AI Predictions with a Grain of Salt Flats
Salt Flats Insights & Analytics Team
The Salt Flats Insights & Analytics team weighs in on predictions about Generative AI’s impact on the creative process, content & data management, and the MarTech space.
In today's media landscape, generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and Large Language Models (LLMs) dominate the headlines, with countless articles touting their remarkable advancements. Some celebrate the potential benefits of this rapidly evolving technology, promising a future where AI enhances our lives in unimaginable ways. Others predict a dystopian future, warning that AI might upend everything we hold dear. Amidst these conflicting predictions, it remains uncertain which path the world will ultimately take.
As an organization comprising experts from diverse backgrounds and specializations, Salt Flats aims to navigate this uncertain terrain. While the true impact of AI remains a mystery, we recognize the need to address the concerns and promises surrounding this transformative technology. Through our collective expertise, we seek to shed light on the potential and challenges of AI, striving to contribute positively to the ongoing dialogue about its future implications.
As technology enthusiasts with creative experience, we at Salt Flats have been watching the AI space closely. Whenever we run across a prediction we discuss and debate its merits and we thought it might be interesting to share some of our opinions with you.
Prediction: Generative Al will become the perfect sidekick to human marketers.
Dale:
AI has incredible potential to help marketers but not necessarily in the way that some people are thinking. While AI can churn out a massive amount of content, and content is king, this material isn’t always of the best quality. The idea that a marketer can just put in some well-worded prompts, and the AI will spit out a stunning ad campaign is a bit far-fetched. However, one of the hardest parts of marketing is the creation of new ideas. It’s in this brainstorming phase that AI can truly shine. Teams can brainstorm prompts, quickly plug them into whatever AI platform they are using, and then see dozens and dozens of ideas. They can then sort through these ideas, discarding those that don’t work and carefully examining the ones with potential. Marketers and designers can collaborate to refine the AI-generated ideas into fully-fledged brilliant campaigns. This approach can be applied to various aspects like art, design, copy, etc. Many marketing teams have spent hours staring at a whiteboard, hoping for a good idea to emerge. With AI, the whiteboard can now respond and provide suggestions, thereby enhancing the capabilities of the entire marketing team.
Joshua:
Marketers across various disciplines are already embracing generative AI to effectively engage their audiences. While content creation is the primary focus, relying solely on GenAI for producing all marketing content is not yet feasible in its current state. As Dale pointed out, GenAI's image and video creation capabilities are better suited for inspiring a single promotional graphic or an entire marketing campaign rather than serving as the final output. However, it has already proven to be useful for smaller tasks like crafting personalized emails, taglines, and social media copy, saving valuable time for marketers.
By utilizing GenAI for these manageable tasks, marketers can redirect their efforts toward broader marketing department planning and long-term content strategy. While considering GenAI as the perfect sidekick may be a bit of an overstatement, it does provide a significant boost and is steadily becoming more reliable as it continues to evolve.
Prediction: The cognitive burden will shift from creation to curation as generative Al floods the market with more content.
“5 AI Marketing Technology Predictions for 2023”, Phrasee, 2 May 2023, https://phrasee.co/news/5-ai-marketing-technology-predictions-for-2023/Erica:
Generative AI tools, by their very nature, churn out statistically average content. It’s bland by design. While there is a time and place for this kind of content – it can be soothing, for example – truly engaging content needs some grit, and a bit of frisson, to attract audience attention. I’m interested to see what kinds of curation skills and tools will develop in the coming years to pluck rough diamonds from a sea of beach glass. Will we need to retrain or enhance coding skills, or will we be guided by instincts developed over time?
Dale:
Marketers and creative directors face burning questions as they explore the vast realm of content generated by AI. They wonder, "Is this good? Can it be better than what we have?" However, more content isn't always better, as psychology reveals a phenomenon called overchoice. It occurs when there's an overwhelming abundance of roughly equivalent options, leaving decision-makers paralyzed in their quest for the perfect choice. To succeed in creative spaces, professionals must refine their decision-making and curation skills to navigate this challenge effectively. Having a diverse team to lean on for support in making the right choices becomes crucial.
