021: This topic more than any other

[Before - Session 7] Gearing up for AI and ML tomorrow

Hello on a late Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis with more snow apparently en route. Last night my two teens and I joined a sold out crowd as Cory Wong and Victor Wooten worked their magic.

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By Thanksgiving 2022 it was abundantly clear—this entire Future of Advertising course could easily dwell entirely within Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and Large Language Models (LLM). We could just stay in those confines for 15 sessions. (I’m glad we’ve diversified.) And for no greater reason than the speed of ChatGPT’s adoption following its launch November 30, 2022.

This rapid adoption has been buttressed by the emotional quality (and quantity) of my LinkedIn news feed. People are freaked out! They have lots of opinions! I’m reminded of ad agency hallway chatter circa the late 1990s when Interactive arrived on the scene, albeit much more slowly. It took a decade or two, but fundamental pillars were replaced. Entire ways of strategizing, creating and producing were either negated or significantly revised.

The advertising industry was turned on its head in just 30 years, and looks to flip again, this time even faster.

It’s thrilling, isn’t it? 😂

We get to experience not one but at least two pivotal moments in a single generation. AI and ML have become the gravitational center of an industry, and this course, in a matter of days.

Now, I’m wired for this kind of adventure. But I recognize lots of people, maybe the majority, aren’t as full-throttle. To prepare for tomorrow’s session, I surveyed over 100 connections who currently have the word “marketing” in their title—from CMO to entry level. I asked one question: “Are you or your team currently using any kind of AI-generative tech for work (i.e. analytics, or creativity)?”

29% said YES

71% said NO

I’m not surprised. And I know this ratio will tip sooner than the widespread adoption of social. All it will take is Microsoft or Google revealing AI-generative technology is “now built into” their standard office tools. How we develop and refine strategy is changing. How we research and define actionable audience insights is changing. How we create has already changed.

Just one question remains:

Tomorrow’s “During” post will arrive late in the evening.