Is AI overrated? AdFest2024 thinks so!
MARCH 2024
RICH AKERS, MASH CREATIVE LEAD, ASIA
I just got back from #AdFest2024 where AI was both the Hot Topic and the Non Topic of the conference. Is AI overrated?
Though the theme this year was Human Intelligence (a counter-punch to the rise of gen AI in the creative and advertising industry), my biggest takeaway was the fatigue the creative community felt about the topic. There were plenty of incredible and insightful presentations on AI, but for the most part, people were looking forward, not back.
It’s still early doors for AI. Things will change and change quickly. But this year among attendees, there was at least a sense that this was a done deal; that there is no going back, even if we wanted to. Instead, from panelists, presenters, jurists and entrants, there was a note of optimism around the future and excitement about this new creative accelerator.
The consensus? Even if there are challenges (and there will be), the solution is still the same: better creative, and better work.
TOP 5 TAKEAWAYS
“Understand what AI can do and what it can’t do*” – Christian Greet, Cirkus
Throughout the entire conference, I kept coming back to Christian’s presentation, which kicked off with an in-depth analysis on what AI is; what it does, and most importantly why it does what it does, effectively resetting the topic and giving us all a baseline to start from. AI—at least for now—is simply a pattern recognition machine. It doesn’t understand what it’s generating, it’s just finding the patterns it believes best represent what you’re asking it to do. If those patterns don’t exist, it can’t simulate them. Understanding not just what AI can do, but why is the key to evaluating, using, and planning for AI.
*paraphrased
“AI is overrated!” – Rei Inamoto, AKQA
A bit click-baity, I admit, but this was a direct quote from head jurist Rei when he noted that for all our collective focus on AI, it hadn’t played much of a role in any of the final award entrants. Meaning that, while AI was most likely a part of the workflow and creative processes, it was not a part of any core creative concepts, and did not play a starring role in any of the final creative. That was all old-fashioned Human Intelligence, baby.
“Participation leads to authenticity” – Rey Tiempo, Game On
A topic close to my heart, Rey spoke about marketing in gaming, and why we should all ‘zone in’ as they say. Okay, as we say. Especially in Asia, gaming is now about so much more than gaming—and not understanding this will 100% cost you marketing effectiveness, not to mention creative awards.
But one thing he said really struck me: if you want to understand something, just try it. There are currently a million ways into gaming—just pick one.
“Different > Better” – Pooja Manek, Talented Agency
In her own words, “people actually pay money not to see our work—that should make you angry!” What is the solution? Don’t give people things they’ve seen before. Even if it’s better, it’s still the same. Instead, be different.
“You can’t be it if you can’t see it” – Mike Chuthakieo, 88RISING
A presentation that I was very keen to see. Mike spoke about the birth and incredible rise of 88RISING: a platform devoted to celebrating Asian culture and creativity. His comment about the importance of representation is short and to the point: “You can’t be it if you can’t see it”.
