You’re A Tool: We’re Talking About AI
Not you. Of course, we’re not talking about you! We’re aiming that one at the bot. It’s a tool. And a bloody good one. But don’t be fooled. Like a sword, you must learn to wield it, and understand when to use it. You wouldn’t use a sword for cutting bread. In the same way, AI can be a powerful instrument but it’s knowing where and when to use AI in the creative process that’s key. Read on for our take…
There’s no two ways about it, AI is not going away. It’s now part of our creative armoury. But it is NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR CREATIVES. And just before we continue, let’s get one thing straight. This is not an AI review. ChatGPT could write that for you in seconds. This is an article for humans, by a human, about the rise of AI and why human creativity is more important now than ever.
Hallelujah! Yep, that’s how you spell Hallelujah. I checked Grammarly! It’s a great time for our industry. Let’s throw another “bloody” in there. It’s a “bloody great” time for our industry.
You see, AI is a learning tool. What does that mean, I hear you ask. Well, it lives in the familiar. It spits out what it knows, what it has learned. Dave Trott (legendary Adman) was once said creatives need to know the rules, so they can break them. AI is all about the rules. Creativity, more specifically, human creativity, looks the other way. The famous levis ad campaign, ‘When the world zigs, zag’ springs to mind. Could AI have written this?
The bots are setting the bar
The bots can help us create a presentation quicker. They can give us nicer visual references, moodfilms, and even help us create a copy structure. Or if we’re clever, we can use them in our comms, like this recent Barnardos campaign. It started with a traditional photoshoot and then fed the images into a specially-built AI model alongside their childhood images to create portraits that represented stages of trauma, whilst protecting real-life cases.
But it’s important to remember, humans are still the controllers. The directors. The editors. And when it comes to “big idea” thinking, it’s our job as Creatives to beat the bots. Or your brand just ends up becoming bland.
We have feet. Bots don’t. Let’s use them (and our brains) to stand out.
Jasper won’t make you cry
Who is Jasper? He’s an AI software tool that generates marketing copy.
Jasper can’t shake your hand and really understand your business/brand problem.
Jasper can’t smell your new perfume and really get to know you or your challenges.
Jasper can’t read the room, and figure out how it can change a message for different audiences.
Jasper can’t be the voice for your brand.
Jasper, however, might sound like other articles.
Jasper might get you a draft quicker.
But Jasper won’t get you noticed.
Sorry Jaz.
Prompt vs provoke
Think of the recent Burger King post-birth “arrival” campaign. You can bet your bottom dollar ChatGPT wouldn’t have taken the brand there. That doesn’t mean you can’t use the generative AI chatbot to give you thought-starters. But know you’ve got to beat the bot. The human touch is paramount.
This author will never forget the first time it made a client cry. Happy tears that is. It was for a domestic abuse brief. Something that needed to be handled delicately. With nuanced language. And great human insight. All done with a significant amount of empathy. The script made the client feel something. They bought it in the meeting. It ran. Calls went up. And back in 2011 it made it into the coveted D&AD annual.
With AI there’s a skill to prompting, but as Creatives it’s our job to provoke and make people feel.
Care about your copy, your concepts and your work, and it really shows.
A famous Nike headline. Written by a human.
Another belter of a headline. Written by a human.
Generating an ending Steve Jobs would be proud of
Steve predicted the rise of AI but the bots are not the storytellers. We are the weavers of words. The purveyors of feelings. And the narrators of the future.
Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She famously said…“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
Our humanity, and our ability to pour ourselves into our work, will always separate us from AI. Yes it has intelligence, but it’ll always be artificial.
So, use AI in the creative process wisely. Or, reach out to some humans who know how to get the best out of them. And let’s get one up on the bots. Drop me a line at marcus.culloty@saintnicks.uk.com.