Tag: ai

In the past two years, AI innovation has swept through all facets of the marketing world, from hiring to deployment. While AI has always run in the background, now it’s become front and center, raising potential for efficiency and innovation — alongside concerns and frustrations. Employers who prioritize the intersection of human potential and technology will not only keep pace—they’ll lead.

Integrating a Human Touch in Talent Recruitment

Tech tools were supposed to make it easier and more efficient to hire best-in-class talent. And yet, both talent and employers still face frustrations over applicant tracking systems (ATS) which are used by nearly all Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn and Reddit boards are full of stories from talent and recruiters alike, frustrated that the best talent can sometimes be overlooked, including a viral story of a manager whose own resume was rejected by the ATS, leading him to realize a code error was auto-rejecting all applicants.

Relying on applicant tracking systems alone can also open employers to vulnerabilities: AI platforms can raise bias, fairness, and equity concerns, with one hiring platform even facing a lawsuit alleging the platform’s AI-based hiring tools are discriminatory. And candidates too, can use AI tools to enhance and tailor their resumes for positions they might not be qualified for: According to one 2023 survey conducted by resume services company Standout CV, nearly three-quarters of job candidates would consider using AI tools to “embellish their resumes.”

To address these challenges, organizations should invest in hybrid recruitment models that blend AI efficiency with human oversight. This helps to ensure fairness, reduce errors, and align hiring practices with organizational values.

Having a Strong Tech POV for Maximum Results

Generative AI has significantly disrupted and impacted creative work, from ideation to execution, and the results have hit mainstream conversation. For example, an AI-made update of a classic holiday Coca-Cola commercial generated controversy, and AI integration into the popular Spotify Wrapped has also drawn mixed reactions. Ultimately, the outcome still matters, and the most successful teams in the future will likely be the ones that can integrate AI tools to boost efficiency and innovation, while using a human touch to ensure projects align with core values.

There’s also the concern over “non-authorized AI use;” Creatives who are bringing AI tools into the office without disclosure or approval, raising concerns over privacy, copyright, and more. One 2024 report published by LinkedIn and Microsoft found that 78% of workers — especially those at small and mid-size companies — are bringing their own AI tools into work, and more than half of them are reluctant to admit to using it, due to concerns that doing so might make them seem replaceable.

Employers can mitigate these risks by developing clear guidelines on how and when AI tools should be used. This not only fosters transparency but also empowers employees to leverage AI responsibly for better results.

Building a Holistic Tech-Integrated Strategy for Everyday Tasks

Tech tools can be invaluable — but it’s key that all parties feel confident using them to enhance the KPIs and goals of the department. While AI potential has only increased, new data from Slack’s Workforce Index Study has found that there has been stagnation in AI adoption, partially due to lack of training.

Marketing departments also face the problem of too much tech, not enough talent. One 2023 study found that marketers only use about one-third of their stack, partially due to a skills gap within their teams.

To bridge this divide, organizations can continue to prioritize ongoing training and bring in outside experts to maximize the stack.

Looking forward, thoughtful tech adoption can parallel alongside robust talent development. By fostering a culture of innovation and integration, employers can transform AI and tech tools into catalysts for creativity, efficiency, and growth.

hand pointing forward towards 2025 graphic

Talent and Tech: The Path Forward in 2025

Our new report, Finding the Human Edge: Where Talent Meets Technology, explores key trends at the intersection of talent and technology. With more tech advancements on the horizon, it’s clear that AI and human talent are complementary. The companies who are poised to succeed will be prepared to integrate AI efficiencies alongside human innovation.

At Creative Circle, our human recruiters identify the right candidates and teams for your marketing and creative projects. By forging transformative relationships, we ensure your pain points are solved with top-tier talent, backed by deep industry expertise. From building creative teams to evolving marketing strategies and maximizing tech stacks, we help you exceed your goals and drive meaningful results.

Marketing has gone through a full tech revolution, transforming departments from creative islands into data-driven, digitally powered machines. This reliance on tech, when executed well, is a powerful force—fueling decisions, streamlining workflows, enabling precise measurement of campaign impact, and all while delivering a seamless customer experience. But in reality, even top-performing companies face challenges: duplicated efforts, inefficiencies from knowledge gaps, and ongoing frustration over how to optimize and truly streamline their tech stack so it works in concert with human teams.

The martech landscape has exploded, with over 14,000 solutions now available—representing a 27.9% growth year-over-year. According to a study by LXAHub, CMOs report an average of 56 tools in their tech stack, yet more isn’t always better. Another survey, run by Protean Studios, found that many CMOs are prioritizing simplification as they move forward, aiming to trim down and refine their stacks.  

Here’s how marketing leaders can optimize their tech, empower their teams, and continue to maximize the transformative potential of AI and automation in the years ahead. 

Smaller Stack, Larger Results

As martech options multiply, the paradox is clear: simplification has never been more critical. This means integrating specialized, long-tail apps into larger, core solutions like customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation platform (MAP) systems. Often, marketing teams inherit a mishmash of niche programs, some outdated or overlapping, making it hard to streamline. Conducting a thorough audit can help CMOs and marketing leaders alike identify the essential tools and ensure best-in-class solutions are deployed effectively across the marketing funnel. 

Inherited programs can also make migrations a logistical nightmare, with data transfer, integration compatibility, and team training all posing significant hurdles. A phased migration approach, backed by a clear roadmap, can ease the transition. Leveraging third-party experts can also provide valuable support, ensuring a smoother handover and minimizing disruptions to the core team’s workflow and productivity. 

