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Let’s start by acknowledging that artificial intelligence goes against many of the values we hold dear in the environmental and social justice spaces. Here at Spake, we are still trying to reconcile our values with big issues that remain unaddressed, like invasion of privacy and the reality that data centers built for AI are among the few growing energy consumers in the world. We don’t have all the answers, but we are thinking deeply about these issues. Here’s a recent article we wrote exploring the issue of AI and sustainability. We have also developed an AI usage policy that goes over how we as a company will and will not use AI.
The bottom line is that while there remain concerns, our opponents are embracing AI and we must too if we want to continue to run effective advocacy campaigns. AI is as much a massive opportunity, as it is a burden.
What follows below is an explainer of how AI can help us win bigger and better campaigns. We also include links to examples of AI tools we would recommend you take a look at for your own work.
Targeted online ads on social media platforms, websites, and connected TV (CTV), can use AI-powered audience targeting tools like Meta’s Advantage+ and Google Ads’ Performance Max to refine ad delivery, ensuring messages reach the most receptive individuals at the right time. Real-time analytics allow organizations to adjust campaigns dynamically, optimizing impact and reducing wasted ad spend. CTV advertising, in particular, benefits from AI-driven platforms like The Trade Desk, can help advocacy groups reach engaged audiences on streaming platforms, bringing advocacy messages directly into people’s homes with compelling, data-driven storytelling. We can also use AI-tools like Chat GPT to optimize ad copy based on custom personas, which is exactly what we are doing with our creation of Meg, an AI-custom ChatGPT persona that provides answers to your questions as a midwestern suburban mom. We can ask Meg, for instance, what she would consider a compelling message about renewable energy on Instagram. Asking Meg is a great way to kick off a brainstorming session!
Social media is one of the most powerful tools for modern advocacy, and AI can refine how organizations connect with their audiences. AI-driven tools like Sprout Social and Hootsuite analyze engagement data to identify the best times to post, optimize content for maximum reach, and even generate compelling copy tailored to different audience segments. Chatbots such as Zapier’s and ChatGPT-powered custom bots enhance real-time engagement, providing instant responses to inquiries and guiding supporters toward action.
Content creation has traditionally been resource-intensive, requiring teams to craft blog posts, reports, and persuasive messaging. AI streamlines this process with tools like Jasper AI and ChatGPT which generate high-quality drafts, summarize complex issues, and adapt messaging for different platforms and audiences. With AI-assisted content strategies, advocacy groups can produce more impactful narratives, ensuring their message resonates while freeing up valuable time for deeper strategic work. At Spake, we also like to use ChatGPT to generate new ideas for blog content and other social posts… because sometimes the hardest thing to do is make that first draft or come up with a new way of looking at an issue.
Graphic and video design are the most powerful ways to capture attention online. AI-powered design tools such as Canva, Pixlr, and Adobe Sensei accelerate the creation of professional, visually striking graphics and videos tailored to specific campaign needs. From automated video editing with Runway ML to AI-generated infographics using tools like Piktochart and Napkin.ai, these technologies allow organizations to scale their visual storytelling efforts without relying on large creative teams or high production costs. At Spake, we also love the AI-presentation tool Gamma, which can take any text and design a nice-looking PowerPoint-style presentation.
Search engine optimization ensures advocacy content reaches the right audiences. AI-driven SEO tools like Surfer SEO and Clearscope analyze search trends, optimize web content, and generate keyword strategies that improve visibility. Content tools that we mentioned earlier, like ChatGPT and Notebook LM are also great when it comes to developing search-optimized content at scale. Nonprofits can ensure their research, reports, and calls to action are reaching the top of search rankings, reaching people actively looking for information on the issues they champion.
Here’s a few more AI tools we have used on campaigns or have tested out ourselves that deserve an honorable mention:
Heygen – AI-Generated Video Avatars
Heygen creates lifelike video avatars that can deliver your script in a polished, professional manner. This tool is a game-changer for video marketing, allowing you to produce engaging content without needing on-screen talent.
