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Two months have passed since the latest model of ChatGPT was released and it’s fair to say that the media and creative industries are living in a moment of self-doubt. While AI is far from a new technology, its real-world applications were previously mostly limited to data-focused tasks such as analytics and process automation. The latest generative AI tools, however, have exceeded most of our expectations in their ability to produce creative content – something which, until very recently, was believed to be the sole preserve of humans.
These concerns are valid in many ways. The latest advances in AI are impressive and any industry needs to keep a close eye on trends to understand whether they pose serious threats. But letting a culture of fear dominate isn’t wise either. This is not the first time that imposing new technology has put the future of whole industries under question. We might note, for example, that crypto is no closer to putting central banks and fiat currencies into obsolescence.
Though we can’t deny the reality that generative AI is going to have an impact on the way marketing and media companies operate, it’s far from game over. By employing a “first principles” approach we can unpack the hype surrounding generative AI to get a more realistic picture of what the future will hold for the media and marketing industries.
For the purpose of this article we’ll focus on three of the most prominent concerns that the media and marketing industries are currently grappling with in the wake of generative AI. These are:
- Editorial work can be outsourced to AI
- AI will outperform content marketers
- Digital media will become autonomous (or media will become unsustainable to run)
