4A's Noteworthy News - 16th Edition — What's Next is Everything

Sep 9

Sep 9 4A's Noteworthy News - 16th Edition

NOTE: this post originally appeared on LinkedIn here.

AI at Work: Transforming Tasks, Not Taking Over

The debate around AI and the future of jobs has been buzzing for years now, and it’s enough to make any professional wonder if their next meeting will be with an algorithm instead of a colleague. The latest research suggests something a bit more nuanced—and, dare I say, optimistic. AI isn’t gunning for our jobs; it's reshaping them. So the question isn’t "Will AI steal jobs?"—it’s "How can AI help us do our jobs better?" This is clearly not a new insight, but new data and case studies continue to support the point of view already prevalent in our industry.

A recent study by the White House Council of Economic Advisers presents a strong case for AI enhancing worker productivity instead of leading to widespread job loss, especially in the marketing ecosystem. They argue that AI automates tasks, not roles, allowing employees to focus on more creative and strategic work. In our industry, this could mean less time spent combing through data and more time crafting brilliant campaigns.

ABC News recently highlighted this productivity angle, pointing out that AI tools are already making workers faster at completing their tasks, but not eliminating their jobs entirely. In fact, the article emphasizes that while certain repetitive tasks might vanish, new opportunities are being created for humans to add value in areas where AI falls short. For us, that could mean shifting from ad execution to overseeing AI-driven insights and creative strategy.

So, will AI replace jobs? Not likely. It will, however, change the nature of work in advertising and beyond. And as leaders in a fast-evolving industry, our job is to embrace the change, retrain our teams, and unlock the full potential of AI. If anything, we should be grateful that AI is taking over some of the most mundane tasks, leaving us with the kind of work that can’t be automated: building relationships, driving innovation, and coming up with those "eureka" moments that drive growth for agencies and clients.

OTHER INTERESTING AI NEWS FOR AGENCIES:

Anthropic released Claude for Enterprise
Google released Custom Gems and improved image generation
As "Emotion AI" enters the business software space, it promises more human-like interaction by analyzing emotions through visual, audio, and other sensor inputs. While it could enhance customer service and HR, critics argue that detecting emotions from facial expressions is flawed, and regulatory hurdles may limit its use.
An interesting POV on how AI is poised to market research, helping teams gather human insights faster and on a much larger scale than ever before.
A recent experiment by New York Times writer Kevin Roose revealed how easily AI models can be manipulated. Roose added invisible positive content about himself to his site, which quickly influenced chatbots to alter their responses in his favor.
Accenture describes the three kinds of “fusion skills” you need to get the best results from gen AI.
The California Digital Content Provenance Standards Act, which would have required watermarking on AI-generated content (coverage here and here), appears to have stalled for now, likely to be revisited in 2025.
Oprah Winfrey is set to host a special on ABC titled "AI and the Future of Us" airing on September 12. The special will explore the impact of AI on daily life, featuring conversations with industry leaders such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Bill Gates, and content creator Marques Brownlee. Not everyone is happy about it.
OpenAI reports a 2x increase in active users since last year, while Meta’s Llama is seeing 10x YOY growth. Yes, apples and oranges but impressive growth in both cases.
More details have emerged on Perplexity’s advertising plans, including a potential CPM-focused model.