Is It Cheating to Use AI in AEC Marketing?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the way we work and communicate. In the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, AI is a game-changer that has the potential to transform the way we market our services. However, there's one question that often arises when it comes to using AI in AEC marketing: Is it cheating?

Kristin Kautz, a marketing professional in the AEC industry, believes that using AI in marketing is not cheating. She said, "Anything that speeds up tasks so we can get to the more important stuff." Kristin emphasizes the importance of people in the AEC industry, and how AI can help marketing professionals focus on the more important aspects of their work.

Brent Britton, an expert in intellectual property law, shares his perspective on the ethical concerns of using AI in marketing. Brent suggests that in order to ethically use AI, marketing professionals need to add their own spin and transform the work produced by AI into a new original work. He explains, "What you get from the AI may be an infringing copy, so don't use it. Change it, adapt it, add to it, enhance it, supplement it with your own words, with your own pictures, with your own paintbrush. And then you get something that's transformed into a new original work of authorship that you as a human can actually own."

In terms of copyright, Brent suggests that AI-generated output could potentially face claims of copyright infringement as they are similar in some way to the works that they have copied. He emphasizes that anything created by AI is automatically in the public domain as the copyright law dictates that a work of authorship must have a human author.

In conclusion, using AI in AEC marketing is not cheating as long as it is used ethically and with a human touch. AI can help marketing professionals speed up tasks and focus on the more important aspects of their work. However, it is important to transform the work produced by AI into a new original work to avoid copyright infringement. Just to make sure you stay on track and don't run into any issues, here are 5 quick tips when using AI:

1. Add your own spin: When using AI-generated content, make sure to add your own unique spin to avoid plagiarism and copyright infringement.
2. Transform the work: Don't use the AI-generated content as is. Transform it by adding your own words, pictures, or paintbrush to create a new, original work of authorship that you can own.
3. Be cautious with generative AI: Generative AI can be a double-edged sword. The output may not be owned by you, and you could get sued for copyright infringement if it's copying someone else's output.
4. Be aware of copyright laws: Familiarize yourself with copyright laws and how they apply to AI-generated content to avoid any legal issues.
5. Always give credit: If you're using AI-generated content created by someone else, make sure to give them proper credit and attribution to avoid any ethical concerns.

Interested in learning more about how AI will impact AEC marketers? Check out our upcoming April 20th webinar, 
"Revolutionizing AEC: Unleashing the Power of AI in AEC Marketing."