Let’s face it: if the phrase “harnessing AI for social listening” doesn’t make your eyes glaze over a little, you’re either a certified data nerd (hi, friend!) or you’re already worried HAL 9000 is reading your tweets. Me? I think AI is incredible for brands. But here’s the kicker… it’s also driving us straight into a wall if we don’t slow down and remember what social is actually good at: real conversations, real relationships, and actual human context. So, let’s have a chat about what AI can (and absolutely cannot) do when it comes to making sense of your brand’s online conversation.
AI’s Shiny Data Toybox: Are We Actually Playing?
No industry leaves more data on the table—and then wanders off to binge-watch cat videos—like social media. Brands and agencies collect mountains of data, but until recently, it took a spreadsheet ninja to pry any actual insights out of the pile. Cue the trumpet: enter agentic and generative AI! Suddenly, machines are slicing and dicing individual social messages like a Cuisinart, piling it neatly into data lakes, and serving up analytics that look actionable.
But wait. Instead of brands diving deeper into that data to build relationships, we’re seeing a stampede in the opposite direction to automating, delegating, and automating again. Which is maybe not what the data doctor ordered.
Why Do We Even Listen on Social Anyway?
The golden egg of social listening isn’t just knowing that people are talking about your brand. It’s about understanding why and how they’re talking, what conversations really mean, and how you can be a part of the relationship, not just the creepy eavesdropper with a clipboard.
AI can spot trends, alert you to crises, and measure campaign results. Awesome! But it still fundamentally misses the main event: relationships. How many times have you seen brands jump into conversations or crisis control with a pre-canned response and promptly get roasted? The value is in real conversations, at the speed of social. Not robots playing Mad Libs.
The Blind Spots: What AI Can’t See (Yet)
Context is king, and unfortunately, AI keeps losing its crown. Here’s why:
No Context in Messages: Most social messages, especially the snarky or cryptic ones, make sense only if you know what came before…and who’s saying it. AI tools rarely see the conversation thread, nor do they really understand the parent post.
Emotional “Whoopsies”: Even top-tier platforms like Meltwater, which are fantastic at entity analysis, often miscategorize the tone and emotion behind mentions. Sentiment and meaning change with context and time; AI tends to lag behind.
Profile Blindness: We’re not training AI to snoop on users’ personal info, but even anonymized data—like where someone lives or the communities they belong to—matters when analyzing conversations. AI can’t make heads or tails out of that without a little human help.
The “Altiam CX Challenge”
If you want to see the mayhem for yourself, I dare you: scroll through your brand’s latest 20 Instagram posts, check what your listening tool says is “neutral,” “positive,” or “negative” and then actually read the comments. You’d be shocked. Instagram bots and bare-bones automation still have a monopoly on missing the point entirely.
AI + Humans = Actionable Intelligence
We’re NOT anti-AI here. Far from it! You need AI to sort, sift, alert, and feed you a digestible slice of the social pie. But you also need actual people who:
- Data-label conversations in real time (yes, that’s still a thing!)
- Understand slang, indirect sarcasm, and evolving memes
- Know when a “neutral” comment is actually a backhanded rave (or an impending PR nightmare)
- Guide the AI so it learns what really matters
The absolute best results come from pairing technology and people. Humans give the context that machines can’t. AI filters the noise so you’re not drowning in data. Everybody wins.
Learn From the AB InBev Fiasco
Still think automation is infallible? Remember the AB InBev controversy? They backed an influencer. Automated tools said the campaign was tanking based on massive negative sentiment, big scary numbers. But those numbers missed that the hate was coming from a small, outsized chunk of the internet with a massive share of voice due to automation and busy trolls. Nobody checked the actual profiles, nobody contextualized the backlash, and the brand overreacted. Not a great look… or outcome.
The Short-Sighted Trap
In a cost-cutting, recession-proofing world, it’s tempting to trade relationships for automation. But, as any marketer who’s lost a loyal base to a more attentive competitor will tell you, that price is way too high, and by the time you realize it, it’s often too late to fix.
The risk is even higher for smaller brands and mid-market players. If you don’t have tons of data, AI can’t give you meaningful insight alone. Ditching human analysis in this space is like handing your car keys to a toddler because you’re tired of driving. The spoiler is that means nobody’s getting to Grandma’s in one piece.
The Smart Play: Keep People in the Loop
So, here’s my advice: Let machines do what they do best. Let them sort, tally, alert, and summarize. But always, always, ALWAYS let people be the filter between raw social data and strategic action, especially if you’re not rolling in millions of mentions.
Don’t let short-term financial decisions steer your brand into the relationship ditch. Invest in both your people and your tech. That’s how you get not just data, but actionable, profitable intelligence.
Less robot, more relationship. That’s the real AI opportunity in social listening.
Got questions or want to know how to build a smarter listening team? Drop us a (human) message. We promise to reply with minimal bot interference!
If you’re ready to build digital communities that stand the test of time and actually drive your business goals, let’s talk about how Altiam CX can help you get there.
About the Author
Mike Chase, AVP, Altiam CX is a social media commentator and community-building expert, passionate about helping brands rediscover the power of authentic connection on digital platforms.
