What’s real and what’s Artificial Intelligence-generated? This will be the question of the next century.
In the past, on the internet, we had a dilemma in distinguishing between genuine product reviews and sponsored content, until regulators intervened to protect consumers.
The rise of AI-generated content, also known as synthetic content, is transforming the way we perceive, consume, and create content. It will also probably make genuine, human-generated content even more valuable.
Are we prepared for an era in which advertising is distributed through machines once again? Consider the number of monsters that programmatic advertising has created (Bob Hoffman documented this extensively in a book). Are we prepared to receive product suggestions via sponsored links from an AI agent? Is this just a fashionable new alternative to Amazon, Google Shopping, TikTok Shop and the other walled gardens that we have seen on the web?
Many banks and payment providers are working on replacing even Google and providing consumers with agents that will pick up the best merchants for you (or them?). What if, like Delta Airlines, they all start using AI to provide you with a different and even more dynamic (I would say – margin-optimised) price based on your purchase history?
Imagine that thanks to your savings over the past year, you were able to make a significant purchase. From now on, all your future prices will be influenced by that purchase.
One of the reasons I enjoy working in the sports industry is that it remains genuinely authentic. You can’t fake it in sports: events are difficult to predict and happen in real-time. As humans, we make mistakes, even when we try to cheat.
How will we calculate the value of authenticity for brands and their consumers in the future? Is authenticity also seen as inefficient, slow and unproductive?
Some research in the field of music suggests that 44% of listeners are not comfortable with AI creating entirely new songs using an artificial voice. However, another statistical report indicates that one in three U.S. music listeners is comfortable with AI generating instrumental music. It’s possible that in the future, music listeners may subscribe to different tiers, one featuring AI-generated music and another featuring human-generated music.
Brands must strike a balance between convincing AI that they are the best in their category and maintaining authenticity and relevance to their target audiences, using tactics such as Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) content strategy.
In the late 1960s, Coca-Cola, one of the most famous brands in the world, for which I had the privilege of working, created the famous slogan ‘The real thing‘ to resonate with the values of the new generation.
Will the concept of ‘the real thing’ still have value when artificial general intelligence (AGI) is everywhere?
Disclaimer: This post is 0% AI-generated.
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