It seems like every day there are new headlines about AI. On social media I've recently seen Ghibli-style art and Barbie doll trends flood newsfeeds. AI is also taking market share in the search business. No more scrolling through a novel before getting to a recipe you searched for. AI-powered chatbots will get right to the point.

As a tech enthusiast, I’m thrilled to see advancements in the industry about how AI can improve what we can create and accomplish. As a designer, I was hesitant at first, but after working with a variety of tools for a while it’s become easier to see the appeal. Here are some of my thoughts on the changing landscape, how it affects the advertising industry and the future of AI:

QUICK BACKGROUND

AI has come a long way in a short amount of time. On the hardware side, NVIDIA stock is currently up over 1,500% in the past five years. On the software side, OpenAI, a company that is less than 10 years old, is now valued at $300B.

However, the initial hype and enthusiasm around AI’s possibilities quickly revealed a divide: early-adopters were running full speed ahead, while others hesitated.

New tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney were launched and AI-integration with existing tools such as Photoshop and Premiere Pro became available. As more of these tools for creativity started to generate solid results, it became clear that AI could really enhance our work and increase our productivity to amplify creativity, not replace it. The essence of creativity will remain human, fueled by intuition, emotions and team collaborations.

Conquering Creative Fears: AI's Role as an Ally, Not an Adversary

With 83% of creative professionals already leveraging AI tools, the integration of AI in creative fields is less about AI taking over and more about how it can act as a powerful ally in the creative journey. As searches for AI-related topics now outpace those for pop culture icons like Taylor Swift, it's clear that interest in AI's potential is skyrocketing. 

Yet, despite this growing adoption, emotional barriers and a lack of understanding about how to effectively use AI persist. Despite the fact that the majority of people today use AI at work (75%), many people fear AI. Yet 77% of the people who fear AI admit that those fears are emotional rather than rational, reflecting that, as is often the case—us humans are the problem.

Source: Superside

Recent Superside statistics project that the global market value for generative AI will reach nearly $137 billion by 2030, with the marketing and creative industries leading in AI adoption.

AI'S ROLE AS AN ALLY, NOT AN ADVERSARY

With 83% of creative professionals already leveraging AI tools, the integration of AI in creative fields is less about AI taking over and more about how it can act as a powerful ally in the creative journey.

Five Ways to Boost Your Creative Genius with AI

1. Want to Analyze Data Fast? AI Finds New Pathways 

With so much content available, authenticity and personalization breaks through the mold. AI excels in analyzing vast datasets to identify trends and patterns that might not be immediately obvious. This capability can inspire creatives by uncovering new angles and ideas that are statistically poised for impact. For instance, AI models can speed up creative research by identifying behavior trends by analysing reviews, keywords, search phrases, and more, providing a solid starting point for creative projects and ad campaigns. It’s the human creative who then interprets these insights and sets the vision going forward, pushing beyond the predictable to create something truly unique that resonates with the intended audience.

2. Less Mundane Tasks, More Time for Creativity

Some of the most time-consuming aspects of the creative process include resizing, iteration and other production-related bottlenecks such as transcribing and animating captions. AI can automate the more routine parts of this process, such as resizing images or testing different color schemes, allowing creatives to focus on the more innovative aspects of their projects.

In addition to this, image and video generation make it easier to present new ideas and prototypes to convey the vision for a campaign. During production we’ll also save time by fast and easy audio and image enhancements and resizing images for different platforms and ad networks.

Another way to speed up workflows is transcribing videos to generate captions as well as quick editing of short clips for social media from long-form footage such as a podcast.

3. Looking for New Ideas or a New Perspective? AI Can Be a Helpful Collaborator

Today, UA creative testing is crucial and volume is essential to find winning concepts. AI tools can act as collaborative partners, offering suggestions and alternatives that can be further refined by human creatives. This collaboration can lead to unexpected and fresh outcomes, pushing our creative boundaries further. The key here is that AI-powered tools make suggestions, but human creativity fine tunes and perfects.

4. Real-Time Feedback, Faster Learnings

AI has the ability to analyze how content performs in real-time, so creatives can receive immediate feedback on their ideas. This rapid feedback loop enables quicker adjustments and fine-tuning, ensuring that the final product resonates better with the intended audience. The real-time data serves as a guide, but it’s the creative professional who interprets this feedback through the lens of human experience, emotional intelligence, along with branding and tone-of-voice specifications, making the necessary adjustments for variants based on those learnings to connect more deeply with the audience.

5. AI as a Gateway For New Creative Formations

AI has unlocked new ways to generate images, video clips and other asset types, making it easier for designers to experiment with AR filters, VR, 3D modeling and more. As an example: personally, I enjoy the process and precision of manual 3D modeling, but I appreciate the convenience and rapid testing that AI unlocks to quickly create fun and engaging experiences.

Never Fear: The Future of AI is Distinctly Human

The conversation around AI in creativity is maturing. It’s moving beyond the hype and fear towards a more nuanced understanding of AI as a tool that, when used wisely, can significantly enhance the creative process. The key is to remember that AI serves as a complement to human creativity, not a replacement. It's about using these advanced tools to free up creative minds from mundane tasks, allowing them to explore the heights of their creative potential.

THE FUTURE OF AI

The conversation around AI in creativity will continue. It’s moving beyond the hype and hesitation towards a more nuanced understanding of AI as a tool that, when used wisely and with strategic prompt engineering, can significantly enhance the creative process. The key is to remember that AI serves as a complement to human creativity, not a replacement. It unlocks capabilities that help us move faster and with more precision to free up creative minds from mundane tasks, allowing us to explore the heights of their creative potential and enhance creative strategy. As AI search becomes more popular it will also be important for advertisers to make sure brands are represented accurately by large-language models to strengthen AI recognition by including LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization) as an addition to traditional SEO.

In a world powered by AI, authenticity is the key to break through the noise.

Thanks for reading!

- Philip Levin, Creative Director at CRAFTSMAN+

Meet the Future with CRAFTSMAN+

At CRAFTSMAN+, we understand the delicate balance between technology and creativity. We are committed to leveraging the latest AI tools to enhance, not replace, the human touch in our mobile ad creations. Collaborate with us to create mobile ads that resonate deeply with humans, blending cutting-edge technology with genuine creativity. Join us in shaping a future where technology amplifies creativity, bringing your most ambitious visions to life.