In a new column for The Drum, Ay? Hey, Julie Seale explains why she’s pivoting Republic of Imagination to AI video production, while wrestling with the moral confusion of what it means for craft, creativity, and livelihoods.
It’s not an arms deal, and it’s certainly not getting kids hooked on slapping. And perhaps it will be the sole cause of the downfall of huge industries, livelihoods, and human expertise, knowledge, creativity, and craft as we know them. But what should we do? Do we just bury our heads in the sand and suffocate or drown in wave after wave of AI video technology developments?
It feels morally sketchy to tell this story, but no one avoids difficult things. Welcome to The Drum’s new opinion column: Oh? Eh.
For international readers, this translates in common parlance as “What? Yes”, but for the average person, that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s about pivoting my small ad craft-driven agency, Republic of Imagination, into a pure AI video production studio while also kind of humanizing everything I do, think, and learn.
I once gave a presentation at Meta’s CPG event “Midland Mama in the Metaverse,” whose clients include P&G, J&J, and Unilever. Because if there’s anything I’m trying to prove, it’s that large-scale technology development isn’t just for gamers and gamers. My positioning for the ill-fated headset and immersive universe obsession from a few years back was that it would be great for people stuck at home, and as a disabled single mom at the time, I was exactly right. But with Zack’s hot skills, you should be able to walk around the big autograph house while enjoying another solitary night on the couch. But it’s not just supermarkets. I was also able to walk around Oliver Bonas and B&Q. You might even be able to grab a cup of tea at Jim Jam and pop into the Tate for a quick taste of the jazz bar. While 3D immersive shops and bars aren’t here yet, it could be life-changing for some communities, especially if they can find other moms and friends there, or even virtual dates. Oops. But then, as AI rose, the metaverse sank. Note: I am contractually obligated not to mention the litigation issue since then. Also, my desire to buy milk while wearing a strange mask.
But don’t get me wrong. I’m not a newbie to AI.
Since the deployment, I have relied on a variety of LLMs, from my mother’s medical drama to my own relationship therapy. I’ve been thinking basics and coming up with dinner ideas, then digging deeper and using them for large, complex projects. I don’t use it for writing, but it’s very useful for work. This will never be written by an AI. I have no particular moral objections. I just love writing. My little pinky brain would kill me if I outsourced that joy. Great for research, quick answers, and a little bit of logic and strategy sense-checking about things.
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But AI video is clearly the industry’s biggest game changer. Sure, copywriters and strategists, as well as branding designers and concept creatives, are already seeing hits, but if there’s one thing that’s going to change everything in a big way, it’s AI video.
We are now far beyond extra fingers, funny faces, and hackneyed copy smiles. We’re now in the “actually indescribable” territory with proper high quality, but that’s not the point, IMO. Video is already next level.
However, one of my favorite AI video applications is using AI video in proper human craft-driven creator work.
Our specialty this past year at Republic of Imagination has been to “collect” a database of great craft-driven creators, traditional types such as artisans, artists, illustrators, painters, sculptors, and model makers, new types such as AI artists and video artists, and performance types such as musicians, comedians, and actors. They are the polar opposite of personality-driven influencers and creators, focused on production rather than amplification. I think there is still a huge opportunity for brands to collaborate with craft-driven creators. But I also think great things can happen when you combine the work of human artists with AI video tools. That’s because production costs aren’t so prohibitive, especially for brands that require a lot of assets in a test-and-learn, algorithm-approved world. This means that artists can get paid to work with brands instead of just having their style ripped off by an ad agency’s art director, or worse, things becoming aesthetically boring and art direction dull AF. In this case, the AI video is free to move what is still. That’s great.
Anyway, this short column is here to take you on my own little journey from a layman who knows no technical jargon to meeting AI video gurus in the industry and learning, producing, and selling AI videos with and without craft-driven creators. There will be a lot of moral conflict, probably some soul-searching in pursuit of paying the bills, and almost certainly some shameless hustling and self-promotion of my new AI video production company. DM for showreel and pricing.
If you tighten the straps, they can get dirty.
Connect with Julie on LinkedIn.
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