(feature image source: https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-oaksz)
The bells toll amidst the media frenzy of predictions of what life with AI/Chat GPT is going to be like.
Bill Gates said last month that ‘Artificial intelligence is as revolutionary as mobile phones and the Internet’.
So, what are our media, cultural and news worlds going to be like?
If every style, every idea, every song, article, picture, film, artistic technique, can be artificially created… what will be real?
Will we live in a permanent crisis of trust, a Kafkaesque Big Brother nightmare?
The first question we will ask – on seeing, reading or hearing anything – is ‘Man or Machine’? Real or Unreal?
Consider the following recent stories – and there will be many more to come.
Criminal scammers cloning a teenage girl’s voice with AI, and using it to call her mother to demand a $1 million ransom.
Or the photo of Pope Francis wearing a white Balenciaga puffer jacket which turns out to be fake.
(Image source: New Scientist/ These images were generated by the AI tool Midjourney/MIDJOURNEY/REDDIT)
This Balenciaga pop-culture mashup commercial is all entirely generated with AI. It shows characters from the Harry Potter films - Hagrid, Ron, Hermione, Snape, McGonagall, Dobby—as gaunt models with aggressive cheekbones dressed in gothic capes and leather jackets. In 3 weeks, it got 5m views.
And here’s what people do to beautifully agonised-over luxury brand content, this time for Rolex.
The Stage says AI is stealing voice-over jobs.
The music industry is asking streaming platforms not to let AI use copyrighted songs. In a letter to Spotify and Apple Music, Universal Music Group expressed fears that AI labs would scrape millions of tracks to use as training data for their models and copycat versions of pop stars. The Guardian says that music generators are not quite at the same level of mainstream accessibility, but can make convincing song fakes of like Kanye West doing a whole cover version of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.
Israeli winery Mahsenei Hashuk is using ChatGPT and Midjourney for marketing and branding for the ADOM wine range.
Profoundly destructive lies or artistic innovation and creativity? It is complex. AI products are in their infancy but as they develop, they will no doubt impact the creative areas generally including image, sound creation and writing.
Com on feel the noize
(Image source here)
If you think it’s bad now, it’s going to get much worse.
There’s so much noize out there, though you may call it cultural abundance, especially in the digi world.
Many of us, especially the young and the smart who know their way around, can get whatever they want for free. Free news, free music, free films, free TV, channels, gaming, free content of all kinds.
(Though erm.. not luxury brand marketing strategies, copywriting, website design, art direction, luxury coffee table books, name creation, advertising and market research).
And for all that content…. no one’s content…
People are more depressed and anxious than ever; we have a mental health crisis on our hands especially with young people.
Tech used to make things more trustworthy. A photo, (remember those Polaroid Instamatics), a video, a recording.
To be fair, not the ads. Never the ads. Ad men were ranked lower than double glazing salesmen, lawyers, and politicians on the trustometers.
I go to a site now and I ask myself, do I trust it. Who’s funding it, who are the backers, are the writers known and legit. Where is their source, their intel from. How do they make their money.
(Image source: https://www.edelman.com/trust/2021-trust-barometer)
We all go to Google first.
But we all know it’s SEO’d to death, or riddled with placement ads, so that extra factor has to be ‘baked in’. As they say.
So what can you trust?
What luxury is good at: beauty, design, innovation, the world’s best craftsmen, integrity, authenticity, entrepreneurial courage… physicality and experience.
Brand narratives: origins, founders with a mission, authenticity, provenance, history, craftsmanship, quality, scarcity. Tales of triumph over tragedy, provocation, challenge, mischief, bravery, innovation, technical mastery…
The human bit. AI tech that works for the client. The tech must be Servant to the brand marketer’s Master.
Which might be good, because us humans are talented at that part.
The emotional engagement, connection, integrity, craftmanship, soul thing…
Bill Gates and the tech community put forward a positive case for AI. Optimists all, mostly, they believe it will reshape the way people work, learn, travel, get healthcare, and communicate.
Well, let’s be positive, and hope they’re right.
Luxury brand marketing will surely adapt and thrive as it has throughout many other seismic trends in history.
Where can I find a London luxury brand agency that I can trust?
You've found it.
Anew are brand development and marketing specialists for ambitious businesses of excellence. Whether it’s insight from research, strategic brand thinking, a new brand name and logo design, messaging, online and offline content or website development, we help companies increase brand profitability through sharper insights, distinctive propositions, creative ideas and faultless execution.
We are particularly adept at working directly with luxury brands, business owners, start-ups and entrepreneurs who are committed to sustainability, outstanding quality and craft.
Based in the heart of London, we'd be delighted to meet for a coffee, either face-to-face or virtually, to discuss any new projects you might be considering.
To get in touch do drop us an email. We'd be delighted to meet for a coffee, either face-to-face or virtually to discuss your brief.
