No new solution comes without some doubt or fear. For example, when telephones were first introduced, people feared being electrocuted by them. These fears sound silly today, as telephones have since become essential, and we’ve only seen them evolve to be more useful.
Such is true with artificial intelligence. It’s natural to see the incredible leaps that technology makes daily, creating more sophisticated content and design output, and wonder if there will be a day when AI makes marketers obsolete. But like any successful resource or tool, AI is only at its best when it’s in the most capable human hands.
At Lunne, we don’t believe that AI will replace people. People who know how to harness AI's power may replace those who don’t. That’s why we have dedicated time to researching and understanding the various AI solutions available to the marketing world, and team members are sharing their experiences with others to elevate our understanding across the agency. So how are we using AI at Lunne?
The tools that we use are resources that elevate our thinking. They quickly offer another perspective, or they reduce time spent on the mundane so our talented people can focus on the bigger picture. For example, we might upload this blog into an AI tool and ask it to take a second look, offer clarity, or ensure the tone is consistent throughout. And when AI makes suggestions, we have the freedom to ignore each one! And that’s where we really make the most of the tools we have–in the way we consider what tools to use, how we take advantage of their capabilities, and when we incorporate their output.
Again, AI doesn’t do the work for us, but it brings opportunities to the surface for us to consider.
First and foremost, we know that the tools are learning all the time. This is as scary as it is cool. Because for as much as AI tools are getting smarter all the time based on the information that we provide to them, they’re also able to learn proprietary or sensitive information. And unfortunately, as has always been the case since the dawn of the internet age, it’s hard to remove something once it’s out there. So everyone at Lunne is very intentional about the kinds of information we share in our prompts. We don’t use client brand or product names, nor do we share sensitive details about their programs or offerings.
We’re also aware of the way AI learns, especially in image creation. These tools have reviewed original art from millions of artists, meaning there is some piece of someone’s original work incorporated into the output, even if it’s hard to notice. Therefore, it’s important that we take the output of AI and work with it enough to ensure that it’s truly a unique and ownable piece.
We recently worked with a leading educational brand that had great questions about how Lunne incorporated AI tools into their advertising. They wondered if the AI-generated art could be open to legal repercussions if a human artist found some of their work influenced the tools. This savvy and careful client also wondered if there was a chance that another brand might tap into the same AI tools that we use and come away with a nearly identical output.
First, we don’t take AI-generated output and use it without modification. We don’t believe in copying and pasting the result of an AI prompt. Our skilled copywriters may use AI to review or summarize their original work, and then further edit the recommendations that the tool makes. Our designers may start with an AI image, but they will then make modifications to perfect it. In the case of the advertising image that we created for this client, our designer took parts of multiple AI-generated images and compiled them into a truly one-of-a-kind piece.
Beyond that, AI doesn’t generate the same thing twice. Each result is a unique and new opportunity for the AI tool to create something better, so you should never see an identical result even when using the exact same wording in your AI prompt. Therefore, there is little risk of anyone creating a replica of your AI-generated assets.
There’s an arms race for each brand to reach a mythical finish line first. It’s driving tons of resources and (human) intelligence to be focused on making each resource the best.
But as an agency serving some of the most prominent health and finance brands, we also remain flexible to each of our client’s comfort levels with new tools, including AI resources. Some companies are still wary of incorporating AI into their marketing efforts or unsure where to start. At Lunne, we partner with our clients in a way that respects their decisions while still guiding them toward a competitive advantage within their markets. We know that in these complex, highly regulated industries, trust is paramount–trust between us and our clients as well as trust between our clients and their prospects and customers. If a client’s guidelines discourage the use of AI, we won’t use it. However, that list of companies is shrinking by the minute, with more and more brands trying to learn how to embrace these advancements in the most responsible ways. No matter where our partners are in terms of their comfort with AI advancements, we respect their conservative or ambitious approaches.
As you and your marketing teams begin (or continue) to grow comfortable with the support AI tools can provide, you’ll need a marketing partner who is informed and responsible with these powerful and ever-changing resources.