Original beats artifical

How creatives use AI with intention - not imitation

Original beats artifical

How creatives use AI with
intention - not imitation

AI is dominating headlines, LinkedIn posts, and conversations across the creative industry.

But, what does this mean for content and creative work, especially in Account-based Marketing?

In this conversation, we'll hear from two senior voices at strategicabm: James Dignum, Senior Art Director, and Lucy Jones, Head of Content.

Together, they explore how AI is impacting B2B content and creative, sharing practical insight, personal perspectives, and honest reflections on what AI can (and can't) do.

Read on to discover:

Whether you're excited, cautious, or just trying to keep up, here's what strategicabm's own creatives think about the tools transforming our industry.

It's such a fast-moving topic! I'm seeing a mix of excitement, hope, fear and confusion about AI and content right now. It's a weird time!

I see AI as a tool and a collaborator. I think initially, it was easy to say “Oh, AI can't write, it never will.” But today, where tools like ChatGPT are used in the right way, especially in B2B, it can absolutely support work.

Right now, I'm in explore, test and ＆push it until it breaks mode. I want to see for myself, not only how it works, but where it helps (or not), and how I want to work with it (e.g. for tasks that take time, to get a rough version down, or to break up complex work).

Knowing how to use AI (or not, depending on content type, style, sensitivity, use case) is absolutely another tool in the content toolbox.

From ideation to automation, AI is shaking up content and creative.

What are your thoughts on it today?

It's been a whirlwind since the initial release of tools like ChatGPT. We've seen massive changes already! What we predicted a few months ago has completely changed, and it can be exhausting trying to keep up!

That said, I think creatively we're already seeing AI's usefulness as a tool, and it can be a good partner to bounce ideas off.

But, we have to remember that, currently, AI is an imitator; it's not an ideator. Because of how generative models are developed, its only references are pre-existing ideas. And while that might change in the next few months, at the moment the need for originality is still led by people.

But, AI can be contentious
in creative circles!

When I log on to LinkedIn at the moment, my newsfeed is a tennis match between “Copywriting is dead” and “This is a new era for content”.

If you make a living with words, you'll have heard that elephant in the room question: “Will AI replace you?" Even my dentist asked me recently! And it's tone-deaf not to recognize that things can feel existential.

But while it's true that AI can do incredible things, it's not a human creative. It can absolutely support work, and it's great at helping you digest sources, personalize content, and get to a result faster.

The best use cases I see are deeply collaborative; where AI is supported by insight-led creativity to keep consistency and original ideation. In short, good work still needs a human involved in the process. That's why I see it as a tool or assistant.

As James says, there's also a long way to go on fair use and protections.

Right now, AIs are trained on quality human-originated work, and are great at recreating that. But over time, without use protections, the incentive for humans to create original work may decrease. And that increases the ‘slop’ effect as AI trains on AI content. I'm generalizing, but there's a risk that the snake could eat itself.

I think we’ve run before we can walk with the tech a little. And while I appreciate the importance of innovating, it’s key to assess the impact it's having.

How can we ensure artists are fairly compensated for their work, while also being innovative?
How can we ensure that people aren’t automatically opted into platforms (rather than trying to opt out of 1,000s of tools)?

The best recent example was LinkedIn being covered with Studio Ghibli-inspired art. This shone a light on how AI can use artists' work without their permission. Studio Ghibli is famed for its craftsmanship, with 4 seconds of animation taking months to produce.

While many argue you can’t copyright a style, which is true, I think the main issue is that the work has been used without permission from its original creators. There’s also no compensation or royalties paid, which is another issue.

A key point is the risk of devaluing the most important part of the creative process; the idea.

We’re seeing new agencies popping up claiming to have ‘recreated iconic ads for $500’. But in reality, that AI work is standing on the shoulders of giants; using the foundation of the cost and ideation of the original advert idea, reworking some frames, then stitching it back together. Here, imitation isn’t the most sincere form of flattery, it’s more insulting than anything!