AI, undoubtedly, holds incredible potential to assist businesses by reducing headcount and costs. However, relying solely on AI for creative decisions can lead to unsatisfactory results. Maintaining diverse and healthy teams to evaluate AI-generated content becomes vital, and business leaders must not overlook the value of their human talent in favor of an AI-only approach. An unending loop of mediocrity may emerge if the industry solely relies on one AI to create content and another AI to determine its suitability for specific tasks.
By striking the right balance between AI and human expertise, marketers and creative directors can harness the true power of AI, enhancing the capabilities of their teams and achieving remarkable success in their campaigns.
Prediction: In the not-so-distant future, we'll see the industry split in two: the Al-driven half, and the artisanal, handcrafted half.
Erica:
Not unlike the desktop publishing revolution of the mid-80s or the desktop visual effects animation revolution of the early aughts, there will always be clients who don’t want to pay for skilled artistry – the “my kid could do that in the garage” type of client. Good content requires good talent – those who have spent years developing technical skills, taste, and particular points of view. Creators with finely honed skill sets will always be in demand, no matter the technological landscape.
Joshua:
We’re clearly seeing the industry more than dip its toes into AI. Adoption is quickly growing, as 37% of marketers had already used ChatGPT for work-related tasks as of January of this year. Depending on what a company is trying to get out of its marketing (or what it is willing to spend on it), there will definitely be a segment that will see AI-generated content as “good enough” to be its main source of material. Businesses that have intricate marketing strategies and/or appreciate the power of human collaboration will continue to have top human talent driving their content; however, that is not to say that they would not use AI for personalization and brainstorming purposes.
Perhaps the industry does split in two, but 50-50 seems a bit generous to AI in the near future.
Prediction: Companies will embrace AI across creative workflows.
Tewari, Gaurav. “Five Artificial Intelligence Predictions For The Near Future.” Forbes, 28 Feb. 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/02/28/five-artificial-intelligence-predictions-for-the-near-future/ Erica:
Every seasoned art director has their own process for generating ideas – and truly creative people are always eager to try out new tools. Adding a few Midjourney sessions to my own workflow for brainstorming character designs recently was great fun and took me down a few avenues I might not have investigated otherwise. Generative AI is definitely a much faster way to develop the type of hyper-real collage-type visualizations I like to work with – but it’s just one tool in my kit when doing creative work.
Brian:
Some companies will embrace AI across workflows. Other companies, probably those with a finance-first mindset, will mandate AI. While the remainder of the companies will promote a wait-and-see mentality.
Companies that wait and see will be those that are change and risk-averse. Their reasoning may be different, some might not have the capital to invest, and some might want to protect their reputation for quality, but no matter the reason they’ll be the late majority and laggards on the adoption cycle.
Companies that mandate AI will be those that view it in the same way most companies view outsourcing or automation. AI will be considered a way to reduce costs while maintaining a minimal quality standard to get work delivered. They may run the risk of commoditizing their work, but if costs are minimized that might be an acceptable tradeoff.
The real companies to watch though will be the few companies that embrace AI meaning the ones to incorporate it into their workflow, not to replace workflows or creators. When new technology deploys there are always a select few that see the potential to augment what they do and elevate it. To shift energy from areas that can now be streamlined because of the new tech and to focus talent on the areas that cannot. These are the companies that get me excited for the future of AI because they’ll be the ones we aspire to emulate.
Dale Bryant is a librarian with extensive experience working in both IT and marketing spaces giving him an interesting perspective on how AI will change the workplace and the world.
Brian Courtney has a background in engineering & technology and has worked in IP commercialization and content creation allowing him to appreciate both the potential and the pitfalls of AI from the technology and user lens.
Joshua Cruz has a background in digital marketing and has worked in technology implementation and workflow improvement, giving him insight into how AI can be leveraged for users across marketing operations.
Erica Hornung is a librarian with a background in feature film visual effects and has worked as a data strategist giving media and entertainment clients a unique perspective on the role of AI in content creation, curation, and recommendation systems.