The late 70’s introduced the concept of ‘video killing the radio star’ by way of the Buggle’s hit song. The song relates to concerns about machines and technological instruments altering what we knew as music. Would it take over and replace what we loved? Would it make it better? No one knew, and the unknown can be scary.
AI, or artificial intelligence is sweeping the world right now and finding space in nearly every industry. We aren’t talking about robots, per say, but we are referring to the intelligence that comes from machines or software versus the intelligence that comes from humans. The growing use of AI is influencing a societal shift towards increased automation. Many companies are essentially saying, “if a computer can do it, then what do I need a human for anyway?!”
As a creative company, you can bet we have opinions to offer on AI. We don’t hate it, for starters! However, there’s an element of creativity that comes from the relationships we (and other professional firms in the creative marketplace) build our professional portfolios around. Creatives are artists, and our tools are words and images and color. We weave these together to create the perfect tapestry for you, our client. Through drafts and conversations and revisions, we gather this information to make something personal and beautiful. AI is very likely to be able to create beauty, but that personal touch from the relationship that exists between humans that take the product from good to amazing won’t be there. If you’re a person who appreciates tattoo artistry, consider this example. Most artists have books of images in their lobby, or maybe on their website if they have one. Anyone can walk into a tattoo studio and request that an artist tattoo “image number 286” from the book in the lobby, and given their talent and your initial attraction to the image, you’ll be satisfied. However, when you have the chance to talk through something that you envision with a human artist about an event or a feeling or a tribute, and they in turn create something deeply personal that will live on to evoke a specific feeling forever…that’s when you create, support and sustain real art.
At the moment, most AI-generated art falls well short of the standards set by human artists and creatives. But as the technology rapidly advances, there’s real concern that it will quickly become sophisticated enough to make creative professionals obsolete, or at least disrupt the economic model that makes art, videography, writing and essentially, marketing, a viable career.
For all of its shortcomings, AI has two huge advantages over human creators: It’s close to instantaneous and it’s essentially free. Many creators worry that a market flooded with AI-generated media will drown out work done through the more lengthy and traditional creative process. There are also concerns that businesses and organizations that are already struggling to stay within budget will happily rely on sub-par AI art if it means they won’t have to pay as much for the end product.
But skeptics say AI’s reliance on preexisting material means it will never be able to replicate true human creativity and the personalized result that comes from real relationships. MapCap Marketing and Creative welcomes the challenge that comes with the introduction of AI, because it allows us a platform to talk about it with all of you, and it pushes us to pursue our passion.
Have you had an experience with AI yet? What was it like? What other questions about AI should we tackle in the future?