Unleashing Creativity: The Secret Weapon in the New AI-Driven World
This is no ordinary mince pie…. This is a Marks and Spencer mince pie you fool! They are freshly baked, melt in the mouth with all butter pastry, deep-filled with vine fruit and a hint of cognac and covered in icing sugar for that melt in the mouth texture on the first bite.
If you think you’re a dab hand at making up marks and Spencer’s ads on the fly and describing things in detail you may have what it takes for the wave of AI disruption that is coming.
AI is set to add an estimated 10–20% on top of GDP in the UK by 2030 and that’s just a best guess given today’s iterations. The truth is that AI is getting better at an alarming rate and new tools and use cases are being found each day. It will soon have a role in designing everything we put our hands on from bags, shoes, cars, adverts, music, movies the list is endless.
This post is primarily sharing my experience using AI in the past few weeks and raising the alarm for those who aren’t aware about what’s coming and also what skills they need to be learning and more importantly teaching their kids.
MY AI Experience
There has been a lot of buzz around AI recently wanting to see what the fuss is all about. I have dived in to see what is happening and not to scare you but it’s far more advanced and disruptive than you can even imagine.
Tools used in these examples (The Geeky Bit)
Chat GPT
ChatGPT[a] is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by OpenAI and released in November 2022. It is built on top of OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 foundational large language models (LLMs) and has been fine-tuned (an approach to transfer learning) using both supervised and reinforcement learning techniques.
Here’s a simple explanation:
Imagine having a conversation with someone who has read a vast amount of information and can generate responses to a wide range of inputs in a conversation. That’s essentially what ChatGPT is, but instead of being a person, it’s a computer program.
Mid Journey
Midjourney is a tool that generates images based on your text prompts through the power of AI and machine learning. This is similar to other AI art generators such as OpenAI’s DALL-E. Once you really know how to use Midjourney, you’ll have no trouble creating some truly unique pieces of art.
After a few weeks of deep diving and using some of these tools it’s easy to see how it’s going to take over the world very quickly. ChatGPT is like having, not only an expert to get advice from but an expert that is willing to do the work for you.
For example you can ask it be a poet, a translator, a programmer, a music writer, an author, a researcher and personal trainer, a legal expert, a recruiter, a mathematician, an astrologist, a comedian… the list goes on and on. It will then assume this role and you can ask it to complete any task you wish.
Example Of Chat GPT in Action
Let’s ask ChatGPT to be a poet and think of something completely off the wall that is very unlikely to exist . In seconds assumes the role of a poet and comes back with an answer that’s original, creative and unique to you and if you don’t like it you can ask it to try again and it will give you a whole different poem.
While seeming novel and silly and something that is not very useful you can see that AI really understands language and entities at a deep level. When I asked what skills were used to create the poem, this was its response.
It’s of course less amusing when you ask for service level skills such as a business plan on your new product or a legal letter or a bespoke personal training plan. Because its answers are top notch and that means AI will undoubtable disrupt these sectors.
Today for example I used a ChatGPT to give me a list of features that future cars would have thanks to AI and I asked Midjourny to create using AI a reimagined Ford Puma of the future as if it was designed by AI.
Chat GPT Reply
Prompt: Create a press release about the future of ai in car design and technology. featuring separate bullet points of potential features as reimagined by AI.
The automotive industry is on the brink of a monumental shift with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in car design and technology. As technological advancements continue to reshape our world, leading automakers are exploring innovative ways to enhance the driving experience, safety features, and overall performance. From reimagined classics to cutting-edge electric vehicles, AI opens up new horizons for car design. Here’s a glimpse of what the future holds for some iconic models:
Mid Journey Reply
For Perspective here is the current on the road model of the ford puma.
Here is the prompt that I put into Mid Journey (note I didn’t put the image of the ford puma into the software so the software has to have some knowledge of the current models looks and aesthetics )
Prompt: Envision a futuristic and innovative redesign of the Ford Puma using AI technology( content: a sleek and aerodynamic Ford Puma with cutting — edge features like autonomous driving capabilities, solar — powered energy systems, and advanced safety mechanisms) ( medium: digital 3D rendering) ( style: inspired by modern automotive concept designs and futuristic aesthetics) ( colors: use a contemporary and eye — catching colour palette with metallic finishes and bold accents) ( composition: showcase the redesigned Puma from various angles, highlighting its most innovative features and dynamic design elements)
Here is what Midjourney gave me in return.
