Now that my unsuccessful run for public office for a second time is in the rear-view mirror of my Jeep, I can get back to what I love to do. Jump into the creative ring, be it in advertising-design, rocking it out musically or acting in film or on stage. As the focus for my monthly articles are about creative marketing, let me begin with a story.

Once upon a time, in the whacky world of AdMaki Creative, a new actor entered the stage: AI. While at first, we gasped and clutched our Sharpies in horror, we quickly realised that AI was just another tool in our quiver. You see, AI is like the fancy new blender in your kitchen. It can whip up a mean blueberry protein smoothie, but it can’t make a salmon maki roll. The ingredients matter.

Creativity doesn’t spring from a silicon chip, ChatGPT or a Google Search but rather from personal experiences. Like the song that gets stuck in your head during a road trip or the “aha moment” that inspires a midnight sketch, these are things no AI can replicate. It needs you and your creative imagination.

Having taught advertising-design at the post-secondary level at ACAD/AUA, a breeding ground for creativity, critical thinking, and where AI was absent from class at the time, I always browbeat into my students, the importance of living a full, robust life. That’s where ideas come from. In school artists learn not just technique but more importantly, the power of networking and personal interactions. Nothing beats the magic of an impromptu brainstorming session over nachos with fellow creatives. AI might generate headlines and copy, photographs or illustrations, but it doesn’t do pub nights or engage in deep philosophical debates about, say, the color yellow.

AI can spew out images faster than you can say “abstract expressionism”, but can it question its own existence or ponder the meaning of life? Nope. That’s where being human comes in.

So, how does one use AI effectively for content generation? As mentioned, AI is only a tool. The space between your ears, where that fatty mass we call a brain lives, does the heavy lifting. However, the brain, in combination with AI does have its advantages. It can help you speed up your research or introduce you to different perspectives of something you’re already pondering. Remember, it’s your idea you’re working with. Not the other way around.

AI might trigger a whole new direction but it’s your job to remember and stick to your strategy. The message to your customers. And that’s where professional creative- types play an important role in your brand strategy. Too often, we see the reverse when inexperienced, lazy, or unimaginative ideas lead the way to creating ideas that leave you with that “meh” feeling, or worse, forgetting about them immediately on your continuing doomscroll.

In a world where AI is the trendy new gadget, remember that it’s still your brain or your creative agency’s collective cerebral hemespheres that comes up with creative. Keep learning and pushing yourself to tell your story, in your way. AI can be your assistant or your ally, but never let it become your rival. To be creative, be ready to embrace AI as the high powered tool it is and see where this creative journey takes you.

Cheers, mark