Making Smart Decisions to Maximize AI Potential: Building the Right Team to Handle Platform Integration

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Model (LLM) technology has changed the martech landscape, rapidly evolving how sentiment analysis, predictive analytics, and demographic segmentation, for example, operate at peak efficacy. Relying on old programs is likely ineffective, or potentially damaging to your brand. However, it can be challenging to select the right tools for your goals and leverage the power of AI to stand out from the pack.  

Statistics from Salesforce show that 43% of marketers “don’t know” how to get the most value from AI, and, according to the same dataset, less than a quarter of firms have AI education and training for the marketing team. Still, nearly 50% of CMOs are piloting, or looking to pilot, initiatives surrounding AI and machine learning within the next 24 months, according to LXA Hub data. 

How can marketing departments quickly and effectively deploy the best AI solutions?

One approach for successful platform integration is to look for external consultants who can fill in the knowledge gaps within your team to quickly and effectively move AI and LLM solutions from pilot to scale. 

By partnering with external specialists, marketing departments can better deploy AI strategies, without waiting for headcount to open up. This flexibility allows teams to focus their budget on the most pressing concerns, ensuring resources are most effectively allocated.  

Additionally, tapping into subject matter experts in this area can provide the flexibility to pivot and adapt as opportunities and needs arise, keeping your team nimble, with the capability to comfortably execute campaigns with new technology.

Building the Right Team to Maximize the Stack from Head to Tail

With AI and machine learning taking center stage in marketing strategy, tech budgets are soaring: according to LXA Hub, technology now consumes 30% of marketing spend, a jump from 24% in 2022. Yet, as marketing leaders focus on talent and acquisition, many face a skills gap in their teams.  

One common issue: Often, marketing operates in isolation from IT, even though today’s tools demand a solid tech foundation and a sophisticated mastery of tech implementation. Finding talent that aligns with both the stack’s demands and the team’s overarching goals isn’t easy. A G2 survey highlights this friction, with over half of marketers citing integration issues as a roadblock to adopting new technologies. 

The path forward is complex: Marketers need tech-savvy talent to fully leverage their stack’s potential, while also ensuring that their team has a balanced mix of creatives and strategists to drive innovation and effectively execute the campaigns derived from the data extrapolated by today’s next-gen tech.  

Bringing in the right people can bridge this gap: from auditing current tools and training team members to crafting workflows and roadmaps, expert talent in these areas can help ensure every solution is fully utilized and aligned with long-term strategy. 

A Stack Built for Evolution, Created by Top-Tier Talent

Investing in your martech stack is one of the most impactful choices marketing leaders today can make. But even the best technology can fall short without the right team to fully harness its potential. 

How can you keep both your tech and team performing at peak capacity?

Finding the right balance between internal teams and outside expertise when needed is imperative to ensure that your tech investments are being effectively utilized not just for the campaigns of today, but for the campaigns of tomorrow. Additionally, having access to a broader talent pool gives your team the flexibility to efficiently allocate resources, rather than waiting for internal capacity to catch up. Moreover, outside expertise can foster an overall environment of learning and development, empowering your core team to confidently adapt and leverage solutions within your stack. 

At Creative Circle, we bring the talent and expertise to not only optimize your martech stack today but also prepare it for future market shifts. Our custom, talent-driven solutions enhance your team’s potential, helping them leverage current resources for ongoing success. From consulting support to audit and enhance your stack, to building tech-savvy teams that seamlessly integrate with your current roster, we ensure your martech is precisely where it needs to be—so you can stay focused on results. 

The contours of the media landscape are ever-changing. What was once ubiquitous is now far less so. By the end of 2022, 39.3 million US households cut the cord on traditional cable, a number expected to hit nearly 47 million households by the end of 2024.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that so many are saying bye (or never saying hello) to traditional cable with a plethora of streaming services like Netflix, Prime TV, Hulu, Apple TV+, Disney+, and more, which allow viewers to watch what they want, when they want, for less than the cost of a traditional cable subscription.

What is CTV?

In this rapidly shifting landscape, digital marketing is experiencing major change, with Connected TV—or CTV—emerging as a pivotal player, transforming how audiences engage with content. CTV is any television set that connects to the internet and streams digital video content through built-in smart TV functionality or external devices like streaming sticks like Roku, set-top boxes, or gaming consoles.

With this technology, viewers can access a wide range of content that goes far beyond traditional broadcast channels, like streaming services, on-demand video, and internet applications. All of this is causing major shifts in how brands advertise to their audiences, with CTV advertising in ascendancy and changing the TV advertising game. Let’s dig in.

The What and the Why of CTV Advertising

CTV advertising refers to video ads delivered through a streaming service while a viewer watches a TV show, movie, or other video content on an actual TV set via a connected device like Firestick or Roku or directly from a smart TV. For most streaming services, CTV represents over 80% of all viewing, the remainder occurring on other internet-connected devices like laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

Unlike traditional television advertising, CTV advertising leverages viewer data like demographics, viewing habits, and interests, allowing for a more targeted and personalized ad experience. Advertisers gain improved measurement and tracking abilities, allowing for smarter and more efficient ad spending — and the ability to reach more niche audiences with greater precisions.

Evolution of TV Advertising

Traditional or linear TV advertising lets advertisers reach millions of viewers all at the same time. Linear TV advertising is what you see when you watch broadcast or cable TV — the traditional, old-school TV advertising that’s been around for decades. Linear TV ads reach everyone watching a particular program rather than just their intended audience. And measuring the success of a linear TV ad campaign is more nebulous — it’s hard to know if anyone went to go buy something after watching the ad.

With changing viewer behavior as cable and satellite TV use continue to drop, advertisers are instead following their viewers over to CTV, lured by more measurable ad performance metrics and better-optimized campaign management overall. As linear advertising spend declines, CTV ad spend is fast on the rise.

