Yahoo Finance Human element still important for effective mass communication
Even with AI advancements, human qualities and emotions will be the determining factor when it comes to creating the best content.
When generative artificial intelligence (AI) forayed into the creatively led sectors in early 2023, technocrats believed that these industries would be the first to be disrupted by AI. ChatGPT was being used by social media and marketing managers to develop content, and text-to-image and text-to-video tools were being used by creatives in the advertising industry.
Job losses were feared to be on the horizon, but industry players say it was quite the contrary, as the industry was excited to discover AI’s potential as a tool, a “co-pilot for creativity”, as Prashant Kumar, Accenture Song growth markets generative AI lead, puts it.
“Across industries, including advertising and marketing, we’re at an AI inflexion point. Generative AI is a once-in-a-generation force that’s changing the relationship between technology and creativity for good and is more than a tool to use or sell, or a discrete project,” he tells Digital Edge Malaysia.
According to Inkwood Research, global AI in the marketing market was valued at US$11.73 billion in 2020, and is expected to reach US$82.7 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 26.58% during the forecast period. AI is used to make data-driven business decisions based on data collection, analysis and additional observations of audience or economic trends that may affect marketing efforts.
AI and machine learning (ML) also had their use in the media space, especially in consumer targeting and search engine optimisation (SEO), but not as extensively as the solutions available through generative AI tools. VML creative director Lim Ai Vee says while it was perceived that industry players were “afraid” of the technology, they were, in fact, looking forward to seeing how AI could take over mundane and tedious jobs, freeing up space for more critical and creative thinking.
“The ‘factory’ jobs, the ones that are routine, will be replaced by AI, which is good because talent shouldn’t be used on jobs like this. Let machines replace that and we can shift our focus to more strategic creative thinking. I think we’re all ready to embrace AI,” says Lim.
The reception of AI in the areas of advertising, marketing and social media is generally positive and, based on current perceptions, even with the rapid advancement of AI, it is human qualities and emotions that will still be the determining factor when it comes to creating the best content.
Andy Ong, chief experience officer at Cake Experiential Communications, says qualities such as empathy, understanding and the ability to connect on a deeper level with another human are still a fundamental element in the industry.
“Understanding what makes us click, what makes us respond and tagging the right emotion to a piece of content … this type of creative work works best and, of course, we can use tools to churn out content. But if we want something that works, it needs the human touch.”
Large global platforms that feature in day-to-day lives can be expected to incorporate AI in aspects of their business, thus driving a major productivity gain across economies and resulting in rapid at-scale adoption. According to Accenture consumer pulse research, over the next three years, Asia-Pacific C-suites are planning to invest in the following priority areas for generative AI: customer service (56%, up from 35% in 2023); supply chain (43%, up from 23% in 2023); marketing (38%, up from 27% in 2023); and R&D (38%, up from 31% in 2023).
But just as people make technology, technology also remakes people, says Prashant. Generative AI will lead to new cultural trends, behaviours and expectations that will then define the specific contours of AI in our lives and transform entire categories.
“The pervasiveness of synthetic content and metahumans will create a premium on the ‘humans-only’ products, services and content. Based on my interactions with and observations of gamers, they prefer to play with humans versus non-playing characters (NPCs), but in their absence, they are fine playing with them. The psychology of human-AI interaction is fascinating, and this teaming dynamics will be central to the future.”
Market winners and losers will ultimately be defined by their ability to mobilise the technology. This is why Accenture is investing US$3 billion in its AI and data practice to help clients navigate this seismic transformation. “Generative AI is not just a ‘wrapper’ over ChatGPT, inserted somewhere in an existing process. Organisations need also to look into their data infrastructure and get them AI-ready,” says Prashant.
As tech evolves, the industry needs to keep up and not be left behind. Cake Experiential’s Ong says it is important to cut through the clutter and determine what would work best for each organisation, instead of adopting technology for the sake of it. “We need to be constantly looking at these tools, analysing whether it’s safe to use and how we can adopt them into our processes. And once we implement it, we need to make sure that everybody knows how to use it in order to take advantage of it. Proper internal policies, training and ethical guidelines are important, too, to make sure we don’t accidentally reveal or feed sensitive information in the AI database,” he says.
Within the advertising and marketing industry, the biggest challenge of speedy change is speed itself. Today’s products are tomorrow’s features, says Prashant, and finding sustainable pillars of competitive advantage that can erect five- to 10-year category road maps requires higher-order thinking focused on what matters today, and the unmet need states that can be tapped.
It requires a rethink of an industry’s baseline value and cost structures and the elements that will come under disruption. “Once this is established, one must think about the talent and processes — how to build pilots, proof-of-concepts and sandboxes to prove the case for value, as well as how to scale,” he says.
“Finally, while the power of generative AI is evident, the technology is still in its developmental years. Many questions around IP (intellectual property) still need to be resolved, and the back-end cost structures need further rationalisation in some instances.”
