Will AI erase us? Nobody knows
I remember it was near the end of 2022 when I first heard about ChatGPT — which launched with a global bang. The AI chatbot reached 100 million users in just two months (which for perspective is 250% faster than TikTok and 500% faster than Instagram).
At first I dismissed it. Then, in 2023, I did a ChatGPT workshop with Ship 30 for 30 founders Nicolas Cole and Dickie Bush. My mind was blown. And yet so much has already changed in the ChatGPT game since then.
As a creative, it’s easy to feel scared and fascinated.
Will AI erase us? It’s an ongoing question. And no matter how much people try and predict things one way or the other, the truth is that nobody really knows what the creative industries will look like 20 years from now.
By now, everyone can see that AI will cause (and has already caused) significant shifts in the job market. But as with any technological revolution, new opportunities are also bound to emerge.
Marketing is, at its core, storytelling. AI is changing the way we craft and deliver these stories. And the truth is that if you don’t take the time to learn about the latest technology, you will miss out in the long run. So I have made a conscious effort to let fascination overtake fear.
Any modern marketer has to embrace AI when it comes to content assessment and measurement. Let’s not forget that Google Analytics has been using AI since 2016).
AI-powered measurement tools offer the deepest insights into content performance — from understanding audience engagement patterns to identifying high-performing content formats. This data-driven approach ensures that strategies are based on concrete evidence, not just gut feelings.
The questions that are coming up in 2024 are around generative AI. As content marketers, we have to ask ourselves: does volume trump quality? Is it better to spit out reams and reams of word salad, or does it make more sense to use AI to enhance the content creation process?
I refrain from using generative AI when it comes to creating written content, because I believe people want to hear from other people who have a strong voice. I really don’t think AI can provide that. There is just too much repetition for it to be engaging or unique or original.
I’m scared about becoming obsolete… but it can also be exciting when the world is about to turn upside down. It nudges us to question what we think we know. It makes us slow down and reassess instead of hurtling blindly towards the future. It forces us wake up.
As marketers, I believe that by learning how to use AI tools effectively, we can automate the tedious (e.g. social media reporting) and make data analysis more accessible than ever. In that sense, these tools will give us more freedom to explore, experiment, and create stories that truly connect with those who most need to hear them.
But we still need to remember how to write as ourselves. Writing is the process of hearing yourself think. While smartphones changed the way we take photos, great photographers are still great photographers. Similarly, while ChatGPT can get rid of a blank page — there is still a long way to go in terms of deciding whether it can make someone a great writer.