Ad spending for CTV is expected to reach $21.45 billion in 2024, an increase of 16.2% from 2023. In 2025, it is forecast to hit $24.4 billion, growing year over year by 13.9%.

CTV Advertising vs OTT Advertising

OTT means “Over-the-Top,” referring to content that goes “over” your cable box, providing access to TV content via an internet connection instead of with a cable cord or satellite. While OTT and CTV are often used interchangeably, and can refer to the same thing, it’s important to note that OTT is how video content is delivered to viewers — it can stream content across all devices, like mobile and desktop. CTV only streams content onto smart TV screens, which is why it is often referred to as streaming TV advertising.

OTT ad inventory tends to differ from CTV, which typically has premium network content similar to what you would find on traditional TV. In contrast, OTT offers a much wider range of inventory.

So, Why Use CTV ads?

If you want your ads to help you find users who actually want your products or services, CTV ads are the way to go. As streaming services like Hulu and Netflix adjust their pricing models to an ad-supported tiered system that displays more ads to folks on less expensive plans and fewer or no ads to those on higher plans, marketers can now zero in on their demographic with far more precision.

Here are a few other perks that come with CTV ads:

  1. Multiple precision targeting methods

With linear TV, targeting is limited to finding shows that best index against ratings — the system network television uses to make programming decisions and to price advertisements. But Nielsens’ typically can only offer broad age and gender demographic metrics, like women 25 – 54 and men 18 – 49. But CTV advertisers can leverage similar digital targeting to Google and Facebook, which means audience segments can be based on everything from income or education level to personal interests and more.

Some of the top CTV targeting options to get familiar with include:

  • Geolocation targeting
  • Contextual targeting
  • Retargeting
  • Time-of-day targeting
  • Lookalike targeting

  1. Hyper-local targeting

With CTV ads, it’s far easier to pinpoint consumers based on their IP address, which means ads can be hyper-localized and served to viewers in far smaller geographic areas than with linear ads. Messaging can be highly customized based on where the viewer is located. For example, a spa with four locations can send the right commercial to the right viewers closest to each location.

  1. High Video completion rates

Superior targeting means that CTV ads are far more likely to be truly relevant to those viewing them—which means they are more likely to be interested in the ad and engage with it until completion. Using automatic content recognition technology, or ACR, CTV providers can provide real-time, second-by-second completion rate data, which helps advertisers hone the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.

  1. Detailed attribution measurement and accuracy

CTV ads allow advertisers to measure the effectiveness of their brand campaigns more accurately via conversions — they can see who came to the brand’s website and completed a purchase after viewing an ad. With time and increased data, advertisers can learn what creative worked best and which publishers, dates, times, and other factors had the greatest impact on conversions.

 

BOTTOM LINE
Marketers, if you want to lead your company’s CTV marketing innovation charge but need help figuring out where to start, Creative Circle can provide the talent and build the teams to help you perfectly craft and precisely target your brand to shine on the TV screen. The media landscape is fast evolving — to succeed, it’s important to prime your business to be in step with the times.

We are living in an era of unprecedented tech innovation — one where artificial intelligence, once an elusive sci-fi dream, is increasingly becoming an integral part of our daily existence. Tech companies are touting their latest AI innovations, and soon, AI will likely be woven into the fabric of every platform.

Financial sector companies are always seeking to fast-track insights, improve predictive analytics and forecasting, optimize engagement, and uplevel their overall customer experience. So, naturally, AI’s data-crunching capabilities and lightning-fast analytics sound like the industry’s dream come true.

It’s true there are many compelling use cases for AI by financial services companies in particular, as they strive to differentiate their offerings with technology and deliver increased value by leveraging data-driven insights. We’re talking about everything from improving fraud detection and exploring AI-based assistants as productivity enhancers to optimizing lending parameters and fine-tuning risk assessment.

The question remains: How do they handle this immense potential while operating in such a tightly regulated space?

Real Life Financial Sector AI Use Cases

The financial industry is made up of many subsectors, from banking to fintech, insurance, investments, and more. It’s a highly competitive sector, with companies constantly looking for an edge over one another. Today, leaders in this sector are innovating to bring AI to the forefront of their business.

AI-based lending platforms like Upstart and C3.ai seek to approve more borrowers, lower default rates, and reduce fraud risk. According to the Motley Fool, Upstart uses AI models to screen potential borrowers and establish forecasts on creditworthiness that the company considers to be more accurate than using credit scores.

Where some are focused on creditworthiness, other finance companies are intent on improving fraud detection, which is a severe problem for financial institutions, and companies are looking to AI for new solutions. Machine learning algorithms can sort through vast volumes of transaction data, flagging suspicious and potentially fraudulent activity and recommending risk parameters to help block identity theft attempts, suspicious logins, and fraudulent transactions. IBM’s AI-driven Watson Studio does just that, improving fraud detection, prediction, and prevention for its customers.

Investment platforms, too, are turning to AI to help recommend stock picks and content for users. Robinhood may be the best example of a platform seeking to differentiate itself from competitors by recommending investment opportunities based on things like investing style, history, and risk tolerance, personalizing the user experience, and ramping up engagement.

AI in the World of Finance

AI has historically gained relatively broad adoption in financial services through chatbots and machine learning algorithms, but today’s leaders are setting their sights on deeper applications to supercharge their external offerings as well as enhancing internal operations. Still, finance and other heavily regulated industries like healthcare will always require human judgment. Humans are the most important element of an AI strategy, whether it’s for creative and marketing or financial applications, meaning organizations cannot solely rely on technology to make decisions that significantly impact people’s lives.