The scary thing is that both of these AI models are in the testing phase and are getting updated frequently, the 2023 version is going to look pretty dated in a year in terms of capability let alone ten years.
Ok I get it AI is clever — So what the hell do you do about it?
Early last year I received a what's app picture from a good friend and mentor saying he had just spotted a guy in a café wearing a t-shirt that was spot on saying “creatives are the new athletes”.
At the time I smiled and replied, “Great T-Shirt I need one!”. But you know what? The more I think about it, the more it seems that T-shirt was onto something. Guess it wasn’t just a funny tagline after all.
The skills of creativity and emotional intelligence are going to be more and more in demand in the new AI economy.
“Creativity” has been identified by the?World Economic Forum , the?International Monetary Fund ?and global?business analysts ?as the key to our future economies.
It was the number-one skill set demanded two years in a row by?the 20 million job ads on LinkedIn , which labelled it “the most important skill in the world ”.
Creativity is complex. It’s not straightforward to teach and it’s not straightforward to understand. That’s what’s so exciting about it.
Emotional intelligence and creativity involves understanding and interpreting human social interactions, emotions, nuanced cues. Humans excel and likely will for some time on these qualities over AI as creativity, empathy, motivation and emotional intelligence are uniquely human.
As a marketer I excel at this. I think about how words and images persuade. How they make someone feel. How they solve someone’s frustration or even to attempt to frustrate enough that someone wants to go and find a solution.
Although it may seem that adverts or texts are just words on a page or a product image. Good marketers are toiling away behind the scenes attempting to make you feel a certain way or to influence your thinking.
Much like a chef who has mastered a large range of ingredients and knows their effects, marketers use ingredients too.
Here are some examples of thoughts and tools I use when creating adverts, looking for angles or methods to describe a product, a service, a pain point etc.
Ingredients available for a good advert
Marketing Techniques
AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action), Direct Response, Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD), Loss Aversion, Social Proof, Storytelling, Scarcity, The Rule of Three, Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS), Features-Advantages-Benefits (FAB), Power Words, Repetition, Call to Action (CTA), Unique Selling Proposition (USP), Emotional Appeal
Imagery
Kinesthetic, Auditory, Visual, Olfactory
Core Emotions
Feelings
Anger, Sadness, Joy, Surprise, Disgust, Ecstasy, Terror, Despair, Anticipation.
Vices
Sloth, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Selfishness, Revenge
Virtues
Love, Compassion, Ambition, Courage, Justice, Cleanliness, Generosity, Creativity, Defiance, Determination, Excellence, Honesty, Modesty, Reliability, Superiority, Simplicity, Elegance, Thrift, Forgiveness, Resolution
Relationships
Your customer, A Negative Force or Belief Held, A thing that your customer loves, A Positive force or belief, A thing that your customer hates, Your Product, You the Advertiser, Your Service, Your Customers Worst Enemy, Your Customers Hero, Your Customers Best Friend, Your Customers Victim Icon
Types of Sentences
Question, Statement (declaration), Command (imperative), Condition (if/then/else), Quotation (“he said”).
Time
Past, Present, Future, Dream
Towards/ Away From
Fear, Desire, Both
Future
Prediction, Warning, Promise, Threat, Story of Change
Capability
Can, Can’t, Will, Won’t, Does, Doesn’t, Do, Don’t, Is, Isn’t, True, False
Levels of Identity
Identity (Who we are), Beliefs (What we think), Skills (What we’re capable of), Behavior (What we do), Environment (Forces outside our direct control), Location, Job Role
Proof
Credibility
The Powerful Demonstration, Results In Advance, High Profile Clients, Track Record, Associations, Celebrity, Unique Mechanism
Believability
Displays Of Knowledge, Personal Endorsement, Case Studies.
Facts
Case Studies, Research, Self-Evident
Social Proof
Reviews, Media Mentions, Number of Followers,Number of Citations, Innovation, Specialization
领英推荐
Numbers
Price, Savings, Losses, Earnings, ROI, Statistics, Percentages, Fractions, Dates, Periods of Time, Quantities,
Language Devices
Rhythm, Rhyme, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Consonance, Haiku, Simile, Metaphor, Metonymy, Synecdoche, Famous Quotes, Lyrics, Popular clichés, Humor, Irony, Tragedy,
Sarcasm, Slang, Colloquialisms.
