Last week I delivered a training session on how to modernize your marketing briefs and briefings. In this session, I cover a concept that I call ‘Briefstorming’ (the trademark is available for sale). I was struggling to find a background visual for my presentation, so I turned to Bing Image Creator (powered by DALL·E 3) to create one: “cartoon picture of lightbulbs raining from the sky with lightning in the style of a keith herring”. It was a simple, little experiment that reinforced for me the importance of investing time in using these tools to understand their potential fit in my own work.
Following that thread, there’s lots to keep up with in the world of generative AI:
AI & Translation: New tools (like HeyGen) are being used not only to translate recorded voices to different languages, but bringing the promise of instant universal translation to life. Spotify is apparently exploring how it can use these tools to translate podcasts into different languages. I’m feeling better about my decision to drop French in Grade 10.
AI & Music: AI is expected to impact the music business significantly within the next year, bringing with it many concerns over copyright protections. Spotify will allow AI-made music that is not impersonating an existing artist (autotune is still permitted, unfortunately).
AI & Chatbots: AI-powered chatbots are becoming pervasive, and Meta is incorporating these tools across its products including celebrity versions including Snoop Dogg (has he ever turned down a sponsorship opportunity?) ChatGPT is becoming more current as it will access up to date information vs. the previous cut-off of September 2021.
AI & Images: OpenAI (ChatGPT) announced that it will be releasing text-to-image capabilities, and Getty Images is fighting back from having its images scraped by other models by releasing its own an AI-powered image generator that produces commercially safe outputs. My friend Carlos Garavito is a great follow on LinkedIn (and IRL) – he is sharing his own AI-powered images and prompts daily.
AI & Smart Reads: I’m admittedly still trying to get my head around AI….how it works, where it’s heading, and what it all means for marketers and businesses. I’ll continue to share the resources that I come across that I find helpful, here are a few:
‘Generative AI exists because of the transformer’ (FT): Excellent visual essay on how large language models (LLMs) work.
The shape of the shadow of The Thing (Ethan Mollick): New post from my favourite AI thinker / writer; great take on putting a conceptual ‘form’ on generative AI.
Generative AI’s Act Two (Sequoia): A great backgrounder on the AI market / product landscape and where it is heading.
Fresh Decks
The Cost of Dull: A few slides on a study being done by Peter Field (of Long / Short fame) and Adam Morgan (eatbigfish) on the cost of overly-rational advertising. Some good data points in here if you’re trying to convince someone to take a chance on more emotional creative.
Chaos in the FYP (OK COOL): Smart, fun deck on the latest trends driving engagement on TikTok. Lots of inspirational examples and practical tips for brands.
Gen X & Social Media (Wavemaker): Study of the social media habits of the Gen X audience that “is largely ignored by brands and the advertising industry”. As a proud Gen X-er slacker...whatever, I don’t care.
Cool Beans
Tinder is sponsoring a pop-up shop to help singles remove their old couples tattoos by turning them into new pieces of art.
Ray-Ban Meta Smartglasses: Cool beans? We’ll see – but the reviews of the product are surprisingly positive. If this means that people standing in front of me at concerts will start recording video using their glasses instead of holding up their phones, I’m all in.
Lapse: A new social ‘disposable camera’ app that allows people to take 36 pictures within a group chat, and only view the pics after all have been taken. Fun idea.
