Gen AI for Creative Industries: Friend or Foe?

In September 2023 I attended a hugely informative two day conference “Generative ai for the creative industries” at the Arsenal Emirates stadium, put on by Nicholas Longworth and team.

• 28 talks & panels attended

• 49 ai experts listened to

I thought an interesting and helpful way to share some of the content was to group what I heard into quotes with the headings:

1. About AI

2. Friend

3. Foe

4. What do we do next?

1. About AI

1. "The biggest mistake is to define AI as getting a computer to do what humans do. "AI is goal directed adaptive behaviour" (Sternberg & Salter)" Daniel Hulme from WPP

2. "There is a confusion between AI and Automation. Ai Augments what we do, it does not automate it. This is Creativity PLUS AI" Nico Perony from Unity

3. "Now is the worst that GenAI will ever be" @Sanjeev Bala from ITV Studios

4. “Man as a tool maker has the ability to make a tool to amplify an inherent ability that he has. And that's exactly what we are doing here…. We are building tools that amplify a human ability.” (Courtesy of Tarv Nijjar from McDonald's applying Steve Jobs' quote about Apple, to AI)

5. "The safer LLMs become, the worse the answers become...because the inputs are limited" Danijela Horak from BBC

6. "Ai is leaving a mark on every facet of creativity" Daniel Hulme from WPP

2. Friend?

1. "Ai is useful because humans aren't good at decisions when lots of data needs to be analysed. More than 7 is our limit" Daniel Hulme

2. "The space between your imagination and reality is now so much smaller" Aurora Straton from Google

3. "AI is an imagination printer" mark whelan @ Nick Wavish from Havas

4. "Technology is here to replace or empower...AI tool creators are here to empower" Damon Minchella (a musician and music consultant)

5. "AI can remove work from workflow" Iona Walters from Adobe

6. "AI removes writers' block. AI helps get past the hardest part in creative idea development...starting. And then you get to 80% in minutes" Ziv Meiri from Google

7. "More time is made available for people...we are unlocking human potential" Iona Walters from Adobe

8. "AI will democratise creativity" (many people!)

9. "The world is a better place with more creators" Nico Perony from Unity

3. Foe?

1. "It could erode the essence of creativity" Daniel Hulme from WPP

2. "We won't know what is true. Image and voice can be cloned" Daniel Hulme

3. "We have self importance as humans because we thought we were unique having complex thought...then oops, GenAI" George Strakhov from DDB

4. "We are out of our comfort zone now, we have lost our purpose...humans are having a mid-life crisis" George Strakhov from DDB

5. "We now lack purpose, so we are going to amuse ourselves to death, bingeing on TikTok & Netflix" George Strakhov from DDB

6. You can tell George's talk was focussed predominantly on the negatives:)

4. What Do We Do Next?

1. "Get your hands dirty. Don't try and get it right the first time, dive in and learn on the go...in a safe space" @Othman Bennis, from L'Oréal

2. "For AI, we can build it and fix it or build it responsibly...always do the latter" Yair Adato, from BRIA AI

3. "Become a student again and become slightly uncomfortable" Jo Shoesmith from Amazon

4. "The best things you can do in AI now is to ask questions, tinker, and don't trust anyone that sounds too confident" Tim Hwang, courtesy of Jared Richardson from Colgate-Palmolive

5. "Create a task-force of enthusiasts in your company that focusses on AI, its developments and potential applications" (many)

6. "We have alien minds in our hands, let's not refine them to how we think, but collide with them" George Strakhov from DDB

7. "Do something that won't compute" George Strakhov from DDB

and finally....

" It might become all powerful, realise humans are inefficient and destroy us. If and when it arrives look busy and get on with each other" Daniel Hulme

My thoughts on GenAI in Creative Industries:

1. We are at the very early stages of what the true potential of GenAI can do.

2. We are in the middle of this particular 'hype-cycle', but it feels much more significant and broadly applicable than Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and/or Blockchain.

3. There are clear and dramatic risks of where GenAI could lead, and who it might harm.

4. But there are also limitless possibilities of how GenAI can expand what humans are capable of.

5. There needs to be rapid and informed regulation protecting IP and artists

6. So...I'm cautiously and optimistically excited....but I'm an optimist...so I would be.

Ps. Feel free to re-quote the quotes liberally!