AI — Brace Or Embrace

AI has integrated into virtually everyone’s workflows without too much commotion, but with a new generation of tools (and soon agents) about to be dropped into the cloud, how will we react? OpenAI’s promising new video generation tool, Sora, is still set to launch, and I feel more anxiety in the creative industry than I sense excitement. As the Chief Creative Officer of a well-established branding and advertising agency, I feel the responsibility to help bring clarity to my community.

Two years ago, I didn’t care much about AI. I was like most of us fooled by the plethora of 6-finger hands it produced and assumed that creative craftsmanship could never be replaced by creative automation. I should have known better. After all, years ago, I had worked on a launch campaign for Uber, which featured the exact same dynamic — and a decade later, I live in a city where AI-powered cars drive people around without a driver, for a fraction of even an Uber. So as a creative now somewhat sitting in the taxi driver’s seat, I know better than to spend my energy trying to stop progress. I feel obligated to think about the next ten years. I am a dreamer, but I am not one to live in a fantasy.

So I spent the last year really diving into the forces behind the AI revolution in order to lift the mystical veil and gain a clearer understanding of the trajectory we are on. Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel, was the first to bring forth this idea we now call Moore’s law, which is essentially the gist behind today’s AI revolution. In 1965, he made the observation that our experience of network technology would always be in direct correlation with the physical advancement of integrated circuit boards (duh, right?). Consider that every two years, the number of transistors on a chip doubles, which in turn allows technology to get twice as good. This ‘magical’ exponential quality is why computing power has become today’s gold rush. To put this in scale, NVIDIA (one of the leading microchip innovators, which produces circuits used for applications such as AI computing) has now surpassed Apple in terms of valuation. Some analysts like Beth Kindig (I/O Fund project) have predicted that it may even reach a $10 trillion valuation by 2030, if current market dynamics and demand for AI continue (Apple should reach $5 trillion by that time). Meta is reported to have about 500,000 units of NVIDIA ‘AI’ chip ($40,000 a pop), and now OpenAi is raising trillions to build its own microchips (trillions!!!). These astronomical numbers are simply mind-boggling.

Now why does this matter to us?

Companies have been amassing ‘big data’ for over two decades (in part provided free of charge by us, the people using services offered by the likes of companies like Meta) and we have reached the threshold where it is finally paying off, now that new technological hardware and AI software can together crunch the massive databanks. The promise is that this should unlock unimaginable new opportunities for whoever has the means to acquire such computational power. So we have almost an entire tech industry (hardware and software) obsessed with this idea that we are on the verge of a data processing breakthrough, and the world’s wealthiest organizations are backing them. By now, you should recognize that this is not a fleeting trend.

On a more personal note, I signed up to a lot of very deep and forward AI news and threads on X and LinkedIn, trying to curate the full spectrum of points of view to better map the range of potential outcomes, and had to slow down my consumption to protect my sanity and remain somewhat functional and grounded in present reality. There is currently an overwhelming “crack energy” coming from the AI scene that I feel compelled to resist. The unforeseen scale of this technological effort invites as many positive outcomes as it paints the picture of our future dystopia. AI leaders are nothing short of high on man-made divine power. Whether AI will result in unlocking the world’s most complex challenges as we are led to believe, whether it will disappoint us in creating even more obscene fortune for its disciples, or whether this turns out to be a self-proclaimed Napoleonic delusion bubble, at this point, the obligation to comply combined with a lack of basic humility or concern for the fragile balance of our systems feels akin to dictatorship. Sigh… and yet again, capitalism rolls out the red carpet for megalomania.

After gaining this perspective, do I think that AI is a threat to our creative industry? I imagine that by now you see where this is heading…

I deeply believe that some level of alarm is mandatory to motivate us to actively keep an eye on any AI development. I wouldn’t use the word alarm if this technological endeavor was propelled by companies like Apple who take pride in shielding its cult followers from any technological threat or from Adobe whose mission is ultimately to cater to creatives. Unfortunately, as you can hear in interviews with Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI), the leaders setting the pace of the AI revolution are willing to “steamroll” anyone who doesn’t accept it, even if this means wiping out businesses and even entire professional sectors. Because, as we’ve established earlier, the AI race is not about human/machine collaboration, it’s ultimately about whoever creates the most powerful form of AI, which is by definition designed to progressively require less from humans and ultimately reach full autonomy. So, I think it’s safer to assume that AI will be capable of doing anything I or my team can do for a fraction of the cost. And most importantly, I also think it’s better to assume that AI will be able to do so faster than we can imagine it. So how do we prepare for this?