For creatives, the language we see when talking about AI often isn’t one of positivity. “Design will die.” “Creatives should prepare to be fired.” These are some of the headlines you see in the LinkedIn echo chamber, followed by a series of… mediocre ads. Even as someone with experience, I’ve found it massively damaging to both my confidence in the industry and my mental health, so I can only imagine how it’s going to affect younger/newer creatives.

Are you using AI in your daily work? How are you
using it?

Yes, in a few ways! It’s important to note that we have an AI steering committee at strategicabm, and we work with them to validate and test AI tools before we use them.

The big name for content is, of course, ChatGPT. We use it in a private instance, where our data is not used for training. And, we’re mindful of any client limitations and policies around AI use, of course.

As for use cases:

I typically have GPT’s canvas feature open to collaborate, create, adjust, review and simplify areas of work.
I’ll use GPT to digest large briefs or insight documents. Our content builds on in-depth thinking, value propositions and insight, so having a way to distill that knowledge effectively is priceless.

I’m working on a custom GPT that acts as a content ‘oracle’. The idea is that anyone in the team will be able use it as a central source of knowledge and a sounding board on content, formats, examples, QA processes, and more.
Other ways we use AI is to support ideation, repurpose content with audio or narrative versions, and generally see where we can take the work, where it wouldn’t have been possible to before.

It’s important to note that for any use case, humans are very much ‘in the loop’. All work must go through final human QA (although AI can support that).

I’d say AI tools are a step in the road towards the end goal; sandwiched between human-driven insights and ideation at the start, and final human adjustments at the end.

I try and use AI in my workflows to save time and do things better than I could have originally.

Mostly, I'm using the embedded Generative AI in things like Photoshop and Illustrator. Generative fill has saved me so much time retouching various things! I'm also using the Adobe image generator, which is trained in a royalty-free environment.

I've played around with a few of the image-to-video generators. And they do produce some… interesting results. What stops me from using them more is the time/value metric. I could spend 20 minutes prompting and refining a 5-second video clip of a plane flying. Or, I could spend 3 minutes on a stock website to find one that exists already. I'd definitely choose the latter, because I'll have other things to get on with!

Where I've dabbled with other image generators, I see that they can produce good results, but require human intervention. I like Leonardo for its canvas tool, which lets you draw and generate at the same time. It gives you a lot of control over things like the composition of an illustration, and the small details.

And, the new image generator included in GPT 4-o (or whichever it is now!) has provided great results for concept visuals that I've used for LinkedIn posts.

What challenges have you faced with AI?

Initially, it was simply knowing what to ask, and where and why AI might be helpful.

Creatively, I mentally visualize or at least know the feel or ‘shape’ of a piece of content (how it flows, how it makes you feel) before anything is written. So, involving a new tool in that process to do part of that for you can feel hard!

If you’re in that boat, take it slow. Try working with a section of copy and see what you can do. Don’t fall into the trap of expecting to generate an instantly perfect piece!

Keeping up with new tools and updates can also feel overwhelming.

To help, internally we run a weekly ‘AI creative challenge’ for the wider strategicabm team. Here, we’ll set a one-sentence challenge that anyone in the Agency is welcome to respond to, as long as they use an AI tool in part of the process, and share their results.

So far, we’ve concepted products that should never exist, written ad sets based on our favourite TV shows, and seen a lot of great ways that human originality can be supported by a whole range of AI tools.

You have to be quite analytical of outputs. I’ve never had a case where an image has been perfect, even when using an AI to write image prompts first.

It might sound silly, but you do review images with a fine-tooth comb, because what could look good at first glance has little hidden flaws. Often, errors aren’t in the focal point of the image. A favourite of mine recently was an office scene I generated. Everything looked great, until I realized one of the blurred background characters had their head on backwards!

Knowing who’s interested in AI is also key. You’d think from the fanfare that everyone wants to actively use it, but we’re seeing a very mixed set of responses. Some clients are actively saying no to AI-generated imagery, and making it clear they don’t want it in the final output. Some are wary, but still open to it, and others want to know how it can be used. So, you really have to find a balance.

