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Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Artificial Intelligence Can Impact Professional Public Speaking
Saakshar Duggal is an Artificial Intelligence Law Expert and a 19-time TEDx speaker. AI is reshaping the world of professional public speaking in ways that are both exciting and a bit daunting. From helping speakers craft powerful messages to offering live coaching and audience insights, AI is turning traditional methods on their head. However, all of this advancement also forces us to reflect on deeper questions, like what it means to truly connect with an audience. Can tech ever replicate that spark of authenticity, the raw nerves before a big speech or the satisfaction of applause at the end? Let's dig into how AI is influencing public speaking today, highlighting its wins, its weak spots and everything in between. AI is revolutionizing speechwriting and delivery. Crafting a memorable speech is often the hardest part. For years, I would stare at a blinking cursor for hours, trying to start. In the summer of 2024, while prepping for a tech summit, I turned to AI out of curiosity. The audience was a mix of investors, developers and budding entrepreneurs. Each group had different interests and expectations. I used an AI platform to brainstorm ideas and outline the structure. Within minutes, it gave me three angles for my talk. It wasn't perfect, but it got the wheels turning. I took its outline and layered in my personal journey as well as how I bombed my first pitch, what I learned from rejection and the small wins that kept me going. Then, I asked the AI to help rephrase some of it, making sure the tone was confident yet conversational. The result was a speech that felt like me, but sharper. The AI helped me avoid jargon, tighten my transitions and even suggested where a dash of humor could land well. I added those touches, especially moments of personal failure that humanized the story. One line I kept was, 'I didn't just fail, but I failed with style,' and it got a big laugh. Practicing was also easier. Platforms like Orai and Yoodli gave me feedback on my pace, tone and even facial expressions. I'd record a take, watch it back and make tweaks. Honestly, it felt like having a personal coach minus the nerves of rehearsing in front of someone else. When I finally stepped on stage, I was fully pumped. AI enhances audience engagement and feedback. Public speaking doesn't end when the speech does. Engagement is the real measure of impact, and this is another space where AI shines. Not long ago, during a panel discussion at a digital marketing event, I used Reveal AI to track audience reactions in real time. At one point, I noticed attention levels dipping halfway through a section on analytics. Turns out, I'd gone too deep into data talk. That insight helped me adapt my next session. I swapped stats for stories, like real anecdotes about marketing campaigns gone wrong and what they taught me, and audience engagement soared. I also started using interactive tools like Mentimeter that let me ask the audience questions mid-talk, turning a one-way lecture into a two-way conversation. People love seeing their responses show up on screen instantly. It breaks the ice and keeps things lively. Even after the event, AI steps in. Based on individual engagement, I send out follow-ups to mention that some participants will get extra reading material and others will get links to relevant videos. It makes people feel seen, like you're not just broadcasting but actually listening. Let's be real, though: This level of data collection walks a fine line. People have a right to know how their info is used. I always make it clear up front that participation is optional, responses are anonymous and privacy comes first. Technology should connect, not creep. AI presents challenges in skill development and ethics. Here's the catch: When something makes your life too easy, you might forget how to do it the hard way. That's my worry with AI in public speaking. If you lean on it too much, you risk losing touch with core skills like storytelling, improvising or reading the room on instinct. I have seen people deliver flawless-sounding talks that somehow fall flat. It's like they're reading a script that a very smart robot wrote—which, while technically solid, is emotionally hollow. To avoid that, I use AI for structure, not substance. The stories, the voice, the heart? That's all me. Ethics are another can of worms. AI systems learn from data, and that data isn't always neutral. They can echo biases, skip over minority perspectives or suggest edits that strip away cultural nuance. I once saw a tool 'correct' a speaker's slang to more formal English, completely killing the vibe. If you're not careful, you lose what makes your voice yours. There's also a real risk of inequality. High-end AI tools aren't cheap, and not everyone has access. That means some speakers get a leg up just because they have better tech. We've got to work toward solutions that level the playing field, whether that's training programs, affordable tools or open-source alternatives. What's the future of AI in public speaking? Where's all of this headed? Honestly, the possibilities are wild. We're already seeing AI tools that integrate voice, visuals and interactive media in real time. Imagine delivering a speech where your slides respond to the audience's mood or being able to speak in English and have your words translated instantly into five languages with your tone and inflection intact. Emotional AI is also coming into play. Soon, tools might be able to gauge not just if your audience is paying attention but how it feels (bored, excited, confused, etc.) and then guide you to adjust accordingly. At the end, what AI can do is clear the noise, sharpen your focus and let your real message shine. Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Your member of Congress might be using ChatGPT
