Is AI the new Creative Strategist?, By Red Sea Global’s Elie Kanaan
“The meaning of life” is a broad and fundamental philosophical question that has been debated by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others for centuries. The meaning of life is a single unifying purpose or goal that defines living. Humans are living organisms, complex systems that operate with many different subsystems that are governed by genetic and cultural evolution to survive, reproduce, and flourish.
The above statement was written by ChatGPT which is a remarkable AI chat that can write code and can answer any question that crosses your mind.
Dali the painter took decades to hone the art of surrealism as a concept, which he then translated to canvas. The modern counterpart that is taking the artworld by storm is Dall-e, the OpenAI app that creates a digital art piece within seconds. As a creative and an artist, I take offense to this evolution in our human regard for talent and self-expression that is at the soul of our species.
Not to regress from the question at hand: will AI be the new Marketing Creative Strategist? Will “it” be able to understand human insight, craft a story that speaks to every person within a target audience and understand the worries, fears, hopes and dreams of every global community? Every community has its own way of thinking, its own cultural heritage and essence. Will AI be able to touch the heart of millions with a musical score or write a play that will live for centuries as the greatest play in history? I would like to say no, but first, I will try to take a deeper dive into some important aspects of what it means to be a creative.
“There is nothing that people experience as more creative than talking to friends, acquaintances, experts, even complete strangers. In the weaving of conversations, in the back and forth of thoughts, a spiritual connection arises, this is what opens us up to new perspectives.” Reinhard Sprenger
To try and answer the question, we need to ask ourselves what creativity is. I was asked this very question during an interview with my current Chief Administrative Officer at Red Sea Global, Mr. Ahmad Darwish. My brain went into a fog then did a summersault, and the answer that came out was: “There is nothing that I or anyone can create. The word creative does not exist or work in this world”. What I was trying to communicate in the comment was that there is one source of creation and what we do is tap into the source and be inspired by life around us to combine different ideas and develop concepts by communicating them with other humans. Vilfredo Pareto said: “An idea is nothing more or less than a new combination of old elements.” Now if there is anything that I can never and will never be able to do with an AI is a brainstorming session. Human connection and the flow of ideas occurs when people come together and discuss concepts with a common goal. This generates not only numerous ideas but a connection of energies. This flow, as anyone that has been in a brainstorming session will know, can either be unfruitful or constructive. When you find a group of people whose energy clicks and flows, it will generate a flood gate of good vibes and ideas. This feeling is that of euphoria, which can be an amazing catalyst of solutions.
Another aspect that is important to mention is the gut feeling or human instinct. This helps steer a person’s decision making, conceptualization and life. This instinct is inherently found in every human. The more you train your brain in creativity and understanding of the past, the more you hone this instinct. One example of how this instinct manifests itself is when a creative finishes the research and sits quietly until the idea presents itself. After all, one of the most important things that a creative can have in his arsenal is trusting the process.
In conclusion, people can take risks, challenge ideas, and push the boundaries of reality. Because all creatives are rebels that have in one way or another objected to the norm. On the other hand, AI is a system built on the norm. It is built on 1’s and 0’s. That is why the future of the creative strategist, and the marketing department will always need human intellect and instinct to be able to craft relevant strategies and communicate groundbreaking solutions to other humans.