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

Coco Fengin Beijing
This file photo taken on March 15, 2023 shows the ChatGPT logo at an office in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP

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.

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