The cost-saving potential of AI, however, is not lost on the financial industry, only ramping up the appeal of AI to financial institutions. While companies have made some in-roads to AI adoption in various ways, unique challenges in implementing AI because of compliance concerns and opaque algorithmic processes persist. Here’s how some industry leaders are paving the way, and there are ways to help surmount these hurdles through defined guardrails, transparency, and more.

Top AI Challenges — and Solutions — for Highly Regulated Industries

As highly regulated industries grapple with how to tap into AI’s full potential, it’s important to examine the obstacles that arise. Here are some top challenges — and ways to mitigate them — to implementing this technology that are all too common in highly regulated industries.

1. Challenge: Lack of transparency

Many AI algorithms lack sufficient guardrails and controllability. Their opaque decision-making processes and inner workings make it challenging to detail how a system arrived at a particular output. When it comes to people’s money and health, a lack of transparency simply poses too many risks.

Solution: Provide openness and transparency

AI tools that provide clarity around their conclusions are essential for regulated industries. Consider the training data the model receives, how the system uses the data, how the data is secured, and ensure that a large enough data set is used. This level of openness will allow companies to do audits and ensure the system operates as intended, per regulatory guidelines.

2. Challenge: Risk aversion

Highly regulated industries typically have high-stakes operations, where people’s livelihoods, health, and safety are on the line, which means mistakes come at enormous costs.

Solution: Set expectations

Establish AI’s specific purpose and scope to help align stakeholders and provide a quantifiable framework for measuring success. Ensure there’s ample time to lean into new AI-aided workflows slowly to ensure that they are meeting their mark and pivot if needed.

3. Challenge: Implicit bias and unfairness

AI algorithms actually inherit and even amplify biases in the data sets on which they were trained. While fairness in AI is commonly defined as providing fair or impartial treatment, fair can mean different things in different contexts to different people.

Most AI that is built by outside companies does not give users the ability to detect bias or inherent flaws, which means conclusions can’t be examined or audited. If a doctor uses AI to recommend a course of treatment for one patient, but another patient with a similar diagnosis is given another diagnostic approach, what does this mean? Are they both correct? Wrong? What are the factors that led to divergent recommendations?

Solution: Set guardrails

Whenever possible, control the inputs into your company’s AI platform. By using predefined rules and processes, AI systems are far less likely to deviate from the established norm or violate regulatory policies, improving transparency, enhancing auditability, and trust. Some AI tools have certain guardrails built into their framework to help users avoid non-compliance.

4. Challenge: Hesitancy to change

Finance and healthcare industries often rely on legacy systems, and overhauling them to integrate AI can seem daunting, requiring significant money, time, and resources. Adding to the pressure, any changes must also comply with an ever-changing regulatory landscape that necessitates extensive testing, validation, and documentation.

Solution: Crawl, walk, run

Start small and ramp up slowly. Large-scale adoption before your company is ready could lead to regulatory violations and non-compliance that can set your organization back. Consider the crawl, walk, and run approach as an on-ramp to AI success.

Crawl: Investigate the potential business applications to find low-risk, high-impact functions that can act as test use cases.

Walk: Start with specific cases or departments or apply the tech at just one office or branch. Pressure test how initial forays into using AI are going and learn what is working and what is not.

Run: Once you’ve successfully tested, refined, improved, and verified your company’s selected AI tools, begin to explore integrating it and other AI tools into more complex use cases and larger ecosystems.

__________________________________

Bottomline

AI is sweeping the world — and highly regulated industries like finance and healthcare are still looking for new ways to leverage the power of this technology while remaining compliant with stringent industry regulations. While hurdles exist for more full-throttle implementation, humans remain the most critical element in building and maintaining an AI strategy. Experts must interpret, assess, and verify AI outputs, using critical thinking and judgment to determine the best course of action.

Creative Circle can help your team crawl, walk, and run their way to adopting AI workflows, helping to create seamless and effective interdependencies between your human talent and AI. We have experts ready to get your organization up to speed in carefully calibrated steps so that you, too, can thrive in the fast-evolving world of AI.

Creative Circle is thrilled to announce the release of our 2024 Client Pulse Report, offering a comprehensive analysis of artificial intelligence’s impact on creative and marketing teams. This year’s report illuminates how AI has rapidly become embedded in daily workflows, but leaders still seek support in deploying the groundbreaking technology to its full potential.

To develop the report, Creative Circle collected survey responses from 463 creative and marketing leaders. The survey was conducted in March 2024 and received a near-record response rate, demonstrating business leaders’ continued investment in the subject more than a year after AI entered the mainstream.

The Results Are In

Resounding consensuses emerged around several of the topics addressed in the survey:

  • AI is now a staple in creative and marketing teams, with 82% using it to some extent and 45% using it daily or weekly.
  • Leaders would like to further implement AI into their work, but 89% face barriers to increased adoption.
  • The necessity of AI today is undisputed, as 83% of leaders say they need to develop new AI skills and competencies in order to achieve their goals.
  • Businesses are eager to close their AI gaps, with 66% of respondents seeking AI-specific training, hires, or consultants to upskill their teams.

“This study makes clear that marketing and creative leaders recognize AI’s extraordinary potential. But for the most part, they’re only scratching the surface,” says Creative Circle President Matt Riley. “Teams need direction, training, and subject matter expertise in order to fully integrate AI technology and realize its many benefits.”

Creative Circle’s insights and solutions offer an ideal set of skills and knowledge that marketing and creative teams need to realize the benefit of today’s AI technologies.

Katherine Forbes, Creative Circle’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, states, “We are actively partnering with our clients to bring out the full potential of AI within their marketing and creative teams. Our people have the right solutions at their fingertips and the necessary insights to implement AI effectively and securely.”

