AI won’t kill creativity but it will put down slow and bloated ways of working, according to Mandie van der Merwe, CCO at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia.
“Creativity is a choice,” she told the audience at Meta Fest.
“Just like I chose to put on these shoes today, you can choose to embed creativity in everything you do to avoid going to the dystopia of a brand that doesn’t have a soul or a voice.
“We’re going to be fine as creatives but I do think AI will kill slow and bloated ways of working, and everyone who knows me knows I like to get things done, so bring on that.”
“I also suspect the power will shift from who makes the most to who makes it matter the most, so getting the right message at the right time to the right person is really important.”
Van der Merwe said Publicis Groupe is consolidating all its data under a single entity called Core AI.
She believes AI is this “great north star”, not something which is going to replace jobs.
“AI is just going to become more and more central to everything that we do but it will never replace creative minds,” she said.
“We’ve got to balance our investment in technology and the talent that we bring into the business, and make sure AI integration actually supports creative excellence.
“We're not inheriting stuff, we're creating the future, and I find that exciting.”
Van der Merwe said AI is rapidly evolving and warned that over-reliance on buzzwords and personalisation can cause brands to lose their relevance.
“I think it’s reshaping what gets said, when it gets said, how it gets said and who it gets said by, and to me that is just incredible,” she said.
“I think when brands lean too heavily into that, there’s a big watch out, because without involving creatives and involving humans, you’re at risk of turning those powerful tools into brand killers.”
Van der Merwe said a brilliant creative idea is something that gives a client and their brand an “emotional advantage”.
“You don't get that by short cutting or truncating or thinking that creativity matters less, so make sure you have a good idea and humans have come up with it,” she said.
“I’m excited for the future because it allows me more time to do what I enjoy doing, like spending time with ideas, thinking about it, understanding humans, coming up with real insights and figuring out how that connects.
“I certainly didn't get into this job to spend hours and hours composing the perfect picture to sell an idea to a client.”
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.