Names
Movies, TV Shows, Songs, Actors & Actresses, Authors, Politicians, World Leaders, Icons, Spirit Beings, Master Teachers, Trademarks, Brand Names, Part Numbers, Artists,
Albums, Musicians, Captains of Industry.
Locations
Landmark, Neighborhood, State, Country, Historical, Fictional (“The Shire”), Conceptual (“Cyberspace”), Imaginary (“Wonderland”), Cult (“Planet Perry”), Metaphysical (Heaven / Hell / Nirvana)
Structure
Emojis, Transposition, Verb Swapping, Noun Swapping, Adjective Swapping, Capitalization, Punctuation, Line Breaks, Repetition, Quotes, Dashes, Parentheses, Slashes, Commas, Question Marks, Exclamation Marks, Extra Spaces, Symbols, ASCII Characters
Example Prompts using ChatGPT
Let’s use the above to write a short 4 paragraphs for a text based advert for a relationship counsellor, at random I have chosen some ingredients from my toolkit to aim the advert at a man whose vice is overworking, using visual imagery and the marketing technique of Attention,Interest,Desire and Action with resolution as a virtue based in the future.
Prompt:Write a short text based advert for a relationship counsellor aimed at a man who works too much using the marketing technique:AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) use Visual Imagery and the core emotion of jealousy and future resolution.
Result
Attention:?Are you continually chained to your desk, feeling like you’re missing out on life’s precious moments? Picture this: Your partner, standing by the window, gazing at the setting sun, longing for the times you used to share.
Interest:?As a dedicated Relationship Counselor, I understand the complexities of balancing a demanding career and a fulfilling personal life. Your work is important, but so is your love life.
Desire:?Imagine coming home after a long day to an environment filled with understanding and love instead of tension and silence. Through guided sessions, we can rekindle the passion and closeness you once enjoyed, transforming the green-eyed monster of jealousy into a powerful motivator for change.
Action:?Don’t let your work steal away the love of your life. Take the first step towards a balanced, happier future. Reach out today and let’s navigate this journey together. Your dream relationship is just a call away.
As you can see the true power is in understanding how marketing works and can be used and the elements that make a good persuasive advert. If you can think in reverse and describe the output you want sufficiently well Ai can be extremely useful.
Winning lies in the hands of those who can describe the best
“Winning lies in the hands of those who can describe the best” — You’re probably thinking that’s a crap quote and what does it even mean.
Playing around with AI for the past week has shown me that the better you are at describing the better the output is. Here are some examples of AI work that was created in under a minute. Note how descriptive the prompts are. The long and short of it is, the better the prompt is, the better the output.
All of these images are based on Einstein’s Famous quote “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” In this case AI is limited and it needs our imagination to work.
Mid Journey High quality Art for those who are good at describing
Note: All of the images are unique and original and created on the fly for me based on the prompt entered. Which itself is mind blowing let alone its ability to change its design based on descriptors, mediums, colour tones and famous artistic styles.
Prompt : A child harnessing the power of imagination to create their own world, surrounded by books( medium: acrylic painting) ( style: combining elements of impressionism and magical realism) ( lighting: warm and inviting, with golden sunlight) ( colors: rich, saturated hues with a touch of whimsy) ( composition: shot through a 50mm lens, focusing on the child’s expressive face, and the imaginative world unfolding around them)
Prompt: A whimsical scene depicting the power of imagination triumphing over knowledge( medium: digital illustration) ( style: inspired by surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí) ( lighting: soft, diffused, dreamlike) ( colors: pastel hues, with a touch of vibrant accents) ( composition: shot with a 50mm lens, capturing a dreamy landscape with floating books and imaginative creatures, while a curious figure interacts with the scene
Prompt :A thought — provoking image showcasing imagination and knowledge as interconnected entities( medium: oil painting) ( style: reminiscent of Romanticism, influenced by artists like Caspar David Friedrich) ( lighting: warm, golden hour tones) ( colors: a natural, harmonious palette with earthy tones) ( composition: captured by a wide — angle lens, with a figure standing at the edge of a cliff, holding a glowing orb that intertwines elements of imagination and knowledge)
Prompt: A lively, fantastical interpretation of the quote “Imagination is more important than knowledge”( medium: acrylic painting) ( style: influenced by modern abstract art and Expressionism) ( lighting: bold, high — contrast) ( colors: a vivid, energetic color palette) ( composition: using a 24mm lens, capturing a chaotic, yet beautiful clash between the realms of imagination, represented by swirling colors and shapes, and knowledge, symbolized by structured, geometric forms)
Prompt:An imaginative landscape featuring iconic figures from history and literature, symbolizing the importance of creativity( medium: collage) ( style: influenced by the Dada movement) ( lighting: varied, with each scene having its own distinct lighting) ( colors: a mix of monochromatic and vibrant color palettes)
As you can see from the examples above,?“today words really can paint a thousand pictures”.
