Why Artificial Intelligence Will Enhance Creativity, Not Replace It

As we begin to understand how technology can transform every element of both our personal and work life, the global community is once again divided through their excitement or fear of the unknown. Just when you thought the lazy Skynet comparisons had finally been laid to rest, there are many publications spreading fear through stories that artificial intelligence (AI) could mean the end of creativity.

Sure, it's natural for marketers and creatives to be protective of their livelihoods, but just like technology, we too must evolve with the ever-changing digital landscape. The reality is that AI will not replace creativity, but it will help humans enhance it.

Enhancing Creativity Through AI

Taryn Southern is an excellent example of what can be achieved by embracing technology and positioning herself as a digital storyteller. Her YouTube videos had already reached over 700 million views online, but the artist explored the unknown by creating an album which was entirely composed with the help of AI.

Taryn did not stop there and introduced technology to enhance every aspect of the creative process. The music videos that accompanied the singles also leverage AR, VR, and 360° video technology. Taryn has even created a new system that enabled hundreds of artists to collaborate on an album and split the royalty payments using Ethereum smart contracts.

As someone who is fascinated by the intersection of science, tech, and storytelling, Taryn is also producing a documentary on the future of the human brain and a music album composed with artificial intelligence. Does this sound like AI has replaced Taryn's creativity or enhance it to create something unique in a world where everything has been done before?

Why AI is Marketers and Creatives Best Friend

Our fear and distrust of technology have changed very little over the last few hundred years. However, corporate creatives should be embracing the benefits that AI and machine learning, especially considering that this technology could turn out to be their best friend.

What value is there in creatives getting bogged down with time-consuming low-level tasks? Consumers now expect brands to deliver seamless, engaging digital experiences at their convenience through all stages of the buying journey across a myriad of devices. They demand immediate value and, if your business cannot deliver, they will find another brand that can.

There is also an increasing number of social media channels appearing as fickle users of all ages ditch the more traditional platforms such as Facebook. Securing the attention of your global audience is marketers biggest challenge and this is why AI could offer a much needed helping hand.

AI can make sense of the sea of data you have been collecting and provide insights around what content will appeal to niche audiences to not only increase conversions but also generate customer loyalty. Why would you spend hours tracking content, tagging and organising it when AI can perform the same tasks in minutes?

Meanwhile, companies that do not adapt to these changes and continue to slowly serve generic or irrelevant content will inevitably fall out of favour. The real challenge facing Marketers is that having the right content is no longer enough. The seamless distribution of messages across all stages of the buying journey, at the right time, on the right devices is what businesses need to be aiming for.

By automating the routine elements of this process, creatives can gain more time to work on original concepts.” Vijay Gupta retail strategy director at Adobe

 Ironically, creatives have been slowly getting overwhelmed by tedious and time-consuming manual tasks. Their creativity has been shackled by process and desperately need technology to ease the burden.

AI is just one of the many tools at our disposal that will enable marketers to get back to what they are best at. Generating engaging and relevant stories that not only reach the global community but inspire them through personalised digital experiences.

Conclusion

There is no algorithm for creativity and machines will not replace people anytime soon. However, we need to understand that the fact that the average worker spends 28% of the working week managing email and nearly 20% looking for information internally is not sustainable.

The brave new digital world is not about replacing people with tech; it's about setting workers free from mundane tasks and working alongside machines rather than against them. This is a new level of collaboration that helps us work or create more efficiently.

We are starting to see a new generation of marketers and creatives that can perform tasks in minutes rather than weeks. Those that choose to ignore this trend or bury their head in the sand could end up sacrificing their strategic advantage or lose their competitive market edge. There is little doubt that whether you are an artist or a marketer for a fortune 500 company; AI will not replace your creativity, it will enhance it.