What advice would you give to other creatives interested in considering AI in their processes?

AI tools give as good as they get. Garbage in, garbage out! So, provide gold (insights, quality sourcing, specific prompting) to get a good result.

I think a lot of creatives and marketers are just in that ‘overwhelm’ space right now. “What do you mean there’s another thing to learn, and it changes daily?!” So, take small steps and experiment!

A few thoughts:

Anyone can use AI to write. (And they will!)
What will stand out is content with insight and creative thought behind it, in the strategy and the storytelling. Personal perspective and authentic experience will still catch attention.

Use AI to get the boring stuff done
Not every content piece needs to be super authentic. If something is repetitive and doesn't need a creative spin or personal perspective (meta descriptions, anyone?) use AI to do more of that.

Collaborate with it
Use it as a sounding board. Use it to clarify your thinking. Use it to simplify your wording. And remember that AI is ‘another input’, not the be-all and end-all. You should always have a final human say over the work!

Make it work for you
In ABM, I’m often writing highly personalized things. That means diving into a deep mountain of insights, and personalizing on top of that. This is a great example of where you can use AI to do some of that heavy lifting; to spotlight the right insights in the right place, and then work into your draft as a human from there.

Validate, validate and validate again
Like people, AI makes mistakes. It’s getting better all the time, but don’t take it at face value. If you’re creating something insight-driven in GPT, for example, be sure to provide the research and ask for references to be exact to your provided source. And always check, enhance and validate that work.

Oh, and no matter what you’ve heard, don’t be too afraid to use em-dashes—they’ve been around a lot longer than AI tools!

Ignore the noise, and be more experimental. Everyone has an opinion on AI and, ultimately, you have to try it to come to your own conclusions.

You also owe it to yourself to be as brutal with it as possible. Is it actually saving you time? Or is it creating more tasks for you by making you have to go and qualify everything? Keep testing, reviewing, and seeing how it works.

Much like anything, what works for others may not work for you. And there are so many voices telling you that a tool will change your life, only to be let down. And then the blame falls on you for ‘not prompting it correctly’!

Also, communicate with your teams both internally and externally, share what you’re doing, and get people’s opinions. It’s a great way to see the appetite and potentially help people gain more understanding of the challenges.

Looking to the future, where do you think we’re heading?

AI isn’t going anywhere. But neither is authentic, creative content.

Yes, there will be cases where AI creates a lot of awful content! But over time, we’ll see that balance return, where teams approach it with imagination and innovation. And I think we’ll see a whole new wave of creativity and formats stem from that.

Remembering your audience for a moment, people are wise to poor work. And if the quality or authenticity isn’t there, they’ll notice and switch off.

Marketing of all types has always been a game of changing up approaches to resonate in a meaningful way. So, don’t use AI in a way that scales a poor output – use it to take quality creativity to new levels, formats and places!

I think craft will come back in a big way. Everyone being able to create is great, but remember that designers, creatives and copywriters exist because there’s a huge skillset in these roles that not everyone has.

People will soon be able to tell the difference between what has just been thrown together by AI, and what has actually been crafted. And I think (maybe optimistically) that the crafted versions will come out on top.

I think authentic, human-driven marketing will come out on top as well.

The risk we’ve got with the AI ‘rip it and ship it’ model is that it over-saturates and creates noise. Authentic marketing driven by strong, considered creative concepts and ideas is what will cut through. I’ll sound like a broken record, but ideation beats imitation, and brands need to spend more time now than ever, really defining their difference to stand out.

More generally, I think AI will be the straw that breaks the camel's back for a lot of people. We’re living in the most… insane time in recent history, and habits are starting to change to reflect that. Over-saturation of advertising will lead people to switch off, or revert to more traditional media, alongside more general changes, such as switching away from fast fashion to more expensive but longer-lasting items.