The conversation around AI is ablaze with excitement, fear, and apprehension, evoking a myriad of emotions.
The allure of cost savings and efficiency improvement with AI is undeniable. Organizations are embracing tools like ChatGPT for content generation and procedural simplification. As generative AI evolves and refines its abilities, the horizon appears rich with opportunities for businesses.
Yet, a sense of unease clings to AI like a shadow.
Dialogues in the marketing realm reveal deep-rooted fears of displacement. Will AI rendering graphic designers or copywriters obsolete? Creatives feel a chill running down their spines. Are our skills that expendable?
Instances like the recent actor’s strike and the legal tussle spearheaded by Sarah Silverman against ChatGPT underscore the copyright anxieties ensnaring AI. Today, the specter of AI leveraging deepfakes to sway elections looms large. The pervasive uncertainty surrounding AI applications underscores a critical issue: who guides the ship? With regulations scant and possibilities boundless, how can we navigate these uncharted waters?
Reports of businesses employing AI-generated influencers on social media platforms like Instagram cause a ruckus. These entities, virtually indistinguishable from humans, secure lucrative brand endorsements, blurring the line between real and synthetic. It feels like dancing on the edge of reality, poised to leap into the Matrix.
As a fervent advocate of authenticity, AI appears diametrically opposed to my ethos. Letting ChatGPT craft my content feels like bypassing creativity. Allowing AI to birth graphics seems a disservice to the ingenuity of talented creators I hold dear. Yet, my resistance echoes a refrain I’ve heard before — a reluctance akin to my parents shunning emails and the internet in their day.
To avoid obsolescence, I posed a fundamental question to myself, and now extend it to you:
How can I align AI usage with my values?
When contemplating AI’s role in content creation, a resounding “no” surfaces. Thus, I pen my own words. Similarly, the thought of AI fabricating my portraits elicits a firm rejection, prompting me to engage a photographer for unadulterated snapshots.
In both business and life, my principles of creativity, authenticity, quality, and joy form the bedrock of my decisions. Embracing these values delineates a clear path forward in integrating technology within my ethos.
AI serves as a wellspring of inspiration for me. When stymied by a headline or branding quandary, I tap AI for synonyms and alternative phrasings to jump-start my creativity. I revel in using AI to satirize societal norms, as evidenced by McDonald’s MCD Brazil’s whimsical bid to anoint a burger champion via ChatGPT-generated musings splashed across outdoor billboards in São Paulo (prompting a cheeky retort from Burger King). This fusion of trending tech and brand marketing tickles my fancy.
So, as we navigate this brave new world — a perpetual venture for entrepreneurs and marketers alike — I assume the guise of a scientist. I observe, experiment with what resonates with me, and curate technological facets that enhance my brand’s narrative as innovation unfurls.
AI unveils our finest and darkest inclinations. For entrepreneurs with finite resources, AI heralds a realm of possibilities. Let us not lose sight of our target audience: human beings — creatures of emotional depth, conflicting priorities, and, above all, heart — a realm where AI falters to emulate.
Victors in the AI domain will be those who wield it in harmony with their core values, reflecting their essence. AI at a dollar store may go unnoticed, but at Louis Vuitton, it takes on a whole new dimension.
Find your equilibrium amidst the AI tumult, but safeguard your principles fervently.
The article “AI is the Antithesis of Authenticity — But There’s Hope. Here’s How We Can Align Our Human Values with AI.” first appeared on MarketBeat.
