This article is sponsored by design.
Image description: Not even a farewell lunch from the AI colleagues. They are too cold.
It took just 11.23 seconds. That’s all it took to generate 10 variations of the title. On an average service of about 99 Mbps in an office of about 100 people. Even the fastest writer struggles to match the speed of generating AI prompts in 11 seconds. Let alone generating article titles.
Is AI helping much? Except that all 10 titles are paraphrased with a distinct lack of style and personality. For example, while “Enduring AI: How creatives can adapt and thrive” is reasonably good, the word choice is unconvincing. If 10 variations in 11 seconds is a commendable feat, should we value speed over quality? And should creative professionals panic?
AI has indeed firmly established itself in many sectors, promising expertise, innovation and new capabilities. Its influence extends to the creative realms of design, music, writing and even filmmaking.
In advertising and marketing, AI can automate time-consuming tasks like data analysis and content creation to bring efficiency to teams that are overworked and facing deadlines.
When it comes to personalization, AI has expertise in microtargeting that allows it to adapt a key idea to multiple messages tailored to each individual’s needs. It seems like many roles could be integrated, and it’s no wonder that advertising professionals aren’t rushing to adopt AI.
We may have seen the rise of AI tools in everyday use in recent years and it may seem like AI is a new technological development. But did you know that the idea of AI was born in 1950 thanks to the brilliant Alan Turing when he reflected in his paper “Computing Machines and Intelligence” – if machines could do what humans do using available information and reason to solve problems.
The late 1950s and 1960s were a time of birth and growth for AI. Fast forward to the rise of AI in the 1980s, followed by an AI winter where awareness declined and interest hit an all-time low.
It wasn’t until 1997, when IBM’s Deep Blue beat world chess champion Garry Kasparov in turn, that the world became aware of machine learning again. We digress. Today, there is no shortage of chess champions, and creativity has not been affected for over 20 years.
In fact, the presence of AI in creative fields is undeniable. Tools such as Adobe’s Sensei and DeepArt are revolutionizing design by automating tasks, improving creativity, and accelerating production processes.
Musicians are using AI to compose music, analyze trends, and produce unique sounds. In writing, AI-powered platforms like GPT-4 (the technology that powers ChatGPT) can generate content, help with brainstorming, and even write articles. These advances illustrate the potential of AI to enhance creative processes, but does this necessarily mean the end of human creativity?
This writer is happy to report that no, AI cannot replace creative talent. Not yet.
The first version of this article (and all 10 title variations) was first generated by ChatGPT. Only about 20% of the generated work was retained. After the third paragraph, it became clear that the AI is repeating itself. A lot.
His tone is as thoughtless as the technology itself: mechanical. Unless, of course, he is prompted to create with a specific tone of voice. But alas, this writer is not Hemingway, Rowling or King, and teaching the typewriter to type in the style of an unknown individual takes time. Time that could have been better spent, well, creating.
AI excels at handling repetitive, data-driven tasks. So instead of asking it to create, I use it to turn research into digestible summaries. I drop user feedback (usually negative) and ask it to analyze the psychosocial motivations of trolls. I come up with ridiculous design combinations just for mindless fun.
These varieties become a source of inspiration for generating unexpected associations. I talk to him as I would talk to a partner during a brainstorming session. He provides me with information without the impertinent attitude of someone who is seriously lacking sleep. In fact, he excites me with information about users I don’t know because certain behaviors are not common in my location and culture. He is an assistant I can call for help at any time of the day without fear of disrupting his work-life balance.
Creativity is not about coming up with eight versions of the same story. It is about creating connections and emotions through the telling of a personal experience. Creativity is often inspired by the creator’s fears, dreams, and ambitions, the travels they have taken, and the cultures they have encountered. It is a window into the creator’s unique personality and style. Creating characters and storylines that resonate on a personal level.
AI may be able to create stories based on patterns and data, but it lacks the emotional depth to move an audience. There are only so many unflappable slow-motion talents that can be matched on Instagram. It’s safe to say that the human touch is irreplaceable. TikTok dance challenges can live on.
What AI lacks, humans need to improve. Keep thinking outside the box. Be crazy, be funny, be unexpected. Learn the craft and perfect it. Our job in the creative industry is to stand out from the rest. And right now, what AI is doing is adding to the chaos.
The creatives who survive the AI Apocalypse will be the ones who think. The ones who persist in learning and evolving. The ones who use AI to their advantage. What will power the future of creativity comes down to how creative professionals harness AI to explore new mediums, experiment with innovative techniques, and use AI to push the boundaries of their craft.
Creatives don’t need to get out their suitcases right now. But when the time comes, I’m sure AI can help them.
This article was co-created by ChatGPT and Christan Sow, Creative and Content Lead at designory. Actually, it was mostly Christan, but she would like to congratulate the AI for respecting the Oxford comma.
