SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Generative artificial intelligence, the technology that powers popular apps such as ChatGPT, is changing the way brands and agencies develop campaigns, and the reshaping has only just begun.
“Generative AI is going to be the most transformational technology in our lifetime,” Sam Garfield, head of digital strategy for communications, media and travel at software maker Adobe, said in this interview at the Beet Retreat Santa Monica with Beet.TV contributor Rob Williams.
For years, Adobe has made pioneering software such as Photoshop and Illustrator for people in the visual arts. Gen AI has emerged as another tool in creating content, including every part of advertising.
“We’re seeing some really big opportunities in the media entertainment space around what you can do with generative AI,” Garfield said. The technology “is going to unlock the creative side.”
A key application of the technology is in creating personalized ads, which in the past would be prohibitively expensive. Advertisers also will be able to test how different creative material works before investing in it more.
“What generative AI is going to allow marketers, advertisers, publishers to do is bring that bar down and really enhance the amount of the content that’s being created and the personalization,” Garfield said.
Protecting Brand Safety
Creative arts professionals have voiced their objections to generative AI, as seen with the Hollywood actors and writers strikes in the past few years. Garfield said Adobe has addressed these concerns and how they affect advertisers.
“When we talk to media companies, there’s really two areas that they’re primarily concerned about,” he said. “One is on the rights side. How was the data obtained that’s being used in these generative AI models? Was it legally obtained from an ethical perspective?”
The second issue concerns brand safety, or ensuring that an advertiser isn’t associated with objectionable content.
“From a brand safety perspective, our tools allow that the generative AI to be checked against those,” he said. “We actually have checks and balances against those brand safety guidelines for our media entertainment company.”
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