2024 – aka. Year 1 after ChatGPT – a potpourri of TLGG POVs from different experts

"Artificial intelligence will not replace us creatives. On the contrary: it will be able to assist us very well by doing the grunt work for us: from the visualization of ideas to elaborate retouching and proofreading texts. Our visions will be realized faster and budgets will restrict us less than they do today. This will enable brands to create even better experiences for end consumers. But one thing is certain: if everyone will be a creative, able to realize their ideas, brands will have to stand out from the mediocre crowd through creative excellence. And creative excellence cannot be delivered by artificial intelligence. This is still only possible by creatives, strategists, concepters and art curators. Under this premise, the next generation of the industry will face a particular challenge: in addition to technical know-how, specialist knowledge must be acquired even faster in order to be able to lead and guide AI as a curator."

“At the moment, AI in marketing is mainly overwhelming. For everyone. What should I use? Do I even need to use anything at all? Is open source good or bad? Where is the law firm that can make this legally compliant for me? How open are my flanks when I train an AI with my data? And firstly: which part of the project budget will be paying for the fun? Do I need AI pros and where do I get them from, if I can’t just steal them?

I’m really looking forward to the hype dying down and to the moment when we start asking ourselves the right questions. Is it good for the brand? Does it offer added value for the idea? Is the insight that AI is suggesting to me a good one?

I'm looking forward to when not everyone on LinkedIn is suddenly an expert doing great things with AI. And the crowd goes 🙌. It's not good just because it’s artificial intelligence. But we all know that. We should just remember it occasionally. Cheers to that!”

“In my twenty years of experience within consulting, I have been able to gain a lot of knowledge and experience. The introduction of ChatGPT and other generative AI solutions has had its effects on how I work without a doubt – not in ways you may think, however.

Despite the availability of GenAI solutions, I remain true to my proven approach. The change is that I now compare my results with AI solutions. I get a second opinion, so to speak - did I miss anything? Would ChatGPT suggest a different route? Did I overlook important stakeholders? How far does my cost estimate differ from that of an AI solution?

This may sound like extra effort in the first place, but it’s definitely more than that: The combination of useful GenAI-tools as well as the safety net that ensures independent thinking and makes me question or challenge the status quo. Otherwise, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of blindly relying on the results of the AI and losing the ability to think independently and in a structured way about such questions.

One example: A client comes up with a supposedly easy request. A Chatbot could answer it immediately, even though the client may not yet have a true understanding of his needs and challenges. This is where human interaction comes into play to develop the necessary understanding of the clients’ situation. The ability to read between the lines reveals the core of a problem. This, rather than just presenting convincing AI output, is what makes a good consultant.

In my opinion, the challenge in using AI is to see it not as a replacement for human skills, but as a supplement. In that way it offers an additional perspective which requires the human expertise for qualifying its assumptions and adapting it to certain situations.

In this way, we use the strengths of both sides – the efficiency and data processing capabilities of AI and human judgment and interpersonal skills. I see this interaction as the future of our industry and the way in which we can best advise our customers.”

"Within the performance marketing we see a lot of new developments recently. While the data basis for our actions is constantly getting smaller due to data protection regulations and technological change, the platforms are increasingly automating their product portfolios. As a result, the advertising material as such is becoming increasingly important. That is exactly where artificial intelligence can add real value. Thanks to tools such as generative AI, we can create and test a variety of text-image combinations against each other in a very short time, which was never possible before. In addition to a very strong personalization in the approach, the technology also offers us the opportunity to derive insights directly from the advertising material including detailed reports that wouldn’t be possible to get otherwise without lots of extra effort. I am excited to see how AI technology will change the field of reporting. I'm hoping for smart and easy-to-integrate solutions that directly understand the context of the data and usefully supplement dashboards via the chat interface."

„The more artificial intelligence changes the way people perceive and think about brands, products and social issues, and the more complex as well as volatile the world becomes, the more important I believe interpersonal relationships and value-driven, trust-based ecosystems are. It is important for us to reflect on these new technologies with brand and company managers in a collaborative way, beyond our day-to-day business, to see how we can develop even better. What is particularly exciting here is how we can use the new technologies together in a meaningful way and which corporate strategy priorities we can implement beyond the "noise" out there in the markets. The more creative and collaborative these jointly developed solutions are, the better. Collaboration with curated networks of large companies, SMEs, start-ups, social innovators, think tanks and artist collectives is important to us, which is why we launched the Nordturm formats."

“In 2024, artificial intelligence will be a part of everyday working life. It will no longer be 'cool and hip', but it will become an integral part of our routines. In the beginning, this will still take a lot of time, as well as a lot of trial and error. But by the end of the year, it will already be giving everyday communication and marketing more time for creativity and extras.”