AI will not kill the creative business — here’s why.
You’ve heard it: AI is here and quickly infiltrating every aspect of creative development. Before we dive into why we don’t foresee AI being the demise of unique creative output and why we think it can be a creator's super powers, let’s define AI.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) models are algorithms designed to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. AI models can perform a variety of tasks, including image recognition, language translation, and decision-making.”
This is an actual definition from AI tool, OpenAI's GPT, which is a language model. Kinda meta, right?
These tools are powerful, allowing anyone to summon poems, papers, images– even music– all with a strategically worded command. Although it's impossible to know for sure how technology will impact culture, here's a few predictions we have.
1. Filling Our Skills Gaps Could Get Easier.
The ability to create assisted unique bodies of work democratizes the skills needed to resonate in today's markets. That means designer, you can finally get that copy support for SEO, email marketing, social support, or any of the million other ways that we need to write. For writers, the complimentary is true and while neither will get the best rendition of either craft, there's an argument to be made about whether in this mass per consumption of content weather, every piece of writing or work put out is worthy of isolated praise.
2. In a Sea of Computer Copies, Original Work Sticks Out.
Unique Intellectual Property will increase in social value. The production of original thought has been– and will continue to be–an invaluable output of the human experience. While these AI tools can reproduce work from work that has already been created, truly unique intellectual property and perspectives will continue to prevail.
3. Time and Energy-Saving Curated Work Takes The Win In Our Convenience Capitalism.
We often pay the premium for a curated experience because of convenience. AI has the ability to put images and words or information together (although sometimes inaccurately), but is it what we want? Oftentimes, trying to get the tool to build the image or words in your head can be quite challenging– even when we feel like we're giving all the details. Turns out AI isn't quite able to mind read or capture the nuance of a memory we shared to help bring a creative vision to life. Being able to work with an expert to get exactly what you want in the time frame you want, it'll always be highly valued.
4. Every Time Someone Curses Technology, A New Job Opening Is Created.
Technology is a bitch and not everyone will know know to use it. As anyone who has frustratingly looked for hours to find an answer to a question on the internet knows, it's not enough that these tools exist — it matters how they're used. The fact is, many people won't know how to use these tools and within the growing support economy for people who do they are able to charge as such. This could provide a new avenue for creative, poo find unique ways to leverage the technologies built to bring solutions to more people.
The best thing creative businesses can do today is to prepare for the always adapting landscape. That means conducting, at minimum, a serious swat analysis to understand the risks and opportunities that each changing the landscape brings. Learn more about SWOT analysis and how to do one here.
It's impossible to know what else the world awaits, as it's changes become increasingly exponential, but it's our job to stay on top of the present to make the best predictions in our businesses for the future.
If all else fails and by the end of this article you're still not feeling confident about AI's role in creative industries, then remember this: Chat GPT, and other AI tools has become the biggest risk for Google's entire search business model (its main money maker). The NYT actually reported that they called it ‘Code Red’ in the organization.
They’re now releasing their own AI model, but the moral of the story remains the same: If google isn't letting ‘Code Red’ bring them and their entire business model down, neither should you.