Read the full report for all the detailed findings on topics including the top AI use cases, barriers to adoption, and upskilling strategies. And, if you’re ready to harness the power of AI for your team, contact Creative Circle to tap into a wealth of resources and expertise.

About Creative Circle

Creative Circle provides marketing and creative services for companies looking to solve business challenges of all sizes. Our strength comes from our talent community, and our power lies in leveraging this network to provide flexible custom solutions for our clients.

Creative Circle is part of the Commercial Segment of ASGN Incorporated (NYSE: ASGN). To learn more, visit creativecircle.com.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements made in this news release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty. Forward looking statements include statements regarding our current and future support of client AI needs, claims pertaining to internal and client efficiencies created using AI tools, and statements about how marketing and creative professionals may leverage AI tools within their own organizations. All statements in this news release, other than those setting forth strictly historical information, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results might differ materially. For a full list of risks and discussion of forward looking statements, please see ASGN’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the SEC on February 23, 2024. We specifically disclaim any intention or duty to update any forward-looking statements contained in this news release.

Today’s AI capabilities are yesterday’s science fiction — AI technologies can now generate text, images, music, and video with simple prompts. As they evolve, the world of what is possible keeps changing at breakneck speed.

In education, AI technology has already started to influence how students learn, teachers teach, and, ultimately, what our educational system will come to look like in the years to come — revolutionizing teaching and learning as we know it. AI-powered tools and strategies will personalize learning and may even improve student outcomes by better preparing students for success in the digital age.

Sal Khan, founder of the Khan Academy, a nonprofit that provides free, world-class educational tools for use by all, boldly declared in his 2023 TED talk that AI has the potential to catalyze “the biggest positive transformation that education has ever seen.” He sees a new era in education, where every teacher has an AI teaching assistant, and every student has access to an AI-powered personal tutor.

While there are ethical concerns around bias, plagiarism, appropriate use, and fears that AI will enable the spread of misinformation and cheating — issues that AI developers will certainly need to address — a growing group of educators are enthusiastically looking to a future of education that includes AI.

The challenge? Harnessing the immense positive potential while mitigating or avoiding harm.

Universities Build Their Own AI Tools

Taking these concerns to heart, colleges and universities have begun developing their own Chat-GPT-like tools for faculty and students to overcome concerns about intellectual property rights, equity, and privacy. The University of Michigan, Harvard University, University of California San Diego, UC Irvine, and Washington University have all created their own version of Chat GPT for use by students and faculty in the past year.

WashU GPT was launched last year, spearheaded by Albert Lai, deputy faculty lead for digital transformation at Washington University. They, along with the University of Michigan and UC Irvine, built their AI tools using Microsoft’s Azure platform, which is based on open-source software available for free to mitigate equity concerns. Proprietary platforms, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, on the other hand, impose upfront fees. What’s more, having a closed system can provide faculty with peace of mind that their intellectual property remains protected. “Any faculty member — including myself — would be very uncomfortable in putting a lecture and exams in an OpenAI model (such as ChatGPT) because then it’s out there for the world,” shared Ravi Pendse, University of Michigan’s Chief Information Officer.

Art Schools Get Creative About AI

AI is no longer just for computer scientists analyzing massive data sets and conducting predictive analytics — artists, designers, animators, musicians, video artists, and other creatives are now using it to enhance their creative processes and sometimes even generate new work. While there is a push/pull relationship between the technology and artists, leaders at top art institutions are starting to see AI as the next logical step in the digital revolution with the meteoric rise of visual AI platforms like DALL-E and Midjourney.

“This is as organic and logical as it gets, that an art institution is exactly primed to integrate this,” shared Griffin Smith, who teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design. “RISD is the most punk art school, and I see this as one of the greatest punk opportunities we’ve had.”

When generative AI burst onto the scene, Jane South, Chair of Fine Arts at the Pratt Institute, looked past the ethical and copyright concerns and hoped that this technology might be the next big thing for artists and creative industries. “I thought, ‘Goody, goody.’” South sees the dawning of AI as “one of those moments — [like] when the printing press was invented, when photography came along — that art thrives on. Because it makes us think about what it is we do.”

Some liken attitudes around AI to those that surrounded Photoshop when those powerhouse programs burst onto the creative scene. “I think as soon as Photoshop became ubiquitous, faculty have been having conversations with students about Photoshop, and using it as a tool, and the difference between making all of your work on Photoshop and printing it out onto a piece of paper or projecting it onto the wall,” said Smith. “All of those conversations, I think, are very easily transferable to AI.” However, some creatives caution that there’s a big difference between what skilled creators can make using Adobe Creative Suite tools versus those without artistic skills or training.

South emphasized this point in a recent New York Times article, saying previous technological inventions that critics feared might upend creative professions only ended up strengthening them. “Photography was supposed to be the end of art, and then the Xerox machine came along, and that was supposed to be the end of art, too.”

AI as a Tool — Not a Replacement — for Creatives

Increasingly, schools are looking at AI as a multi-use tool — much like Photoshop or the camera before it — and many now see that it qualifies as its own medium for making art. For some, a consensus is forming that the act of limiting the tools available to create art is a bad practice for artists and for creativity.

To Nate Harrison, the Dean of Academic Affairs at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), “concern” about AI is no longer relevant because it has already arrived. In other words, AI is here. “We cannot fight AI, students are already using it, many very organically and intuitively and naturally.” For him, the question should be: How can we equip students with smart approaches to using AI?

Some art schools, like Ringling College of Art and Design, are incorporating AI into their teachings instead of cleaving it off as a separate course. In one of their costume design classes, for instance, students use AI to find inspiration before crafting actual costumes.

