Marketing in AI: Aligning Innovation with Humanity
Sumedh Habbu
Master's in Information Systems | Artificial Intelligence | Project Management | Product Development | Program Management | Strategy & Operations | Marketing | Business & Data Analytics | LinkedIn Top Voice
For any company to be successful, there are six pillars it needs to adhere to:
When aligned with the company's mission and vision, these pillars drive growth. However, misalignment can lead to significant setbacks. Misalignment is common in emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), despite product-market fit exercises. Marketing often exposes these misalignments, especially in AI, where the focus has shifted from professional to personal applications.
Mostly Misses, No Hits
Marketing in AI is facing a critical crossroads. While the technology is undoubtedly groundbreaking, its portrayal is increasingly at odds with public sentiment. This disconnect between innovation and human connection is hindering the industry's potential. Consider the following cases from this year:
Case 1 - 22nd February 2024 was an interesting day. A popular Dutch metal band called Pestilence shared the cover for their upcoming album which was created using AI. On the same day, on the other side of the world, Australia’s Queensland Symphony Orchestra posted an AI generated invite on their Facebook page. Both these social media posts caused a massive outrage in their respective fanbases with a common complaint – the stifling of human creativity, art, and effort. Pestilence later apologized and changed their album art to one created by a human artist.
Case 2 - On 7th May 2024, Apple released an advertisement for its latest version of the iPad Pro, specifically designed for AI use, which showed a giant hydraulic press crushing musical instruments, paint brushes, sculpting tools and other artistic paraphernalia, and out comes the new iPad Pro. The visual was jarring, with most users lamenting on how Apple was crushing the life, soul and humanity out of arts/society with its technology (AI). The backlash was so strong that Apple’s vice president of marketing communications had to apologize, and Apple did not run the ad on TV as it had originally planned. The ad was called – Crush.
Case 3 - This week, Google’s Gemini got into hot water with its advert where a father asks the chatbot to help his daughter write a fan letter to an Olympic athlete. People found it tone deaf because the point of a fan letter is to convey your true, heartfelt emotions and not generate a “perfect” letter. It also caught flak for promoting ‘lazy parenting’, a whole other topic, but equally important.
While the technology is undoubtedly groundbreaking, its portrayal is increasingly at odds with public sentiment.
Interestingly enough, there was another Google ad which showed a person asking Gemini to write a Dear John letter, but it did not catch as much flak. This was perhaps because ending a relationship is a difficult, awkward and messy thing to do. As this use case helps people avoid such a situation, perhaps that is why there was no outrage. Or maybe it skipped people's attention altogether.
Ironically, this image of AI/Tech being anti arts, culture, and society was created through pop culture, novels, and other artistic mediums itself! Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Black Mirror (TV series), or even I, Robot (movie), are just a few among many artistic creations which engender this perception. A lot of artistic interpretations or predictions of the technology are radically different to reality, but human nature being what it is, gets accepted faster and on a mass scale. Today, whether inadvertently or purposefully, it seems Silicon Valley is starting to personify this attitude leading to the current marketing misses.
The root cause of misalignment in AI marketing stems from a disconnect between the technical capabilities of the technology and the human experience. Marketing executives may be overly focused on showcasing technological advancements without considering how these innovations resonate with people on a deeper level. A lack of understanding of public perception towards AI can lead to campaigns that reinforce negative stereotypes rather than highlighting the technology's potential to enhance human life. These campaigns therefore, end up feeling impersonal or even threatening.
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Additionally, there is very likely an internal communication gap between marketing and other departments (leadership, R&D). This and the pressure to differentiate in a competitive market can result in exaggerated or misrepresented messaging, further widening the disconnect between AI companies and their audiences.
Balancing AI and Humanity in Marketing
Big Tech, especially the AI players need to strike a balancing act. Marketing efforts by Big Tech are a much-needed attempt to humanize the technology and its applications, perceived to be soulless and cold. They need to infuse a human connect and warmth in their marketing campaigns.
People did not outrage when EA sports used AI models to create 3D avatars of college football players in their recently released videogame. That was because the purpose of the technology had nothing to do with the human connection to the product.
Instead of showing a father asking an AI chatbot to help his daughter write a fan letter to her favourite Olympian (something extremely personal and human), maybe show the father asking the AI chatbot how to connect with the Olympian’s PR team to deliver his daughter’s heartfelt fan note. Instead of showing musical and artistic tools getting crushed by a giant hydraulic press, show how the artist is using their iPad and its in-built AI tool to learn/create new art!
Final Thoughts
Today AI has achieved the first stage in marketing which an emergent technology aims to do – attain market awareness. The next step is to fix the misalignment between what the leadership wants to convey and the message that is received by the audience.
Now, these marketing teams are competent, creative, and smart enough to craft their story which audiences can connect with. However, a change in perspective, maybe from someone with a fresh pair of eyes * wink wink *, will better realign the marketing efforts with the firm’s objectives and the audience.
What are your thoughts on the current state of marketing in AI? Share your insights in the comments below.
References:
Strategic Visionary Transforming the Way Value is Delivered | Project Management | Product Development | MS Information Systems
7 个月A very insightful and interesting take on the subject, Sumedh Habbu . I believe there are two main ways AI can be applied: as the face of a product or company, and to improve operational efficiency. Many companies are rushing to market & release AI-generated products, but this can sometimes lead them to lose sight of their original vision. In my view, it's more effective to first use AI internally to address operational inefficiencies, roadblocks, decision making, and further strengthen the foundation of the company - within itself. By resolving these smaller issues, the organization can stay on course and grow sustainably. Only then should AI be used to enhance customer experiences, providing a more trusted and reliable solution. Thanks for sharing! ??