Use case: Heygen can be a bit unsettling. You can upload a script and select a highly realistic AI-generated avatar to read it. This is a solution for people who want to create videos but are uncomfortable appearing on camera.
Browse AI – Website and Content Monitoring
Browse AI allows you to monitor websites and capture and scrape new content, such as videos or posts from social media channels. This tool is perfect for competitive analysis, tracking trends, and gathering insights to inform your marketing strategies. Their pre-built bots are a great place to start.
Use case: Monitoring a website you’re interested in keeping tabs on, such as a page where an oil company posts its latest financials. You can then extract that information to Unfortunately, this tool is limited by cost, as it charges per page being monitored.
Mistral Le Chat Noir – Free Pixtral Image Generator
Mistral Le Chat Noir is a free, open-source image generator for creating unique, high-quality visuals. We can use this tool to design custom graphics for campaigns, ensuring a distinctive visual identity.
Use case: Provide the Mistral AI assistant with a text description of what you want, and it will produce an image for use. Further instructions may be needed for refinement.
Durable can help a campaign that needs to quickly create a professional, high-performing website without technical expertise. It’s an ideal solution for smaller non-profits and one-off campaign landing pages.
Google Illuminate – Conversation Generator
Still in beta (and I would say not even that yet), Google Illuminate enables you to generate interactive conversations based on a topic or document, tailored to a specific audience. You can use this tool for engaging chatbots, educational content, or audience-specific campaigns.
Use case: You kind of have to try it to see what Illuminate does. Essentially, you choose a topic, and it creates a conversation between two people based on the content provided. Currently, Illuminate restricts the content types that can be used, but I suspect it will soon allow uploads of any content. When that happens, you could even produce a weekly interview podcast entirely using AI.
Labs.google – AI Innovation Hub
Google’s Labs platform showcases experimental AI tools to explore. From text-based solutions to interactive features, Labs.google is a playground for discovering the latest innovations and testing their marketing applications.
Use case: Google’s AI Innovation Hub is worth exploring to see all the AI experiments currently running. For instance, their ImageFX tool generates some pretty impressive AI imagery with minimal inputs.
(added bonus: the Google Cloud team just released 321 real-world gen AI use cases from the world’s leading organizations with tons of practical examples).
Flick – Social Media Organizer
Flick simplifies the management of social media platforms by organizing content creation, scheduling, and analytics in one place. This tool helps streamline workflows, optimize posting schedules, and analyze performance metrics, ensuring a cohesive and impactful social media presence.
Use case: You have a medium amount of content but are using an overpriced social media organizer/scheduler. This is an affordable alternative that integrates its own generative AI assistant, called Iris.
We really, really like Guuide. Guuide helps you create step-by-step “how-to” videos effortlessly. This tool is excellent for educational content, tutorials, or product demonstrations, enhancing audience engagement and providing valuable resources to customers.
Use case: You have a series of steps for setting up a new ad campaign on Google and want to capture each step. Guuide uses slick AI to instantly create a comprehensive step-by-step video tutorial.
Otter AI Chat – Slack and Zoom Integration
Otter AI Chat integrates with Slack and Zoom to act as your virtual assistant. It can summarize meetings, track conversations, and answer questions like, “What did Lisa say about Otter in the meeting?” This tool streamlines communication and ensures important information isn’t overlooked.
Use case: This tool might feel intrusive to some, so review Otter’s privacy standards before using it. This generative AI tool works during Zoom calls to record and summarize discussions. While we haven’t tested it yet, Otter is a very popular AI tool.
At Spake Media, we combine AI and digital marketing expertise to help advocacy groups maximize their impact. AI allows us and our clients to work smarter, scale our efforts, and achieve results that were once out of reach. By leveraging these tools, we can amplify our collective voice, mobilize supporters, and create meaningful change in this increasingly digital and AI-driven world.