Members of Congress are starting to use AI in their daily lives. The most frequent use is for research and speechwriting. One senator said it's "impressively good at certain things and pretty miserable at some things." In December, Rep. Thomas Massie used an analogy for foreign aid that was an instant hit among his libertarian and America-First Republican fans. "US foreign aid spending is like watering the neighbor's yard while your house is on fire," the Kentucky Republican posted on X, adding a fire emoji. Fox News wrote an article about it, and two months later, the libertarian student group "Young Americans for Liberty" turned it into an Instagram post. As it turns out, Massie didn't come up with the line himself. Grok did. Massie told BI this month that he ripped the phrase from a speech he asked the xAI-developed chatbot to generate using his voice. He said he's done this more than once. "Out of five paragraphs, I'll find one sentence that's good," Massie said. "But it makes it worth doing." Leaning on AI for speechwriting is an apparently bipartisan affair on Capitol Hill. "I'll type in some phrases and say, can we make this more punchy?" Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California told BI, adding that he began using ChatGPT "almost like an editor" in the last year. "There was some speech I gave where it edited in a couple of lines that people thought, 'Wow, that's really good,'" Khanna said. Congress has developed a reputation for lagging behind the public when it comes to adopting new technology. Plenty of lawmakers told BI that they have yet to get into using AI, either because they're skeptical that it will be useful for them or they just haven't gotten around to it. But several lawmakers have begun to casually adopt the technology, most often as a search engine and research tool. Khanna said he uses both ChatGPT and Grok, turning to the technology "two to three times per day." Massie, who uses Grok because of its convenient placement within the X app, said he uses the chatbot for "anything." As Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has waged a fight to make deeper cuts to federal spending as part of the "Big Beautiful Bill," he's been consulting with Grok. "I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning with an idea to use it," the Wisconsin Republican told BI in early June. He said the technology's been useful for running the numbers on the bill's impact on the deficit and to find documents that support his arguments. "It's really great at identifying sources without me having to crawl around in government forms." In some ways, members of Congress are just doing what other Americans are doing. More and more people are using AI at work, according to a recent Gallup poll, with 40% of employees saying they use it a few times per year. Another 19% say they use it frequently, while 8% say they use it on a daily basis. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a champion of a controversial provision in the "Big Beautiful Bill" that would restrict state's ability to regulate AI for 10 years, told BI that while he "would not claim to be a sophisticated AI user," he's been using ChatGPT as an "enhanced search engine." Cruz said he recently asked an AI chatbot about his own record, when he "could not remember when I had first taken a public position" on a particular policy area. "It gave a very thorough answer, going back to an interview I'd done in 2012 and a comment I'd made in 2014," Cruz said. "That research previously would have required some staff assistance, spending hours and hours, and you still wouldn't have found anything." Large language models like ChatGPT and Grok are known to sometimes present false information as fact — known as "hallucinating." For Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, that's enough to discourage her from using it. "It lies," Warren told BI. "I've tried using it, and it gets things wrong that I already know the answer to. So when I see that, I've lost all confidence." Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he's tried ChatGPT and has been disappointed by its apparent limitations, even when carrying out more basic tasks. In one instance, Murphy said he asked ChatGPT to generate a list of his Democratic colleagues ordered alphabetically by first name, only for it to include retired senators. "It seems to be impressively good at certain things and pretty miserable at some things," Murphy said. Even those who are otherwise fans of the technology said they're aware that they could be getting fed incorrect information. "My chief of staff has astutely warned me that AI is often confidently wrong," Johnson said. "So you really have to be careful in how you phrase your questions." "It definitely hallucinates on you," Massie said. "It told me there was a Total Wine and More in Ashland, Kentucky, and no such thing exists." Read the original article on Business Insider
