Have you noticed more AI-related marketing announcements? You’re not alone

The use of AI by brands and agencies is by no means new. However, interest appears to be ramping up based on recent announcements. So, too, it seems, are the potential risks.

Integr(A)t(I)on: Last week, WPP CEO Mark Read called AI “fundamental” to its business, adding that the holding company has been using it to accelerate production and reduce costs associated with producing work. Read also has “been personally experimenting a lot with OpenAI’s ChatGPT,” according to Bloomberg. Regarding how AI will impact creative jobs, he insisted that “it’s not going to replace creativity, but will be an aid to it.”

One of WPP’s top clients, Coca-Cola, recently announced that it would be working with management consulting firm Bain & Company and OpenAI to find ways to enhance its marketing processes using AI technology. Spectrum’s ad division also announced it was starting a video production platform to help clients create ads with features like AI-produced voiceovers. Elsewhere in the last few weeks:

• Snapchat released an AI chatbot powered by ChatGPT.
• Large agencies like Havas, Horizon, and DBB told Digiday they were making investments in AI.
• Product placement company BEN became BENlabs to reflect its focus on AI.
• Software company Blueshift announced a tool that uses OpenAI to help generate copy for email marketing campaigns.
• Spotify debuted an AI DJ.
• Patrón Tequila made a “Dream Margarita” AI art generator.
• Snapple created a tool that generates its bottle-cap “Real Facts” using AI.

But it’s not all rainbows: New concerns have emerged around things like Bing’s AI chatbot and the way it communicates with people. Some have raised concerns around the potential brand-safety risks associated with being near malicious or fake content generated by AI. And even with discussion about AI potentially replacing Google as a search engine, brand-safety fears mean that advertisers are still loyal to the tech giant, Digiday reported.

This week, the FTC warned marketers to be cautious of how they use the term, writing, “You don’t need a machine to predict what the FTC might do when [AI] claims are unsupported.”

As new risks emerge as brands and agencies jump on the AI bandwagon, will one emerge as a case study for taking it slow? Or will early adoption pay off? Not even the robots can tell us for sure.