The better the prompt the better the output so use and train your creative skills to get comfortable with thinking outside of the box, looking at things in different ways and combining unrelated ideas.
When thinking about art like the marketing example above before you get creative, think about the options at your disposal.
How to describe like a Pro
Ask yourself, What do I need to know to be great at describing art? Think about what makes art in the first place such as Mediums, Style, Compositions build a toolkit that you can use for brainstorming and experimentation. For example:
Art Mediums
Artistic Styles
Artistic Compositions
Today’s AI isn’t just limited to art, it can make ultra real product photos and photo’s. Here are Three examples created today by me using the following prompts.
Prompt:The interior of an abandoned scientific laboratory, aseptic, white walls and furniture, on the floor scientist’s gowns thrown on the floor, gas masks and broken test tubes. In the background, behind the table, there is a very large and futuristic horizontal window through which we can see, behind a table, on which there is a closed metal briefcase, we see a POST — APOCALYPTIC city. IT IS DAY. THE LAST OF US STYLE
Prompt:A hyper — realistic photo capturing a moment of a model holding a transparent umbrella, standing alone in a cityscape while rain pours down( medium: digital photography) ( style: reminiscent of candid street photography) ( lighting: diffused city lights reflecting off the rain — soaked streets) ( colors: a muted, cool — toned palette) ( composition: shot with a wide — angle lens, capturing the model in the lower third, allowing the cityscape and the rain to be a major part of the image)
Prompt:An ultra — realistic photograph showcasing a model posing elegantly with a vibrant umbrella amidst a heavy downpour( medium: digital photography) ( style: influenced by high — fashion editorial photography) ( lighting: natural diffused light with additional front — lighting to emphasize the raindrops) ( colors: a monochromatic background with the umbrella as a pop of color) ( composition: shot with a 70–200mm lens, using a shallow depth of field to highlight the model and the umbrella against a blurred backdrop)
Another example this fake image was also created with a mid journey from a description and took social media by storm :?Pope wears stylish puffer jacket
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily work routines, the demand for individuals who can collaborate effectively with AI will continue to grow. In this evolving landscape, the key skills of creativity, deep understanding of human nature, and emotional intelligence will become paramount. Those who possess the ability to vividly articulate and capture the essence of ideas will gain a competitive edge, enabling them to harness the full potential of AI to their advantage.
The “future economy” is predicted to be one where creativity is not just an advantage but a necessity.
Creatives who excel in generating original ideas and expressing them will be at the forefront of the shift to using AI. Their ability to navigate complex emotional landscapes and innovate and adapt will make them invaluable across all sectors.
AI is often viewed as a threat to job security, whilst true it also offers wide scale opportunities for taking over monotonous routine tasks freeing up people to focus on more complex work.
Time to Embrace and Nurture Creative and Emotional Skills for the future
By now I’m sure you get the message, It’s crucial for us and young adults to embrace and nurture creative skills. How do we do this?
Observing Example
When looking at a problem, service or a product think in reverse from the desired solution and consider different aspects.
In this example think of a designer handbag and consider:
Visual Appeal
Tactile Experience
Scent
Emotional Intelligence
You be glad to know I have run out of steam but to summarize AI isn’t coming it’s here and
If you are a parent or a teacher incorporate creativity and emotional intelligence into your teachings, if you are a company prioritize these skills in your hiring process.
Independent Arts and Crafts Professional
4 个月Intrested
"Ingredients available for a good advert" And there is me thinking OpenAI might help to reduce ads ??
Operations Manager at Adecco Group
1 年Great read Tim
Automated Analytics - Helping companies optimise sales, marketing & recruitment strategies with data insights for maximum returns.
1 年Fantastic read Tim!
Manager, Event Services at Brandlive
1 年Really interesting read, thank you Tim, you’ve set my mind racing now!