AI vs. Human Genius

Unless you've lived in a cave for the past few years, you are aware of the momentum that Artificial Intelligence is currently having. Once you really start looking into it and paying attention, you will quickly figure out that it's even more present than you originally thought, and you will most likely reach a new level of amazement every time you pay attention to it. At least I do. And not because I would be so fascinated by its capabilities, but more so because I see the ways in which it's applied to people's work, and frankly, it makes me wonder what this means in the long run for our most valuable asset - our human genius.

Human evolution is powered by novel ideas, sparks of genius, "aha" moments that flood the mind of an inventor. Everything new that comes into this world was created with inspiration, following contemplation, learning, experimenting, trying, and creating something out of nothing. It's this same genius that also brought us to this point where We created the AI. And before I continue, let's clarify how AI "comes up" with ideas. The below paragraph is, in fact, generated by AI on my browser, answering the following question:

• Can AI come up with new concepts and ideas, or does it combine already existing information?:

"AI primarily combines existing information to generate new concepts and ideas, rather than creating entirely original thoughts. It analyzes and reinterprets data, producing outputs that may seem novel but are often based on previously established patterns and knowledge."

I believe that you, as a human being reading this, have used your Human Intelligence while reading the above AI generated paragraph, then based on my previous thoughts you've been able to pickup on the entire context of the written text, and so you were able to make an assumption about the point I'm trying to convey to you, before I even did so. And THIS is our true power! (Just to make sure we are on the same page - my point and my opinion is: AI cannot replace human genius, the marvellous way in which our minds operate to create new, novel, never-before-done ideas that propel our humanity forward.)

So then I ask this question: Businesses and brands want to be successful. I mean, no one exactly goes into business with the goal and passion to fail. And generally, to achieve success, one needs to stand out, be different, offer something unique, one-of-a-kind, or at least add their spin on it, right? So now, I see individuals and companies rushing to AI to create "authentic, new, cool, fun, never-before-done" strategies, workflows, projects, ideas, communication plans, social media content, and as you know, I could go on because the list of what AI can do for your business is becoming endless. But is it really fresh in the big picture? Or does it just seem fresh and creative to you because you haven't come across it before, even though it was already present in the market? Are you really building your brand based on your authentic knowledge and experiences, combining it all into new solutions and approaches, or are you taking it from the same pile as everyone else, and it will eventually lose its "freshness"?

Now, don't get me wrong, AI is a great tool for supporting, speeding up, and easing certain business processes, and using it has many benefits! But it can in no way replace our thinking, feeling, brainstorming, and finding new links among seemingly unrelated mechanisms, and inventing something that almost feels like it even goes beyond our own comprehension - but yet we humans are capable of doing exactly that!

And this brings me to the one thing that this blog is all about - Branding.

Branding is about establishing the connection between the brand/business and its audience; it's about conveying emotions and experiences that only you can convey. And last time I checked, we are sensory beings, and we can feel emotions that are portrayed through certain actions and choices, right?

For a few years, I worked as a photographer, and every single time, I was amazed by how a person's state of being, an emotion, a feeling, can be captured in a motionless picture. And then I was even more amazed by the audience's reaction to the pictures; their own interpretations and stories that came up for them in their heads, triggered by what they perceived through a picture. You can tell I find us humans fascinating!

I assume you listen to music online, or on the radio, and that you have a few favourite tracks or artists. Let's say you listened to a song you love countless times on repeat, and it's so good you just can't get enough of it, and you absolutely adore it and think it could not get any better than that. Then you go to a live concert. And if you are a music fan like myself, your Human Intelligence, again, helped you to understand the context of where I'm going with this. :)

That one song you loved so much, all of a sudden, sounded EVEN BETTER on a gig. You enjoyed it way more, you were immersed in it, you had fun in the moment, you felt the artist, it almost felt like each word of the lyrics gained a whole new meaning; a song became an EXPERIENCE. And that's what a brand is - an experience.

Each brand is a journey for its customer. Something that gets experienced as the person interacts with it. The question is, how can you create a "felt" experience for your people? How can you shape, communicate, create, and output in a way that can resonate with people on different levels? That leaves them with something more than just "another product or service" that they bought. We all buy things to satisfy our needs, whether that be emotional, physical, mental, you name it, we want to satisfy it. So how can you speak to people on a very human level? And if you ask me, AI cannot be the best of help with it because it takes the very human attributes out of the equation. It all becomes a metric, a number, a statistic, data, a remix of different information.

As the world becomes increasingly saturated with AI, I want to encourage you to find your own creativity. Look at your brand and business with your own eyes, take time to think and contemplate. Take time to create and play with ideas. Take time to feel what it is that you want to convey to the world and turn that feeling into a tangible experience. You might be amazed at the pool of ideas you can tap into once you let yourself embrace your own authenticity. And I think the best advice I can give to you for branding is to keep it human at its core. People will notice that, and they will be drawn to it.

What I've really tried to achieve with the above paragraphs is to give you a new angle from which you approach your own branding. An angle from which you can embrace your quirks and use them as fuel for your creative and strategic expression. Use tools that support your endeavours, like AI, yes, but make sure you still rely on your skills, knowledge, gifts, and genius that you possess. That is what will ultimately lead you to creating a one-of-a-kind brand experience for your audiences.

And of course, let's not forget the one thing that ultimately really makes us human: selecting all images with traffic lights. :)

To human genius!

Till the next read!

Teja Jereb