I was listening to an interview about energy. One of the little-known facts about AI is that it requires power… Lots of POWER!

• A single query in a generative AI model may use as much energy as turning on a lightbulb for one hour.
• Generating two images with AI could use as much energy as the average smartphone charge.
• Every 10 to 50 responses from ChatGPT running GPT-3 evaporate the equivalent of a bottle of water to cool the AI's servers.

As AI gains a foothold in our daily lives, it has been predicted that it will consume 10 times more energy in 2026 than it did in 2023. This brings us back to the interview.

The expert was talking about clean energy and how it's not about a battle of good and evil; it's a battle between the status quo and innovation. You can't just stop using fossil fuels and replace them with solar and wind. Instead, it must be a system that utilizes multiple options that work when it's cloudy and still and optimizes when it's windy and sunny.

I think my biggest takeaway was about restarting 3 Mile Island to power data centers for AI. I grew up with a fear of nuclear energy while living through world events like Chornobyl and the Fukushima disasters. Yet, there have been strides in nuclear energy. Non-water-cooled reactors use less volatile technology that makes nuclear energy both safer and more cost-effective. Some examples include:

• Liquid metal fast reactors (LMFRs)
• Molten salt reactors (MSRs)
• High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs)

Although I know little about these new technologies, I am heartened that even though they are relatively rare at this point, some are viable and already in service.

My main point is that energy is polarizing and necessary, and we must embrace both the old and the new. So, what does that have to do with marketing?

Binary vs Bilateral

I confess that I try to simplify things down to binary choices: good and evil, easy and hard, the boogeyman and Superman. But I think that in our ever-polarized world, there is becoming a blurred line between truth and opinion.

When it comes to marketing, I tend to think of Google and Search as the boogeyman and content marketing as Superman. Yet, like energy, they are a symbiotic and correlated existence that exists and has to function to help businesses market to their audiences and prospects.

Undoubtedly, AI will change how our content and business work, and we will need to embrace both the old and the new. We are just going to have to innovate how we interact with people. Yet content is what makes AI and Search viable and possible. So AI is not just going to run by starting up a nuclear reactor; it's going to rethink how content creation works and how we can make it better and more efficient.

So, I believe that AI will help empower content creation, but it will not replace it or even improve it on its own. It will take learning or embracing how AI can help you create better content… not just creating more to flood the zone.

The Boogeyman

There is no question that getting your content in front of your ideal client is primarily controlled by two main entities. Google (Search, Chrome, Business, YouTube, and more) and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads, What's App, Giphy) account for around 70% of all internet use. However, this cannot be verified as accurate because neither release that data, so it's an estimate that might ebb and flow.

The other factor that is important to mention is that neither is held accountable. In the US, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides broad immunity to online platforms for user content. This becomes important because content can be both true or fake and polarizing at the same time. It's been widely documented that social media algorithms tend to promote content that generates high engagement, which can include posts that evoke strong emotions like anger or outrage.

Although Google touts that Search and Ads have separate algorithms, higher traffic is a factor in increasing search rankings, so Ads do play a part in the equation. Google is so powerful that it is being charged with a violation of antitrust (monopoly) laws.

Also, Social Media, in general, is creating less traffic to your content. This is true for the social posts you add, but it is much more troubling for anything that links outside their ecosystem.

I am seeing 30-50% less traffic to customer websites compared to last year's numbers. This is true for Direct, Search, and Organic Social traffic. But all hope is not lost.

Superman

I believe you have to think like a superhero like Superman to overcome the erosion in website traffic. I know companies are hoping to find a superhero to help them overcome the challenges of getting their content in front of the new and right set of eyes to help them maintain and grow their business. I believe that you have to be either the actual superhero or at least the sidekick like Batman's Robin.

I used AI to define what makes a superhero unique, and here is what it offered up:

• Superhuman Abilities
  Superheroes often possess extraordinary powers, such as super strength, flight, or telepathy.

• Commitment to Justice
  They actively fight against evil and strive to uphold moral principles, often putting themselves in harm's way for the greater good.

• Empathy and Compassion
  This emotional connection makes them relatable and inspires audiences to cultivate similar qualities in their own lives.

• Resilience and Determination
  Their ability to overcome personal and external challenges serves as a powerful reminder of inner strength.

• Altruism and Selflessness
  Many superheroes prioritize the needs of others above their own desires and encourage audiences to think about how they can contribute positively to their communities.

• Wisdom and Intelligence
  Beyond physical prowess, many superheroes exhibit wisdom and strategic thinking, using their intellect to navigate complex situations.

• Relatability
  They face everyday struggles alongside their heroic duties, which helps audiences connect with their journeys.

Superheros either see or are alerted to problems and then act with all of those characteristics and more. They work hard to protect people first and then go after the villain to stop them from creating more chaos.

This is why I think that creating content with truth and empathy and giving away your best stuff with selfless abandon helps people rally around you and your business. That content cannot just be reconstituted from other people's experiences (which is what AI does) but requires your wisdom and intelligence to infuse resilience and determination to help people see and work through their problems.

Finally, I believe that consistency instills reliability. If you are talking to people who already know, like and trust you, they have a perspective that helps them relate to you and your customers' experience with a superhero perspective.

Closing Thought

I believe more in superheroes than the boogeyman. Google and Meta are businesses that make people money and have made the internet more usable, likable, and functional. They are not out to get you, but they are not there to serve you as much as we may like to think.

I believe that superheroes are not just fictional characters like Batman or Superman. I know that they are more like you and me. We are heroes if we learn and grow from our experiences and use them to help others better their lives. While some would rather just take their money, supporting and empowering others makes you a superhero as you share your experience and ideas with empathy, selflessness, and relatability.

In the words of the creators of Superman… it's all about “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.”

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Comment below and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about business-to-business sales and marketing today! Do you have a sales or marketing communications strategy that works for you? What tips or techniques can you share that work for you and your business?

To learn more about this and other topics on B2b Sales & Marketing, visit our podcast website at The Bacon Podcast.