Generative AI may be the magic potion small marketing agencies have been waiting for

Gartner recently released its list of 7 Technology Disruptions That Will Impact Sales Through 2027. One was generative artificial intelligence. Gartner defined generative AI as AI that “learns from existing content artifacts to generate new, realistic artifacts that reflect, but do not replicate, the features of the training data.” In simple terms, it can produce completely new content, such as images, videos, text and code, with very simple inputs.

Generative AI is going to completely change the marketing landscape, among many other areas. For example, type any combination of descriptors into OpenAI’s DALL·E 2 and AI creates realistic and/or artistic images. In fact, the title image of this piece was created using that technology, by simply typing in the phrase: “How generative AI will help marketing teams around the world.” All of a sudden, any firm can become a one-stop creative shop with tools that can increase efficiency and creativity.

With almost limitless possibilities, what does this mean for professionals and their job security?

While new AI tools are changing marketing, they are not completely replacing human marketers. At almost every AI company I’ve represented at my communications firm, the computational intelligence has been there to supplement – but not completely replace – human capabilities. While the AI’s ability to enable new things was undeniable, these tasks were best performed with an expert’s touch at the end to make final decisions.

Here are three ways to increase a marketing firm’s reach using new AI tools while still keeping professionals in the creative driver’s seat.

Cultivate limitless brainstorming potential with generative AI

Few things haunt a marketer like a blank slate, and often the first step is the hardest. This is where generative AI can come to the rescue. According to a blog by Sequoia Capital, this technology will help users thrive from a tight iterative creative cycle between man and machine. These accelerated cycles can be very beneficial early in any initiative.

If a visually-driven project needs inspiration, programs like DALL-E 2 or Stable Diffusion can quickly generate images from text prompts. These signature works can either fuel new creative ideas, or be the starting point for visual artists to build on. For the linguistically-minded, products like Jasper and Copy.ai use generative AI to help marketing copy ideas flow. Not only can it increase anyone’s imagination capacity, but Sequoia believes that generative AI can make workers at least 10% more efficient and/or creative.

Hack creative brains for new input

Beyond simply brainstorming, these tools can literally expand business presentations. Now a company can create visuals for their writing, or enhanced copy to their visuals. It’s a game changer for smaller businesses, like the one I run, where I can now add a new dimension to my work. However, people should proceed with caution. This technology is still in its infancy and needs supervision.

If someone is generally a visual artist, I suggest using AI-generated content sparingly at first and really paying attention to what the AI ​​comes up with. Or, if a marketer is more adept at writing copy, start by creating images as a way to complement an article, blog or press release. The key is to start small and build as you adapt to how these tools work. While they may generate the final product, it will help users define input processes to start slowly, thereby promoting unique and branded outcomes.

Repeat continuously at speed

One key element of a marketer’s job is creating foundational brand elements—from written messaging and positioning to brand logos, colors, and more—and constantly tweaking concepts along the way. Rowan Curran, a Forrester AI/ML and data science analyst, cites speed limitations as a reason for adopting generative AI. According to his report, “human-produced content creation will never be fast enough to address the need for personalized content at scale, and in the next year we expect at least 10% of [Fortune 500] companies are investing in AI-assisted digital content creation.” Like Curran, Gartner predicts that by 2025, 30% of outbound messages from large organizations will be synthetically generated. This means that repetitions can occur at much faster speeds.

There is also an opportunity for companies to unlock new content from unlikely sources. For example, a marketing lead might have their writers create generative AI visuals, and their designers bring their visual minds to work on AI-assisted copy. All of a sudden, there will be entirely new concepts created by hacking creative minds traversing unusual media—all unlocked by generative AI.

So, does this spell the end of the marketer? Not entirely. Campaigns still require expert oversight at the end to ensure that content is fully within a brand’s ethos and is deployed in the right place and at the right time. Make no mistake, however: these processes will soon become fully intertwined with human-driven content creation.

Peter Weltman is a public relations and communications specialist for Man of the World Media.