Chinese marketing agency to replace third-party copywriters and designers with ChatGPT-like technology
- BlueFocus, which ranked 11th among global public relations agencies in 2022 and first among its Chinese peers, has bet big on AI since securing Microsoft as a client
- The agency has also engaged with Chinese ChatGPT alternatives, including Baidu’s Ernie Bot, for use in virtual character building and other digital marketing work
Major Chinese marketing agency BlueFocus said it will “indefinitely” end hiring of third-party human copywriters and designers, and instead embrace ChatGPT-like artificial intelligence (AI) tools, adding to concerns about the impact of the technology on jobs.
The Beijing-based company said it would immediately cut certain outsourcing expenses, including creative design, copywriting and short-term contractors “to fully embrace generative AI”, according to an internal email verified by an employee.
BlueFocus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company, which ranked 11th among global public relations agencies in 2022 and first among its Chinese peers by PRovoke Media, has been betting big on AI since securing Microsoft as a client this year. Microsoft is a major investor in ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
BlueFocus said earlier this week that it has access to ChatGPT through Microsoft’s cloud service and is exploring how New Bing, which integrates with the chatbot, can bring “new possibilities for outbound advertisers,” according to its conversations with traders on the Q&A channel of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange where the firm is listed.