New technologies have long caused a mixture of fear and fascination within the creative industry. But with the advent of generative AI, existential panic has risen to a whole new level.
While some claim this technology will boost human creativity and productivity, many see robots taking over.
AI’s achievements are already evident across the creative industry, with award-winning AI artwork and AI-generated songs by Drake and The Weeknd going viral.
Meanwhile, in the world of brands, we’ve seen AI-created ad campaigns for Martini and Coca-Cola, and Levi’s controversially using AI models on its website to make it more “expressive.” increase.
It doesn’t matter if you side with Nick Cave, who called the ChatGPT-produced song “written like Nick Cave” a “grotesque mockery of being human,” or Grimes, who welcomed it. Not the use of her voice in an AI-generated song – if you work in any creative industry, you’re bound to come across AI in some form or another.
But the threat it poses to our creativity, and even our work, is of little concern at this point.
Given the buzz around sustainability in the world of business and brands, it’s surprising how little discussion has taken place about the impact of AI and technology on the planet.
Because while the potential for AI to sap human creativity is debatable, there is no doubt that at its current rate of expansion, it will portend the earth’s doom.
MIT reports that training a single AI model could emit nearly five times the lifetime emissions of an average American car.
The carbon footprint of the cloud is currently larger than the entire airline industry, and one data center can consume as much electricity as 50,000 homes.
As tech companies compete in an escalating AI arms race, and as the scale of these tools grows, so does their potential disruption to the planet.
At the same time, AI has been hailed by some as a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, with uses ranging from coordinating power grids to helping design energy-efficient buildings.
But the potential here should not mean turning a blind eye to the need for strong regulation to prevent AI tools becoming more effective at promoting climate change than fighting it. is not.
“AI is both an enabler and a potential disruptor of climate change,” said Virginia Dignam, an AI professor of social ethics at Umeå University in Sweden.
What is clear is that while many brands are enjoying the shiny new toy of AI, leaders of companies and brands are looking beyond novelty stunts to explore the role of AI in their businesses, from logistics to manufacturing, and how it will affect them. It means you have to judge and evaluate what it means. For triple returns.
As AI seems to be more than just a ephemera moment in our industry, the future will scrutinize the production costs of IRL filming and AI-generated video content, so AI-generated images and requests for copies may increase. clearly attributed.
The industry should now focus on the ethics of using AI-generated images and models, and the potential impact of distorted beauty standards resulting from AI imagery on the next generation.
Of course, some people try to let the AI judge on such matters, but the last time I checked, the AI has no human conscience.
So, before AI crosses the brink, we’ll explain the human brainpower and behavior that save our only known home.
Malcolm Pointon, Global Chief Creative Officer, Cheil Worldwide