Don’t bank solely on “protecting” your craft. I get it, the underdog fighter energy, the thought that there will always be a customer ready to pay for a highly crafted piece of personalized creative woven with skills, rigor and human passion. This was my original mindset “AI will dilute the world’s creativity, and we will stand out and shine for the authenticity of our work”. This is an honorable illusion that I maintained while I kept my head comfortably in the sand before I took the time to size my opponents, before I realized that there are billions of dollars out there working hard to steamroll me. It’s just not a fair fight. I personally have made my peace in adopting a more progressive mindset, integrating AI in my workflow as much as possible, reminding myself that what AI doesn’t do today, thousands of elite engineers will surprise me with tomorrow. Consider that the general perceptual market value of creative work will be affected in the next few years and that those who benefit from AI efficiency will be at an advantage. And perhaps find solace in the idea that you may even unlock new ways to evolve your own craft, signature or purpose. After all, the tools are new — creative innovation is anyone’s game. Just stay on top of it.

I think that creatives and agencies will need to look beyond mere output. We need to prepare for a world of visual saturation (hard to imagine as it feels like we are in fact already, visually saturated). In a couple of years, even your local coffee shop will hang witty intricate creative posters worthy of a Nike ad. I believe that everything will become so perfectly rendered that people will develop a tolerance to beauty and our creative craftsmanship won’t feel so magical after all. So what will justify hiring you or your agency? What will justify going for the ‘more expensive creative service’? As brands and advertising will hit more and more “Teflon eyes,” I think that the ability to inspire awe will become our essential differentiator.

So far, the formula we used at TUX to design awe looks something like human truth x storytelling x craft, keeping in mind that at least one of those needs to have a ‘novel’ factor. If none of the three components of your project bring a new twist, then there is no ‘gift’ for the receiver and you are basically just offering a different version of something they’ve already seen out there without triggering any delight. As AI will provide everyone with the ability to pilot infinitely new visual connections at lightning speed (you’ve probably seen Sora’s stained glass turtle), visual innovation doesn’t feel like a sustainable way to differentiate your business in the long run, unless your company runs its own AI servers ‘off the grid’ and decides to pursue bespoke training unaffected by the masses, but that’s a topic for another article. AI will also most certainly be able to assist with building a million alternative storytelling arcs from which you’ll have the ability to curate the most exciting idea, based on say a prompted survey of what’s out there. As computing capabilities will become increasingly accessible (because they will), you’ll eventually have the ability to do things like ask it to review all branded ads from the last year, extract the storytelling narrative, and provide novel ways to build your story arc. Storytelling really is a form of word algebra that machines have already proved they can process. When it comes to finding the human value in creating distinctive creative awe, the only remaining component is human truth. I love that we were already calling it this way, talk about a self-fulfilling agency prophecy. And it makes total sense; human truths are basically intuitions we (humans) get either from observing sub-cultures as they react to mass trends and sentiments over time, or by feeling some form of fatigue, overexposure or pressure ourselves.

Following the logic established in this article, one could argue that AI will have the ability to read into clout sentiments and predict new movements. But I think that even if it can assemble a comprehensive landscape of possible outcomes, it won’t have the ability to sense which will arise next, without being tipped off by some human first. So this is our call to invest in our gut now more than ever. What AI will probably qualify as ‘human randomness,’ I think will become valuable for brands seeking external creative help. In a sea of immaculate content with clever storytelling, communications that activate a deep feeling, ripe for cultural interest, will win. Organizations will need help pointing at the tipping point between trend and counter-trend. They will see value in creative work that explores timely feelings, feeds delightful conversations and invites their communities’ hearts to it. Remember that we, artists, have always been mirrors of society. Our art has the power to catalyze progress. Now think about the type of progress you wish to get behind.

I want to leave you with this important thought. As creative craftsmanship will be democratized and our skills will become common tools; as you will spend less time and effort (insert passion) to create beautiful things, ask yourself, “where will I get my creative satisfaction from?”. If you don’t get a kick from igniting subcultural sentiments, where will you find your creative motivation? Some speculate that at the far end of this AI and automation revolution lies a great societal challenge: if people are ultimately not required to build things, they will lose purpose. This idea, even as a single thought amongst a universe of possibilities, is as chilling to me as a nuclear disaster. The only way for me to process forward is to mentally fight this spiritual war with the unshakeable belief that the world will always need more awe. So I will do anything I can to keep sharpening my creative mind. I will pivot, adapt, learn, and grow, regardless of my seeming position in this race. And this, to me, is the immutable source of motivation I need to feel worthy and in control — whatever happens next.

In Short

1. Start thinking, “AI will excel at this tomorrow.”

2. Your current plan may not be ambitious enough; AI is advancing faster than anticipated.

3. Embrace the excitement of discovering new roles and opportunities created by AI.

4. Find reassurance in leveraging what AI lacks—your human intuition. Trust that your instincts will become more valuable than ever before.

This text is from Ludwig Ciupka, Co-Founder, Chief Creative Officer @ TUX Creative Co.