing career, I would start as an affiliate marketer. I know that sounds crazy because… “you don’t keep your customers”, “it isn’t a real business”, and “it is just another job working for someone else!” I have heard it all and I must admit that I said the same things in the past.
However, AI is a game changer today, especially if you have an AI plan and are using the right AI tools. The tool I recommend to start with as an affiliate marketer is…