RISD is now offering courses that prepare their students to code with machine learning and employ programs like Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and DALL-E, encouraging their use as foundational tools for creative projects that may ultimately involve traditional mediums like painting and illustration.

Creatives in marketing and advertising know that their work rests on the meaning of the ideas underpinning their concepts, and they’re worrying increasingly less about how the images that correspond were created and more about what they communicate to clients and others. As inventor Buckminster Fuller, best known as the creator of the geodesic dome, once said: “We are called to be the architects of the future, not its victims.”

__________________________________

Bottomline

While many have described the rise of AI as “unprecedented,” that’s not exactly true. Disruptive technologies have often been seen as potential destroyers of industry before they settled into being seen as tools, just like the camera. As AI continues to become more fact than fiction, many in the creative fields are coming to the same conclusion: Yes, things will change, but new doors will also open, much like the advent of the internet.

If your team wants to infuse AI tools into your own creative work, we can help guide the way. Creative Circle has a strong bench of creative consultants who can help you craft the most adaptive and strategic way forward for your brand.

The last year has seen the conversation around artificial intelligence start to really sizzle. From the release of ChatGPT to the realization of self-driving cars, we are witnessing the tech-tonic plates of the world shift — opening myriad possibilities. The combination of human brainpower and machine learning is revolutionizing industries, including the consumer packaged goods space. AI is transforming how CPG companies research, develop, and market their products, manage their supply chains, and engage consumers.

CPG companies function in highly dynamic markets with countless variables that impact supply, demand, engagement, and overall performance. As markets become more complicated, legacy systems are often less efficient at handling the complexity.

Today, the CPG industry has entered an era of increased efficiency and optimization using artificial intelligence. AI and machine learning are transforming how companies of all sizes, from global enterprises to bootstrapped startups, operate. Their game-changing potential has launched the CPG industry into a new epoch of intelligent enterprises.

Questions swirl, however, about the most effective and ethical ways industry leaders can balance AI’s transformation. Leveraging a technology that is reliant on data inputs carries some risks, insensitive content creation, copyright infringement, misuse of content, and more, which could have serious repercussions for brand reputation. The goal is to “carpe diem” on business opportunities while avoiding potential missteps.

Real-world AI Use Cases

Let’s explore how AI can impact the CPG value chain, plus how industry leaders are using it to enhance demand forecasting, optimize inventory, and modernize supply chain management.

Here are five pivotal ways AI can help transform the CPG space.

Research and Product Development

Generative AI can help CPG companies research and develop new products by helping to identify and track consumer trends, preferences, and feedback in real-time. Analyzing social media, consumer reviews, and other sources with the help of this technology can provide enhanced insights into consumers’ expectations, helping CPG brands produce products that better meet their customers’ needs. Brands that implement AI will be able to remain highly competitive by optimizing their understanding of the market to drive sales.

Supply Chain Optimization

Demand-sensing is the data-driven “crystal ball” that undergirds CPG supply chain planning. Correctly estimating upcoming demand across a distribution network with AI means product supply can be adjusted accordingly to help companies better manage inventory and logistics. By optimizing warehouse layouts with this tech, industry leaders can minimize the amount of inventory that needs to be stored, thus reducing costs and improving efficiencies. AI algorithms can also help identify the most cost- (and fuel-) effective transportation modes and routes, reducing gas consumption and overtime expenses — a win for their bottom line and the environment.

Demand Forecasting

Traditionally, CPG companies used statistical forecasting methods based on past sales. However, with increased market complexity and volatility, these reactive approaches are not always the most predictive. In contrast, AI-driven forecasting can analyze market trends, historical data, and factors like holidays and weather to more accurately forecast demand for consumer products. According to McKinsey, companies that apply AI-driven forecasting methodology to their supply chain management can reduce errors by 20% to 50%, helping manufacturers and retailers optimize production schedules, reduce waste, efficiently manage inventory, and ultimately improve profitability.

Personalization

Personalization allows for deeper engagement with customers and, at its most basic level, means using what you know about a customer to make interactions more relevant to them — from personalized messaging, product recommendations, personalized content, and more. AI personalization processes are data-based, meaning CPG brands can create more nuanced products, customized marketing campaigns, content, messaging, and recommendations for individual consumers. The more personal a brand’s communication feels, the deeper the connection — which is why personalization has become a holy grail for marketers.

Customer Service and Support

It’s always critical for CPG companies to maintain strong relationships with their customers to cultivate and maintain brand loyalty. While most brands currently use chatbots, newer AI-powered versions can more effectively assist customers with simpler and more rote tasks, reducing the workload on customer service teams. By providing in-depth, optimized customer support with these new tech tools, CPG companies can ensure that customers feel supported throughout their journey, gradually building confidence and brand loyalty.

AI in CPG Today

Some well-known CPG companies have begun to use AI for crucial business processes. Manufacturing and pet care giant Mars, for instance, is exploring AI for its pet food division to predict cats and dogs risk of developing chronic kidney disease, utilizing the technology to speed up genomic sequencing to provide individualized nutrition and care.

Nestlé, along with Campbell’s, Mars, Givaudan, and PepsiCo, are reportedly using a generative AI platform, Tastewise, to help test and validate new product ideas. Tastewise is a proprietary AI platform built on a vast dataset of food consumption, providing deep-reaching insights into billions of real-life moments of consumption, best-selling restaurant items, and more, opening the door to a flood of new recipes, product innovation, marketing campaigns, and more for this industry.

As more CPG brands start to implement AI-enabled platforms — such as It’sRapid, which boasts major retail partners like Target and Kroger — the stage is set for an AI revolution.

