Advances in artificial-intelligence (AI) technologies are taking not only the digital landscape and the public consciousness by storm.These advances range from computers that can defeat chess grandmasters to programs that can read medical scans more accurately than people. Language models like ChatGPT can generate whole essays in the blink of an eye. How are we facing the challenge of how to handle technology with seemingly superhuman capacities?
For the creative sector, the rapid development of AI has raised a number of uncomfortable questions, foremost among them being, Are creatives becoming obsolete in the face of these technologies? But this may be the wrong question to ask — instead of wondering if AI will put creative agencies out of work, creative agencies must ask, How can we put AI to work for us?
For the creative sector, however, the rapid development of AI has raised a number of uncomfortable questions, foremost among them being, Are creatives becoming obsolete in the face of these technologies? But this may be the wrong question to ask — instead of wondering if AI will put creative agencies out of work, creative agencies must ask, How can we put AI to work for us?
The Myth of AI Supremacy
While many of the present achievements of AI are truly remarkable, it hasn’t been without fault: language models have been shown to generate “facts” that are untrue, self-driving cars have experienced errors that create accidents, and some facial-recognition programmes have shown inconsistent results in respect to varying skin colours. Then there are the ethical and practical concerns: challenges to academic integrity, the fact that some AI is powered by works created by humans who receive no attribution, the potential for job losses on a massive scale…So far, AI is not exactly a panacea.
When it comes to the creative arts, AI calls upon us to examine what we value: the authors, musicians and the artists we love are defined by their individual perspectives, their particular tone of voice, their unique qualities — if we surrender to the ostensible benefits of AI, will our world become a little less colourful?
The Role of AI in the Creative Process
At THEY, AI serves as a valuable assistant instead of a replacement for human creativity. We’re using AI-powered research tools for quick insights from vast volumes of data, but our team carefully checks the validity of the information and extracts the most relevant parts to create up-to-date, impactful and reliable content. Our content writers are also using AI-generated suggestions to spark new ideas, refine their thinking and drive their own creativity, resulting in compelling content that still has that human touch. By integrating generative AI into image-editing tools, our skilled designers can manipulate visuals to create custom imagery that captures our clients’ visions like never before.
By leveraging AI in this way, creative agencies can push the boundaries of innovation and deliver exceptional results.
The Personal Touch
While AI can analyse data, predict trends, and synthesise tremendous amounts of information, it doesn’t appear that AI can yet fully grasp or respond to the complexities of human emotions and experiences. Each individual writer brings their own perspective, their own vocabulary, their own colour into their work — this is what touches the reader. Each artist and designer brings a unique eye, a personal approach, and a special flair that strikes the viewer. Thus, creative agencies can get the most out of AI by striking a balance between leveraging AI for efficiency while preserving this highly personal, human touch in their creative output. By helping your team learn to use AI as a tool for enhancing their own individual work, your agency will also continue to generate content that stands out from the rest by preserving the voices and viewpoints of your team members, which lends the work a distinct originality.
Harnessing the Power of AI
With all the exciting potential that AI offers, the question that is most often asked may be, “How can we use this?” But for creative agencies, a better question may be, “How should we use this?” By embracing the strengths of AI as a complement to human capabilities, businesses can unlock new possibilities and achieve unprecedented levels of success while preserving the qualities that create unique and impactful content. True innovation stems from the fusion of technology and humanity — by drawing on the best features of both, we can harness the power of AI to propel creativity to new heights.
