Over a quarter (26.6%) of US internet users will use generative AI at work next year, according to our June 2023 forecast. Many applications will come from tech companies embedding AI into existing workflows, like using Microsoft Copilot for productivity or Google Gemini to create images. To stay ahead of the AI innovation curve, marketers should seek out and experiment with new applications, according to experts at the BrXnd NYC AI in marketing conference earlier this month. Here are four key takeaways from the event.
“To really make AI valuable, you have to embed it into the context of your data and your workflows,” said Howie Liu, CEO and co-founder of Airtable.
Liu is optimistic about AI’s ability to create customized applications for different business use cases, rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
“If anyone tells you they know exactly the right way to implement AI into your processes, they’re full of it,” he said. Instead, businesses need to identify sticking points in their workflows and experiment with using AI to streamline them.
Amazon Web Services has done this by consolidating several tools into one “monstrous application” using a no-code, AI tool like Airtable, said Jonathan Laniado, senior automation manager at Amazon Web Services.
“AI is not going to replace humans, but humans that are using AI are definitely going to replace humans that are not going to use AI,” said Lauren Boyman, CMO, Americas at KPMG.
Boyman’s advice for using AI is to put a “tiger team” in place—a group of people who are “front of the pack” with experimenting with AI.
That test team can’t be the only ones using AI. Leaders must also use the tech in order to get others to adopt. “ You have to get your hands dirty and use it,” she said.
“I don’t use AI to do what I do but faster. I work with AI to do what I couldn’t have done before,” said Jenny Nicholson, founder and executive creative director at Queen of Swords. Generative AI isn’t just a way to streamline existing workflows. It can create new products.
Nicholson’s AI tools include Split the Decisions, an AI chatbot made in collaboration with Zola, Task Slayer, a custom GPT for staying on track of chores, and Project Runway: GPT Edition, an AI outfit reviewer.
“In a world of large language models (LLMs), just being able to articulate yourself well is really what’s key to be[ing] able to program these models correctly,” said Tim Hwang, author of “Subprime Attention Crisis.”
Hwang said that because generative AI models are trained on human data, the same standards that apply to communicating with humans, such as being clear, direct, and thoughtful, apply for talking to LLMs. “The hottest new programming language is psychology,” he said, and marketers will need to understand it better than ever to work with generative AI. That’s because generative AI functions like people do, according to Hwang. It responds better when people ask nicely, or tell it to do a good job. Understanding how to work within that framework is the key to using AI.
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