Toothy grins, eerie music, and a depth of field that’s likely to cause motion sickness – you might have spotted the latest collaboration between Toys ‘R’ Us and Open AI Sora: a completely AI-generated video ad.
Despite the novelty, the ad was met with stark negative reception. Viewers describe the film as “uncanny valley”, “soulless”, even so far as “nightmarish”. It seems – although the rise of AI generated art has been a lingering worry to many designers, editors, artists and more – there’s a long way to go before audiences feel at ease with its results.
You may have spotted the following – now viral – quote from fantasy author Joanna Maciejewska on your daily feed:
“You know what the biggest problem with pushing all-things-AI is? Wrong direction. I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.”
Her words perfectly emphasise the ongoing debate about AI’s role in creative industries. It’s true that AI has many benefits to busy teams – which we’ll soon explore-, but the goal of autonomy should be to handle the mundane and repetitive of daily work, freeing up human minds and skill sets for creativity and innovation.
The benefits: AI as a tool in modern marketing
AI has undeniably revolutionised various aspects of modern marketing, and workforces in general. Here are a handful of ways AI can be used as a tool to enhance day-to-day efficiency:
- Admin: When used effectively, AI excels at streamlining briefs, simplifying data, and assisting with the nitty gritty of reports – freeing creative teams to focus more on ideation, creativity and innovation.
- SEO: In the digital world, AI models can analyse keywords, predict trends, and suggest content ideas – data which can be utilised by human teams to develop the meat of the messaging.
- Customer service: In web design and UX, AI-powered chatbots can handle initial customer interactions on company websites, giving human employees the space to deal with more complex queries.
The pitfalls: Where AI meets creative fields
By nature, AI models operate based on a set of algorithms that learn from existing or input data. Machine learning models like ChatGPT collate and combine data from across the Internet to compose a tailored response – using a ‘neural network’ to develop human-like recommendations from complex patterns.
With this in mind, AI shines when used as a tool for data, automation, and analytics. The problems arise when we shift the spotlight to human-like creativity. Here, AI can have issues with:
- Emotion and context: AI struggles to understand and convey deep emotions and cultural nuances – evident in the aforementioned Toys ‘R’ Us ad, which failed to connect with the audience.
- Uncanny valley: AI-generated content can feel almost human yet slightly off, creating an unsettling effect known as the “uncanny valley.” This problem sticks out in visual design and animations, where subtle details make all the difference.
- Predictability: As discussed, AI models rely on existing data, which can lead to repetitive and unoriginal content. In web design, this predictability can result in bland, cookie-cutter websites that fail to make an impact.
The importance of human-first design
When developing a stand-out creative campaign, inspiration really can come from anywhere. From travel abroad, to time spent with the kids, going to concerts, visiting museums, or exploring new hobbies – human experiences are at the heart of creativity, and lead to innovative designs and solutions that AI cannot produce on its own.
For a campaign to really connect on a human level, it needs human input. Genuine inspiration, ideation, and connection is vital for building brand loyalty and delivering memorable user experiences.
That’s not to say AI can’t help the process. By finding the right balance and taking full advantage of AI’s capabilities as a tool, businesses can boost efficiency whilst continuing to foster authenticity within their brand.
Ready to connect with your audience? Get in touch with our team today.
