speculations

https://digiday.com/marketing/advertising-week-briefing-the-definitive-digiday-guide-to-whats-in-and-out-at-advertising-week-2024 The venue was buzzing. Delegates were networking constantly. Even during the presentations and celebrity talks they seemed to be connecting, exchanging details and information, doing deals sometimes but often just establishing a foundation. Hands were being shaken whether you looked. The venue has been designed for it. Delegates could… Read the rest

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/10/metas-new-movie-gen-ai-system-can-deepfake-video-from-a-single-photo He originally played with it in a Black Mirror-style fantasy about using reanimating his favourite grandparent. “What if I could have him back?” It was a thought experiment for a while but then he thought, “what if I just tried?” And he did. He found his favourite photo and… Read the rest

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/04/gm-is-working-on-an-eyes-off-hands-off-driving-system/ Sometimes he’d play “I spy” or “the number plate game” like when he was a kid. Sometimes he had to stop himself saying “are we there yet?” Infantalizing technology, he thought which led him to think even more about his childhood… No, that didn’t work. He was still bored.… Read the rest

https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-rolls-out-canvas-its-newest-chatgpt-interface-230335185.html The office was never empty any more. He used to work late or come in early so he could have some quiet time. Alone time. It was when he came up with his best ideas. It was something about the silence and the emptiness. Just dumb chairs., blank screens,… Read the rest

https://www.ft.com/content/c33322a7-eba7-4299-8172-4ce1d4e88908 She said she “counted smiles”. It was more complex than that of course: she didn’t do it, it wasn’t counting, and it wasn’t just smiles, but she liked the simplicity of the phrase and it made her feel good about her work. Most of it was automated but her… Read the rest

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/brands-switch-agencies-without-pitch/1890478 She had a simple morning routine. Coffee first, obviously. Switch her AI partner on and watch as it produced a report on the work generated overnight. Then she’d check the Relationships ™. Overnight one agency had gone. Shame. She really liked working with them. She looked at the data… Read the rest

https://uk.themedialeader.com/gen-z-arent-just-teens-theyre-customers-and-big-gamers Can we reprogramme it? I’m not some Luddite. I use AI myself but you only have to look at what’s happening… Of course the charts it creates, the personas and profiles, empathy maps, user journey are all very impressive and I’ll admit it certainly saves us time and money.… Read the rest

https://www.404media.co/ai-avatars-are-doing-job-interviews-now/?_bhlid=2e3281884d86f83aa84f73c79174230221e9d874 I get to meet my new students today. A class of bright young New Gen keen to get into the industry. My job is to prepare them. I introduce the course, myself and my colleagues, an industry-experienced team committed to what the University calls “employability” which can be read… Read the rest

https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/28/meta-rethinks-smart-glasses-with-orion/ This pitch could be his last. His agency was one of the last to use humans and his job depended on print on a good show… “Doing a Don Draper” his boss called it – he hated the popular cultural references in the programme. He adjusted his glasses. He… Read the rest

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/sep/28/social-workers-england-ai-system-magic-notes They tried not to give off Simpsons vibes. Lined up on the settee, they knew they needed to put on a good show. They kept nudging the boy to sit up straight and not sulk. The father had thought of rooting out the tie he kept for funerals but… Read the rest