Young ’uns leading the pack
In the 1980s, being a typist was a common job but, today, technological evolution has made it the norm for everyone to be familiar with programs such as Microsoft Word. The same trajectory is expected for AI, where there are specialised jobs today such as AI prompt engineering, but in the future, knowing how to use AI tools will be the norm.
Experienced creatives will need to learn how to adapt to technological changes with an open mind, Ong says, while the new generation of talents will need to start acquainting themselves with these tools to gain a competitive edge in the job market.
“A junior employee [who is open to taking] advantage of these tools can become more efficient and effective, compared to someone who has been in the field for a longer period of time, honing the craft and skill set. The younger ones see the potential and power of AI that they can harness, and the ability to maximise the use of these technologies will determine whether you’re going to be relevant or not moving forward. Currently, there is this mission to inculcate the learning of AI tools. We have a responsibility to train our people, too, and provide them with the opportunity to learn and pick up these tools,” he says.
Having a constant sense of curiosity is important, Ong adds, because this area of technology is evolving so fast and whatever is learnt today could be irrelevant in a couple of months’ time. “You need to have the ability to be open and to maintain a spirit of curiosity, and constantly learning how to use these tools as they evolve — on top of other important skill sets such as critical thinking, strategic thinking and other fundamental skills one would learn in university.”
Technology will continue to change business whether we want it to or not. Prashant says the important thing is to be a participant and not a spectator. Success with AI requires equal attention to people and training as it does with technology.
“The continued investment in human talent and skills to unleash new capabilities is critical. Ninety-nine per cent of Asia-Pacific C-suites now offer generative AI training opportunities for their people, regardless of whether their roles are tech-focused. Generative AI applications depend on people to guide them based on human experience, perception and expertise. We’re entering a new era for talent, moving from a world of deep specialisation across a single domain to a dynamic development of a mix of skills aided by generative AI,” he says.
IP and plagiarism still a challenge
Responsible AI practices seem to be the backbone of the industry. Although there is no governing law or policy to dictate how the industry can and should use AI in their work, companies have set up their own internal ethical guidelines. It is pretty homogeneous across the industry — there is an understanding that whatever is published online is public domain and, thus, up for scraping by large language models (LLMs), and the use of AI is only to guide a specific creative process and not to be used lock, stock and barrel.
The sanctions for protected IP and plagiarism laws are still applicable, however: If an unauthorised third party uses specific pre-published content without credit and for monetary gain through AI, the current laws still apply.
Nevertheless, there are laws, regulations and protocols being discussed and enacted worldwide to ensure AI developments are kept in check, without destroying its potential to advance the progress of human society. Prashant admits there is, of course, fear that wrong elements may take control or the tech will be deployed with the wrong intentions, which is why regulations are needed.
“We need civil society’s watchfulness and some judicious speed breaks. At Accenture, we are laser-focused on designing and using AI responsibly across the enterprise, including the adoption of responsible AI principles, which we have embedded in our business, including how we approach work with our clients,” he says.
“With gen AI, bad can be above-average now and average can be free. Average creativity is at a higher volume and a much faster pace now. With 90% of content on the internet expected to be synthetic in two years, the ambition is to beat ‘average’. [Chief marketing officers] — as brand guardians — have a responsibility not to outsource originality, craft, curiosity or morality and to embrace human creativity to stand out.”
This, inadvertently, challenges the industry to strive to be above average and embody the true meaning of originality and creativity. VML’s Lim says: “It makes us brush up on our skills and look at a subject from new angles with new insights. It forces creatives to be more creative. There are a lot of artists and creatives who are particular about their work being scraped by LLMs or reused, but the world is evolving to be more digital and we need to adapt. Besides, with all the content that is already online, I don’t think anyone will be able to come up with a truly original piece of content anymore.”
Future of AI: How it can help further
Talent is currently hard to find and retain, and AI can help with that. Lim says many talents leave the industry because they are not happy with the job they end up doing after working for a while, and this problem can be solved with AI, where industry players can use the technology to manage and efficiently use the skill set every talent has.
“For example, every time there’s a new client, we put a team to work, but it might not be the right team [for the job]. If it’s an automotive client, not everyone on the team is interested in it. So, now, I have the ability and freedom to look at talent very differently. Instead of just looking at talent’s skill sets, I want to know their interests and hobbies, which can add value to the job and our clients. AI can help manage this,” Lim explains.
AI can also be used to curate and draw up the best business model and advertising packages for the company’s clients. This could distinguish the company from competitors, as it ensures that both parties are getting their money’s worth.
Having a more futuristic view on AI, Lim hopes that LLMs such as Google Bard will one day take on a physical form, such as a robot, and roam around the office for anyone to interact with and help them with their work. He says: “I’m sure we all have this one person we all know in the office who knows a lot of things and we consult them for their input. Bard can be that person because it literally knows the internet and would be useful during a brainstorming session or a pitching session with clients. The power and all the information on the internet will be almost like another person. That would be a cool asset.”
This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia
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