Opinion: No, the AI doesn’t want your job

Half of the marketing industry is losing its collective mind, convinced that artificial intelligence is coming to take their jobs – and soon. Despite AI’s advanced capabilities, the notion that human workers are about to be replaced is absurd.

Admittedly, AI is a powerful tool that can automate certain processes and streamline complex tasks. But despite its growing presence there will always be roles that require the creativity, analytics and strategic thinking that people are uniquely suited to provide. No no matter how powerful and smart it gets, robots will never truly understand what motivates a consumer to make a purchase, or to change their mind.

For the uninitiated, AI doesn’t pull new ideas out of thin air. It’s great at recognising patterns and filling in the gaps, but it relies on existing ideas and data to create new versions of previously established ideas. Machines cannot create iconic campaigns, nor can they turn insights into something unexpected and impactful. True creativity remains the real value of our industry. Iteration and improvement are necessary, but it’s the human-driven creative leaps that are ultimately going to move the needle.

Fear of the unknown whips up needless anxiety and engenders a defeatist attitude. Now is not the time to hide under the covers and hope major advances in AI pass you by. There’s a whole new world of possibilities opening up and it’s our job as marketing professionals to explore them and use them to the benefit of our clients.

Rather than running screaming from a future with AI, agencies should see the opportunities it presents. AI can free up time that humans can devote to higher-level analysis, leading to more meaningful engagements with consumers. Don’t be afraid – be excited.

At the end of the day, it’s simple: Artificial Intelligence won’t be taking our jobs – it will be helping us to pay attention to the ones that matter.

– This opinion piece was composed by GPT-3 AI.

Marketforce’s Head of Creative, Rikki Burns adds: OpenAI has launched a free research preview of their ChatGPT model. Give it try for yourself: https://chat.openai.com.