__________________________________

Bottomline

What is becoming increasingly clear is that AI has landed — and, regardless of industry, the world is fast evolving as it adapts to the inherent power of this new technology. CPG companies see that the time to harness AI’s potential is now. Business leaders who delay any further risk losing their competitive edge, while other, more pioneering brands shape the industry’s future.

If you’re interested in exploring how AI can benefit your brand, contact us. We have experts who can devise an AI game plan tailored to your specific business priorities. The future belongs to those who adapt.

If you had asked tech gurus ten years ago where AI would have the most significant impact, creativity would not have been at the top of the list — if it even garnered a mention at all. But 2023 changed the game with the explosive advent of generative AI platforms like Chat GPT and Midjourney, which have completely disrupted the creative landscape. And with this tsunami of change comes a host of hard-to-answer questions about the future of creative work.

Ad agencies, Hollywood, and more are grappling with existential questions about the origins of creativity and what that means for the humans whose ideas serve as the very foundation of generative AI technology. It’s clear that AI is here to stay — and major marketers are figuring out how to capitalize on it — with agencies increasingly seeing their role as mediators between this new technology and brands.

The ad agency landscape is primarily led by six agency holding groups: WPP, Omnicom, IPG, Havas, Dentsu, and Publicis, each of which owns hundreds of agencies.

Until very recently, the ad industry had been less impacted by technological progress that has impacted other industries like print media, music, travel, retail checkout assistants, and more. Now, there is a growing tension between the allure of cost savings that AI could bring and what its implementation means for creatives. To find the right way forward, many agencies have formed cross-departmental AI task forces to uncover the opportunities and limitations of the technology.

Some agency holding groups have taken a more strategic approach to using generative AI internally and with clients, setting safeguards as internal groups assemble to work on their due diligence with this burgeoning technology.

How Key Agency Holding Companies are Managing AI

Here’s how some agency holding companies are futureproofing themselves as AI becomes increasingly ubiquitous.

WPP just announced on January 2024 that they are investing $317 million in AI this year while assuring employees and shareholders that they won’t forget about the company’s roots in creativity, said CEO Mark Read.

________

Omnicom CEO John Wren said the company’s outlook on AI’s potential is evolving. “We’ll be embracing it as quickly as we possibly can,” Wren said, adding that it would help employees and benefit clients.” In November 2023, the organization announced a groundbreaking collaboration with Getty Images that gives its agencies early access to Generative AI by Getty Images, a generative AI tool that’s trained only on Getty’s licensed photo library, ensuring a commercially safe and legally protected creative sandbox.

Also of note, Omnicom is the first advertising holding company to join Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), comprised of a group of media and tech companies, NGOs, academics, and others, which seeks to increase trust and transparency in digital content by the general public.

________

Havas has been implementing AI in its creative agencies to make teams more efficient and effective. The company has taken a business-first approach to integrating the new technology into its agency subsidiaries. As digital advertisers say goodbye to cookies, Havas has unveiled an AI-enabled media planning methodology that optimizes buys as the cookie-less future becomes the cookie-less today.

With respect to creative, copywriters can breathe easy, according to Havas Media Group. The group has made public its intent to use AI to optimize creative, not replace its creatives.

________

Publicis is placing AI at the very core of its business. The last six years have seen Publicis evolve from a holding company to a platform — and now, they’re using AI to become the industry’s first intelligent system. Publicis is now positioned to harness the power of AI by connecting every data point, across business units and geographies, to put the data in the hands of all its people. In a January 2024 press release, they shared that “everyone within Publicis will become a data analyst, an engineer, an intelligence partner, with all the information they need at their fingertips to supercharge client growth.”

 

__________________________________

Bottomline

The AI landscape will be a bit of a Wild West for some time still, especially while the technology continues to evolve at breakneck speed. Some advertising business leaders see generative AI as an accelerant for the industry, seeking to leverage the tech to enhance work and provide increased strategic value. Yet, others are more sanguine in their approach, preferring to wade in more slowly as they assess the boundaries of what’s possible — uncovering ways to use AI tech as an enabler instead of a total solution.

Looking for guidance on how to leverage AI for your company? Creative Circle offers a full suite of creative services focused on solving business challenges leveraging this new technology. Once upon a time, the rise of the internet struck fear into the hearts of many, but here we are today, creating great work that matters — it just might look a bit different than our pre-WiFi days.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the juggernaut conference that whips Vegas into a tech-infused froth every year. It’s a proving ground for innovative technologies, where brands come to do business, meet new partners, and flashily debut their latest releases and most visionary breakthroughs. CES began in the Big Apple back in 1967, with 250 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees — CES 2024 wrapped up on January 12th, with more than 135,000 people from 150 countries attending.

Produced and run by the Consumer Technology Association, CES is the only tradeshow that brings the entire tech landscape together at a singular event. From the early days of developers, manufacturers, and suppliers of hardware, software, and tech delivery systems, to today — we’re now seeing representation from across all parts of the consumer technology industry and business verticals. We’re talking everything from augmented and virtual reality, Web3, smart cities, adult entertainment, robotics, sports, medicine, and of course… artificial intelligence.

CES 2024 was steeped with AI. From general artificial intelligence that has been around for years (think virtual assistants and chatbots) to generative AI-infused products, AI was the hot-ticket item this year and was seemingly in everything, everywhere, all at once — revolutionizing user experience, increasing accessibility, and boosting efficiency. There were even separate AI-themed event tracks, from the Spoon: Food Tech Summit, which delves into how AI is transforming the food industry with tools like Chef Watson, to a track on AI-driven retail experiences.

Here’s a look at some of the more fascinating and creative ways today’s most innovative tech brands are using AI at this year’s consumer electronics tradeshow.

