By Rob Davis, Chief Digital Innovation Officer, MSL U.S.
Twenty-two months since Chat GPT brought generative AI to the masses, there are two essential questions every brand, agency and – arguably – individual needs to ask of themselves: 1) What are we doing with AI? 2) What is AI doing to us? PRWeek’s recent AI Deciphered event in New York City provided an opportunity to hear how each of these make-or-break questions might be addressed by the agencies, tech companies and educators assembled for the day. Several moments stuck with me:
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The realities of Generative AI: When our industry talks about AI, it’s mostly about GenAI which is just a small, early step towards the full promise of artificial intelligence. Even so, as panelist Cassidy.ai CEO Justin Fineberg noted the models we have access to already are more than enough for disruption. He’s right.
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The realities of expertise: NYU neuroscience professor Dr. Jose Mendoza, whose extensive body extends beyond the GenAI era, pointed out in a conversation with Haymarket Studio VP Gideon Fidelzeid that there are very few true AI experts as it is “too new.” He’s also right. And that’s why it is important to gather and discuss how we are approaching solutions.
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So, what are we doing with AI? The collective answer seems to be “experimenting.” There is no roadmap, which opens the door for the curious and sets up roadblocks for the skeptical. One clear takeaway: AI experimentation is not the sole purview of IT. Strategists, creatives and executives are all finding ways to integrate new GenAI tools.
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And what is AI doing to us? Brands cannot control how AI represents them in the wild, but they can influence it. How brands address what the most popular mass-audience AI models say about them will be a universal concern similar to SEO but exponentially more important and more challenging. Acknowledgment of the risk (and opportunity) was sewn throughout the panels, and I expect solutions will be a dominant topic should the conference repeat in 2025. MSL launched our Digital Brand Influence.ai (DBI.ai) product to help address the need, which I believe will be among the most strategic near-term digital concerns of all brand stewards. For the vanguard, it already is.
Dr. Mendoza’s words lingered with me. There are a lot of smart people trying to make the most of game changing tools they didn’t ask for, but now can’t succeed without. There aren’t a lot of experts, yet. That’s breeding competition, but also – for the moment – congeniality. These are the fleeting moments in new tech where the line between competitors and collaborators leans towards the transparent.
But behind the wonder and camaraderie lies a less communal truth: whomever comes out of these early GenAI days ahead stands a good chance for dominant growth at the expense of laggards.
For now, the obvious applications of GenAI are being played out across agencies while the less-explored territories hold promise for even more significant upheaval. That’s either exciting or terrifying. Take your pick.
It’s a story we are all writing in real-time.