How OpenAI Uses ChatGPT As A Strategic Communications Partner
OpenAI has skyrocketed from a niche research lab to one of the most talked-about tech companies globally, attracting 700 million weekly active users in just over two and a half years. This explosive growth brings a complex set of communication challenges, from handling a constant barrage of media inquiries to proactively shaping the narrative around a technology that's advancing at an incredible pace.
During a fireside session at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s PR Asia conference in Singapore, OpenAI's APAC communications head, Wilczynski, shared insights into this journey. "It's very easy to forget that ChatGPT was only launched just over two and a half years ago," he noted. "We have had to evolve from being what was basically a pretty sleepy research lab... it also obviously comes with a great deal of challenge, and in many ways, we're constantly playing catch up."
Navigating the Communications Maze of a Tech Giant
As the first communications employee hired outside the US for a global team of just 15, Wilczynski highlighted the immense pressure of managing OpenAI's image. There is a significant gap between the public perception of OpenAI as a massive corporation and the internal reality of a "scrappy startup." This perception gap makes the role incredibly demanding.
Internally, we talk about balancing being reactive to hundreds of daily media inquiries with being proactive in sharing the stories and narratives we want.
This challenge resonates with many marketers and communications professionals who face similar pressures. Brands today must navigate heightened expectations for transparency and accountability while adapting to disruptive technological shifts. Adding to its infrastructure, recent media reports suggest OpenAI is building a "ChatGPT Growth team," signaling a move towards developing an in-house marketing platform.
ChatGPT as a Strategic Partner Not a Shortcut
At the core of OpenAI's philosophy is the concept of trust, a crucial element as users increasingly share personal and sensitive commercial data with AI tools. To build and maintain this trust, Wilczynski advises users to treat AI as a partner rather than a simple shortcut for content creation.
"There’s a difference between using this as put a prompt and then copying and pasting the responses in a blog or a LinkedIn post," he explained. "What I've tried to encourage the team is to really think of this as a partner and like an assistant, whether that's for your editing, your strategic thought. Do not just copy and paste the output, but go back and forth.”
He emphasized that modern AI tools can learn user preferences, making the collaborative process more efficient over time. "I’ve spent a lot of time teaching ChatGPT to write in the way I like... we’re now at a point where I have to do less back-and-forth."
I think just thinking of it more as a partner, rather than something you ask something to do and copy and paste the output.
How OpenAI Uses Its Own Technology
Practicing what he preaches, Wilczynski uses ChatGPT as a "super assistant." His daily routine includes using it to summarize emails, draft and edit content, and brainstorm strategic solutions. "I'll increasingly pose a problem that we're dealing with and ask it to just help me think about how I should be thinking about this? What are the questions I should be asking myself?" he said.
AI is also a powerful tool for media research. Instead of just pulling up a reporter's bio, Wilczynski uses it to analyze their past articles to understand their interests and anticipate the angles they might take in an interview. This strategic use of AI extends beyond OpenAI. Asian news network CNA, for example, has deployed over 20 custom GPTs in its newsroom to assist with tasks like analyzing manipulative social media activity during elections.
The Mindset for Thriving with AI
To maximize the benefits of AI, Wilczynski champions curiosity and adaptability. He looks for people who are both "super scrappy and super strategic," capable of shifting between high-level thinking and hands-on tasks like writing press releases.
"Just be super intellectually curious about the technology, be interested in it," he advised. His role, as he sees it, is to ask fundamental questions to brilliant engineers and then translate the complex answers for a broader audience.
The key lesson from OpenAI's playbook is clear: the future lies in combining powerful technology with human insight. By staying agile and viewing AI as a collaborative partner, marketers and communicators can navigate the rapid changes and unlock new levels of strategic thinking.
