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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword; it's a transformative force reshaping every landscape it infiltrates. At BROAD REFORM, we’ve had many internal discussions about how AI is revolutionising everything from customer insights to campaign optimization. In fact, this blog stems from a recent conversation between two of our team members, reflecting on the rapid growth of AI and what it means for the future of our industry.
AI is here to stay, growing at an ever rapid pace; does this make you excited, nervous, scared, unsure?
Here’s our thoughts…
How long have we been using AI?
AI has been around for quite some time, longer than most would expect. One of the earliest examples many of us are familiar with is predictive text on mobile phones, which learns how you speak and respond, personalising your suggestions, even to include any made-up words.
Now, imagine that level of machine learning applied to digital advertising platforms like Google, Meta, and LinkedIn. These platforms have been using AI to analyse trends, learn what people respond to, and deliver personalised ads for longer than many people realise.
Significant benefits of AI for business?
One of the greatest benefits of AI is its ability to aggregate massive amounts of data and identify trends, outliers, and anomalies. More recently, with the advent of AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT, repeatable tasks such as generating templates for digital campaign reports, sales presentations, or grant proposals have become incredibly efficient. These tools can produce extensive documents, sometimes up to 50 pages long, saving businesses significant time, especially in a case when multiple proposals / reports / applications are required.
What challenges does AI pose?
These same efficiencies raise some moral questions. For example, are entry-level employees, like interns or recent graduates, missing out on opportunities to enter the workforce because AI is taking over tasks that were once theirs? What roles can a junior marketing person now take on, given the impact of AI?
University curricula and government regulations often lag behind technological advancements, creating a gap between what’s taught and what’s needed in the industry.
We’ve seen this pattern with self-driving cars, the technology moved faster than the regulations, which lead to many accidents occurring before governments stepped in to legislate safety standards.
Early intervention might slow progress slightly, but it could prevent larger issues down the line which is why workplaces, universities and governments need to act fast.
Even Google is experimenting with AI in search results. Some top results are now AI-generated, but with so much data involved, quality control can be a challenge.
For example, there was a well-known case where an AI chatbot incorrectly stated that there was no country in Africa that starts with a 'K,' overlooking Kenya due to faulty information from non-legitimate sources. This highlights the need for transparency, perhaps similar to how we have "Made in Australia" labels on food products, we need labels to indicate whether content is generated by AI, which would help readers approach it with appropriate caution.
We’re beginning to see a large number of small businesses increasingly use AI-generated images in their advertising. For most consumers, if they don’t look closely, they won’t notice the difference. But is that acceptable? Is a similar label needed for all output of media?
What advancements are most exciting?
The ease of completing tasks is certainly the main highlight. As AI advances, recommendations around products and services are becoming more tailored, predicting our needs, wants, and preferences. Even complex tasks, like building a website, are becoming more streamlined—with AI handling much of the work, leaving humans to fine-tune the details.
How is BROAD REFORM using AI?
In our work, many of the platforms we advertise on already use AI in the background, so part of our job is optimising those AI systems. However, we prefer not to use it extensively. Our interests are more about curiosity and staying updated on its progress.
Has AI surpassed human intelligence?
This question certainly borders on philosophy territory. There was a recent article that shared if AI continues to progress at its current rate, in 50 years, it could be a million times more intelligent than the average human.
In certain scenarios, like games with defined rules such as chess, AI has already surpassed human intelligence. However, in areas with unknown variables or creative endeavours like writing books or making films, AI still has a long way to go. It often produces content that either doesn’t make sense or is derivative.
Biggest concerns or ethical considerations?
The biggest concern is when consumers are unaware AI generated a piece of content, be that an article, an image, anything. Similar to how we have ‘Made In Australia’ labels on food, we need labels on AI-generated content.
There’s a troubling trend of news websites using AI to write articles. Since AI learns from the internet, the more AI-generated content on the internet there is, the more it will pull sources of information from itself, essentially eating its tail, and potentially degrading the quality of information over time. This could lead to a self-perpetuating cycle where the internet is flooded with subpar content.
Moreover, the ease of mass-producing propaganda is concerning, as it could create a distorted reality. Both governments and tech companies have a responsibility to ensure the accuracy of content on their platforms. It won’t be long until people start demanding a “safe search” style option to filter out all AI-generated content.
Some platforms, like Wikipedia, have already taken a stance against AI-generated content, which is something we really appreciate.
Any industries where AI won’t be used?
We don’t think there will be any industries where AI isn’t used at all. However, may be less prominent and less useful in certain fields, like education and the arts.
Will AI result in greater or fewer jobs?
It’s hard to provide a straight answer, there are many jobs around today that didn’t exist 10 years ago, the same will likely be the case in another 10 years.
The biggest question to consider is as AI takes over time-consuming tasks like writing reports, how will humans use that saved time? One potential benefit is that junior employees and those in lower-level positions could gain more meaningful experience. Instead of being bogged down by smaller tasks, they might have the opportunity to take on more significant responsibilities earlier in their careers.
In conclusion, ultimately, the goal is to prompt people to think critically, question the information they’re given and engage in meaningful discussions around these important issues. It’s not just a question of right or wrong, but rather about starting conversations and encouraging a deeper reflection on how AI is shaping our world.
