I recently found myself listening to my parents talk about a recent survey on which jobs are most likely to be taken over completely by artificial intelligence, robotics, and the like. Of course, creative and marketing were on the list. At first, that feeling of dread—that looming, icky feeling—starts to creep in at the thought of my job being done by a GPT.
We’ve all heard it. We’ve all thought about it. Is my job AI-proof? Will my kids’ future careers be taken over before they even start?
I don’t think so.
Sure, as technology advances, we’re all asked to pivot. Those pivots seem to be coming more and more steadily in recent years. But we do it. We adapt. We change the way we work. In some ways, I think it’s making me smarter. Giving me more of an edge.
Yes, AI is changing things. But it is not here to replace us. (I’m taking a moment to acknowledge how many times I haven’t allowed myself to ask for writing help in these few paragraphs. I am capable of writing on my own!)
I think AI is going to change the shape of many workplaces, but as humans, don’t we have the ability to know when it’s time to push back? Won’t we continue adapting and evolving so that we stay ahead of the tide? I think so.
In my field of creative strategy and marketing, we’ll use our fancy toys to handle the tasks that don’t require us to stay creatively sharp. But as creatives, we’ll know when it’s time to rely on our own human intelligence.
It’s up to us as a collective to know when to push back and say no. When to turn off the chat bots and GPTs and put pen to paper.
Maybe there will be agencies that proudly declare themselves AI-free creative spaces. Maybe we’ll boldly state where and when we’ve used AI in our work. I’m not sure yet, but I do think we’re smart enough—and savvy enough—to know where AI should take over and where it shouldn’t.
