Using generative AI to build customer trust
With the increasing adoption of AI-powered tools in marketing, protecting consumer data is paramount to inspiring loyalty and trust. However, alongside data protection, establishing robust governance practices is equally crucial.
As we all begin to contemplate how we will use AI within our roles and organizations, there are a couple of roadblocks we need to address. In the current season of my podcast, Navigating Marketing & AI, I’ve been talking with marketing industry leaders about the new era of AI, and I’m excited to share their insights about responsible AI usage. A deliberate, thoughtful approach to implementing AI builds trust with employees and consumers alike. Understanding AI governance principles and creating standardized processes helps marketing teams harness the capabilities of AI while protecting consumer privacy.
Understanding the principles of AI governance
Business leaders who understand how generative AI works can help their organizations develop effective safeguards for AI usage. As stewards of customer data, businesses, and marketing teams need to protect and use that data appropriately with AI-powered tools. “We need to set very clear guidelines for AI usage, and we need to emphasize transparency, privacy rights, and governance,” says Jose Luis Ortiz, Head of Sales and Industry, Microsoft US Retail and Consumer Goods.
Preparing guidelines and rules that standardize AI requirements throughout an organization encourages employees to experiment with AI safely and securely. At Microsoft, this has taken the form of the Responsible AI Standard, which emphasizes transparency, fairness, reliability, privacy, and inclusiveness. Business leaders can lean on this proven framework to develop their own organizational governance, as our recommendations are based on our own engineering practices.
“It’s important to think about responsible AI and how marketing teams are going to use these new technologies in a compliant, secure way that creates great customer experiences,” says Bill Hamilton, Vice President and Head of Marketing Technology and Worldwide Marketing Operations at Microsoft.
Standardizing AI practices for privacy and compliance
For organizations that use AI-generated marketing assets and images in public venues, standardized AI guidelines are important to identify any proprietary or privacy concerns. “We are being very careful about the guardrails that we are putting around the content, assets, and imagery that will end up in the outside world,” says Jennifer Kattula, General Manager, Marketing, Microsoft Advertising.
One practical way to implement AI standards is to create a responsible-AI team or governance group. As marketing teams experiment with and develop AI-powered tools, processes, or content, experienced AI users can help ensure that these innovations align with organizational policies regarding privacy and security.
“We have a responsible-AI team that follows a documented set of practices that Microsoft has established across teams,” says Stephanie Ferguson, Corporate Vice President, Global Demand Center, at Microsoft. “We essentially get things responsible AI–certified in order to use them, and I love that.”
Building trust into the customer experience with responsible AI
Data privacy is among consumers’ top priorities and customers return to brands they trust. As businesses and retailers collect more insights into customer activity, they must protect that information to build brand loyalty. “Privacy in marketing is essential,” says Ferguson. “You have to handle customer information very carefully and really assure them that you’re trustworthy as a company.” A business-wide commitment to using AI responsibly can reassure customers that their data is secure and create a trustworthy relationship.
Accelerating the journey to responsible AI usage
Building a responsible AI framework is the first step toward protecting valuable customer data as marketing teams and executives consider how to incorporate generative AI into their work. Marketing leaders who embrace standardized AI processes contribute to their organizations’ ability to build consumer trust and provide employees with important guardrails to explore the exciting possibilities AI has to offer.
I hope this blog has helped you unpack the importance of AI governance and how it impacts marketing. Microsoft is committed to secure and responsible AI practices that support business transformations. To discover more about how we are experimenting with generative AI, I invite you to review the third season of my podcast.