Photo: NuraLogix

NuraLogix’s “Magic” Mirror

Dreamed up by digital health company NuraLogix, the Anura MagicMirror is the first of its kind. It analyzes the blood flow in your face to monitor vitals like blood pressure and assess your risk of heart disease. It can guess your age based on your complexion and even gauge how stressed you may be. While it’s not directly accessible to consumers for home use (yet), you may see the MagicMirror in gyms, clinics, and other places where people are monitoring their health and well-being and where standard mirrors exist today. The device uses NuraLogix’s Affective AI technology, DeepAffex, which uses pattern recognition to inform its findings. As the use of AI broadens, devices like the MagicMirror will become less Jetsons and more Modern Family. To see it use, check out this video of CNET’s Nick Wolny giving it a go.

 

Photo: CNET

Volkswagen’s Enhanced EVs

AI is whipping Volkswagen EVs into shape by integrating ChatGPT into its line of electric vehicles, including the ID 3, ID 4, and ID 5. The AI chatbot is also coming to the fuel-powered Golf, Passat, and Tiguan, enabling drivers to ask their cars for restaurant recommendations, healthy pet food options, best face glitter, and more.

 

Photo: Dell

Dell’s AI-enabled Laptops

Dell’s new line of XPS laptops will feature a slew of built-in AI enhancements, including an additional processor for on-device AI computing and a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key. Copilot is Microsoft’s generative AI assistant, which can help you search the web, summarize documents, or create generative images — all part of Microsoft’s aim to be a leader in artificial intelligence. This line of AI-souped up laptops is slated to hit stores soon, though for those chomping at the bit, it may not be soon enough.

 

Photo: Baracoda

Baracoda’s Wellness-minded Mirror

AI-infused mirrors were truly shining at CES 2024. Healthtech pioneer Baracoda unveiled BMind, the world’s first smart mirror for mental well-being, which acts as a health companion that’s able to identify mood and help you users manage stress. It provides personalized recommendations and experiences based on your mental state by harnessing cutting-edge generative AI with Computer Vision and Large Learning Models (LLM) to interpret language, expressions, and gestures. BMind gathers information without the use of any invasive tech, helping curb drab moods and feelings of loneliness through immersive experiences, including light, sound, visuals, and coaching. The product actually won a CES Innovation Award this year in the smart home category.

 

Photo: CNET

Capella’s Subscription-based Parenting App

Welcome to the brave new world of parenting, where a smartphone app can “translate” your little one’s cries, telling you whether they’re tired, uncomfortable, hungry, or in need of a diaper change via technology that can decipher a baby’s needs using AI. Cappella says its technology is about 95% accurate, versus roughly 30% for humans who try to discern their babies’ needs on their own. The Capella app costs $10 a month — and, don’t fret, the company is working on using AI to soothe and comfort your baby, too.

 

Photo: Seergrills

Seergrills’s Perfectly Timed Grill

Say hello to the Perfecta Grill, which uses AI to grill your steak to perfection. It’s essentially a $3,500 toaster for steak that promises that perfect sizzling meat in two minutes. Utilizing an unusual vertical infrared oven, this high-tech grill reaches temperatures over 1,000 degrees, cooking thick steaks and chops in mere minutes. While the price tag keeps the Perfecta in the land of the .1%, it shows a growing trend towards more in-home AI innovation.

 

Photo: CNET

Oclean’s “Ultra” Smart Brush

AI has arrived for your teeth, too! The Oclean X Ultra S uses AI to make you a better brusher by providing real-time feedback on your brushing activity. Using bone conduction technology, an AI voice guide then offers tips on upleveling your brushing technique and offer tips to help improve it. The toothbrush will tell you if you’re using too much (or too little) pressure or favoring one side, all via spoken directions only you can hear. What’s more, the built-in display gives instant feedback on any missed spots, along with a brushing score. Already available in Europe, the Oclean X Ultra will have its US launch this fall, with a $100+ price tag.

 

Photo: Business Insider

Samsung’s Image-enhancing TV

Samsung’s 8K QLED TV models can use AI to upscale imagery, converting standard definition, or SD, content up, up, up to an 8K resolution — an industry first, according to the company. These televisions will also be able to create AI-generated imagery and automatically switch TV modes depending on the type of content being played. In short, this new AI-powered TV can bring your favorite old school TV shows like I Dream of Jeanie or I Love Lucy into the 21st century by dramatically improving their resolution.

 

Photo: WNHub

Replica Studios & SAG-AFTRA’s Historic AI Voice Agreement

The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, the world’s largest labor union representing performers, and Replica Studios, an AI voice technology company, made a huge joint announcement at CES. The two entities entered into an agreement, which will pay voice actors for the licensing of digital replicas of their voices for use in video games. This agreement is the very first time an organization like SAG-AFTRA has worked to codify consent and compensation for AI replicas of actor and performer voices. AI was one of the thornier issues debated at length between the actors’ and screenwriters’ unions and television studio executives during last year’s major strikes, with Hollywood screenwriters securing significant guardrails against artificial intelligence themselves — one of the first major labor wars about generative AI in the creative workplace.

 

__________________________________

Takeaway

CES 2024 gave us a taste of how artificial intelligence tech is being infused into future products—and what that means for us all as consumers, marketers, and more. The future is coming, and it appears AI is an increasingly large part of it, from food to entertainment to home products and more.

Generative AI has the potential to scale cross-medium creation while improving efficiencies throughout the process, making new innovations like those we’ve seen at CES 2024 possible — and it’s no longer just in the workplace. If you want to quickly augment your organization’s AI prowess, partner with talent who has the hard skills to produce high-quality content and results using the AI tools, prompts, and methods to power the brands and products of tomorrow.

If you want to see what generative AI can do for your business, let Creative Circle be your guide.

GET IN TOUCH