Here we go with part 2 of "Everything is AI'd AF. Now What?" In this blog post we continue with a more in-depth look at the power of artificial intelligence to impact and effect the creative development process. If you missed part 1 and want to check-in there first, hit the link here.
What's Next: We All Need to Get Started (and soon)
Artificial Intelligence is not going way. The best thing to do is heed the sage advice our Creative Director, Jeff Kurek, shared last year on a podcast episode of "Brave Business Triumphs," All of us need to not only embrace this technology but we also need to explore, experiment and experience first-hand, the power, the pitfalls and the potential of AI, and then challenge everything we think we know."
While I've dabbled in AI a bit last year, in 2024 I’m on a mission to understand the good, the bad and the ugly of AI. As part of this and upcoming blog posts, I will be sharing my early usage and exploration of a few notable AI platforms.
So...In January of this year I set out to expand and improve my AI prompting skills for writing, creating images and video. In doing so, I’ve been learning a lot and will continue to share my progress as I discover how much faster work can be done, how much stronger initial concepts can be created and how much better the workflows and overall outcomes can truly be.
For the time being, checkout my initial starting points with ChatGPT4, Midjourney and
ChatGPT4:
Below is a fairly basic prompt I used to "co-write" a one-act play and the resulting initial draft of a script entitled “Echoes of Creation.”
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Prompt: Write a one act play on the rise and fall of copy writers due to the effects and impact of artificial intelligence.
ChatGPT4:
Title: Echoes of Creation
Characters:
ALEX: A seasoned copywriter in their late thirties, optimistic yet apprehensive about the future.
JORDAN: A young, ambitious copywriter in their early twenties, enthusiastic about technology and innovation.
MORGAN: A middle-aged copywriting agency owner, struggling to adapt to the changing landscape.
ECHO: A representation of AI technology in human form, adaptable and evolving.
Setting:
The play is set in a modern copywriting agency office, filled with computers, desks, and remnants of traditional advertising (posters, magazines, etc.). The backdrop shifts subtly to reflect the passage of time and the digital transformation of the space.
Act 1
Scene 1
The office is bustling with activity. ALEX and JORDAN are at their desks, typing away. MORGAN enters with a concerned look.
MORGAN: (Addressing ALEX and JORDAN) Gather round, team. We've got to talk about the elephant in the room—AI.
ALEX: (Nervously) I've heard rumors. Are we being replaced?
JORDAN: (Excitedly) Oh, I've seen some demos! The possibilities are endless!
MORGAN: It's not about replacement. It's adaptation. We're integrating AI to help us, not to take our jobs.
ECHO enters, unnoticed at first, and begins to mimic the actions of the copywriters, symbolizing AI's integration.
Scene 2
Time has passed. The office now has more screens and fewer papers. ALEX, JORDAN, and MORGAN are discussing a project.
JORDAN: (To ECHO) Show us the campaign options you generated.
ECHO displays a dazzling array of creative concepts on the screens.
ALEX: (Impressed but worried) Incredible... but what's our role if ECHO can do all this?
MORGAN: Our creativity isn't obsolete. It's our job to guide and refine what ECHO produces. To add the human touch.
Scene 3
Further time has passed. The office is quieter, more digital. ALEX, JORDAN, and MORGAN appear more detached, interacting mainly through screens.
ALEX: (Reflecting) I used to fear being replaced. Now, I wonder if we've lost something irreplaceable.
JORDAN: (Optimistically) But think of the efficiency, the scale! We're reaching heights we never could've alone.
MORGAN: (Sadly) At what cost? Our creativity? Our humanity?
ECHO stands in the background, a silent observer, its presence now dominating the space.
Scene 4
The climax. A meeting with a potential client. ALEX, JORDAN, MORGAN, and ECHO present a new campaign.
CLIENT: (On a video call) This is impressive, but it lacks... soul. It's too perfect, too calculated.
MORGAN: (Realization dawning) That's what we forgot. AI can generate, but it can't empathize, can't feel.
ALEX: (Determined) Let's show them what we can do. Let's blend our creativity with ECHO's capabilities.
They work together, integrating human insights with AI's efficiency, crafting a campaign that resonates deeply.
Scene 5
The office is transformed once again, now a harmonious blend of technology and traditional elements. ALEX, JORDAN, MORGAN, and ECHO review the successful campaign.
JORDAN: We found a new way to work together. AI hasn't replaced us; it's enhanced us.
ALEX: (Smiling) It's about balance. Embracing change without losing our essence.
MORGAN: (Proudly) We're not just copywriters or technologists. We're storytellers, with more tools at our disposal than ever.
ECHO, once a looming presence, now stands equal among them, a symbol of collaboration rather than replacement.
Curtain
As the curtain falls, the play leaves the audience reflecting on the evolution of work and creativity in the age of AI, highlighting the importance of human insight and emotion in the face of technological advancement.
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Midjourney:
In Midjourney, I used one of the ChatGPT4 character descriptions (Alex) as a prompt to create an example of potential character head shots…
/imagine a photographic portrait of a seasoned copywriter in their late thirties, optimistic yet apprehensive about the future, gender and racially diverse.
Pika:
With Pika, I started with the same character description from ChatGPT4 that I used in Midjourney and then augmented it to relate to a video description. Look at the :03 second video created and how it does or doesn’t match up with the script and character images that were created…
Prompt: A seasoned, female, person of color copywriter in their late thirties, optimistic yet apprehensive about the future, working with their creative partner at their funky and eclectic downtown office full of other creative type designers, producers, strategists and account managers working through late hours of the evening.
Results and Conclusions from Scratching the Surface
Let's face it, these new creative platforms are way cool. They enable and allow more people to be creative, expressive and productive in new ways. It's a new level of creative super powers that requires and equal level of responsibility. For those who become proficient with their AI skill sets, be aware and understand the potential goodness and destructiveness that will come from what you create.
Within our industry, I am keenly aware of how this type of technology threatens many people's careers and livelihoods. What this means for the future of current creative workflows, agency models and the people who create things for a living, who can say for sure. Except, everything is changing right before our very eyes.
As someone who is just dipping their big toe in to test the water, I learned a lot rather quickly. But there is so much more to understand about each of these artificial intelligence platforms. And these are only three.
A Positive Future with AI - We Hope
Hopefully the final scene of my AI co-written one act play is the copesetic ending that actually unfolds. One where technology (artificial intelligence) and humans collaborate in harmony and peace.
And yet, the one thing that will hopefully never be conceded to AI is the human element of the BIG IDEA. You know, that j'en est c'est quoi of a thought, an experience or a feeling that is able to make an emotional and rational connection with another person.
When that is lost, more than likely it will be game over.
Until that day comes, game on!
As artificial intelligence continues to become more of organizations standard operating procedure, we would love to learn how you are integrating this technology with your people and your customers.
In the meantime, we'll be sure to share an update later this summer with my continued progress and exploration of AI platforms focused on creative development and beyond.