AI vs. Art

If you have been anywhere near the internet, you’ve seen it. It’s been happening for months now, but only of late has it been catching real attention and criticism (and a few giggles as well). That’s right, you guessed it: AI-designed posters and advertisements. And while we’re all having a good laugh at some of the outrageous things we’re seeing, the reality is they’re more than just an eyesore; they’re hurting your business.

And I’m sure some of you would say, well, Abbey, not everyone can afford to pay a designer or an ad agency to create for them. Yes, this is true, but if you have the funds, you need to invest them. What you may not know is that agencies are flexible. Throw out a budget and we can let you know how to use your funds most efficiently. Plus, we’re not the only ones who can help. Tap into local artists or the many creators who are just starting their careers or only get to practice their craft part time; there is no lack of talent where you are located and these creators are willing to work within even limited budgets. And why is this important? It’s not just a ploy to encourage you to support the creative economy, but rather to ask you to consider that in a sea of AI-generated content, how are YOU going to stand out?

Here’s the reality. AI only knows how to create from things that have already been created. It’s a copycat. It borrows and steals from styles and samples loaded into its database. It’s no surprise that you “think” you have seen that same advertisement before; it’s because you have. AI doesn’t know how to dream. It doesn’t have a new idea. It only draws on the past. Is this what you want your advertising to be?

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of uses for AI. We use it as an agency in many different ways. Ways that make us quicker. Ways to analyze data more efficiently and effectively. To remove that pesky kid who ran through our perfect shot with ease. But where we will not use it is idea generation and execution in our creative. That’s just not where it belongs, because art cannot live inside of AI. And while you may see us as designers, photographers, illustrators and copywriters, we are in reality artists.

So what’s the big deal? Using a little AI to make an ad or a logo isn’t going to hurt anything, right? How are you going to stand out, give your brand a voice and build trust if you leave it to a robot to position it? Has that robot ever interacted with your brand? Can it get mad when the brand doesn’t deliver on the promise? Can it feel the warmth of good customer service? Can it be moved by the emotion of the story of why you exist and how? 

These are the things that only humans can do. And we artists tend to be super feelers, which means we might take feeling to the extreme, but that’s what makes us good at our jobs. We listen, not just with our ears, but with our emotions. Our job is to interpret your story, take your challenges and successes and communicate them in a way that compels your audience to take action. Through storytelling, through images, through typography and through voice. We consider every interaction, every touchpoint and build the story and creative to reach your audience at each of these moments in unique ways. Ways that are designed to make them feel. This is the power of the art behind advertising. 

While we may not be the Mad Men of the 1960s (especially because we are a more female-dominated profession these days), the premise of the pitch is still the same. When Don Draper pitches the ad campaign for the Kodak Carousel in the iconic Mad Men series, that was mimicking what we do in real life every day. When he says, “This device isn’t a spaceship, it’s a time machine. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again.” That’s the emotion that AI can’t touch. That’s something that can only be drawn from human experience. And while that was a fabricated moment, it echoes the art behind advertising.

So remember, there is a time and a place for AI. But think about where that really belongs in your advertising strategy. Do you want something original that tells your story at its heart, or do you want an idea that has already been put into AI and recycled for your brand? Standing out from the crowd is the goal in advertising. It’s what gets clicks, sales and referrals. Original ideas still exist, and I work every day to make sure those ideas are passed along to our partners to help them achieve their goals.