There are a few things in life that are inevitable. Death and taxes. The Dodgers. And probably now AI.
As many of you know from reading this blog, I’m not a huge proponent of the latter. I think it’s a technology no one asked for where only the richest stand to gain and one that (at least in the way it’s currently constructed) is aimed primarily at saving cost for companies. The cost being jobs that real people currently hold.
All that said, especially in this interim period and barring any large intervention by governments or other stronger external forces, everyone will have to learn where their value is over and above what a machine can do. In other words, it’s going to become increasingly important for all of us as ordinary individuals to understand how AI works, what it can and can’t do.
You can only do this by using the tools (AI and otherwise) that are available to you.
AI’s Limitations and Your Strength: Really Knowing People
If you do try the AI that’s out there now, in particular, I think you’ll find the biggest limitation that these machine platforms have is that they still don’t understand the “little things” between people.
What do I mean by that?
The nuances. That little element of what you produce that makes something impactful, memorable, relevant, known, or essentially just great. It’s that little secret, the knowing smile, the interpretation that’s not so literal.
Here’s an example that I often use. Let’s say you go to Japan and you’re learning Japanese. You try to speak the language to a native who understands you’re not Japanese. That individual might say to you, something like this: “日本語は上手ですね.” (Nihongo wa jōzudesu ne). Literally translated, it means: “Your Japanese is very good.” A machine (or someone not in the know) would understand that to mean the exact translation.
But the Japanese people only say this to those whose Japanese isn’t so good. The real translation is: Your Japanese sucks, but I want to encourage you to keep trying.” Hence, the proper response isn’t “Oh thank you very much” (proud). It’s more like: “Oh, that’s not the case. I’m still studying” (humble).
That’s nuance. Machines don’t understand this nuance. Only you can by paying attention to detail. Let’s talk about this more.
Finesse and the Importance of Creativity vs. a Machine
Here’s another example. One of the great lessons, I learned in life came from Thomas Keller, the chef/proprietor of The French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon and other great restaurants around the country. As the first 3-star Michelin chef in the United States, he is probably the single reason people take pictures of their food today. We had hosted Keller at a conference many years ago and he spoke about one thing, in particular, that I never forgot.
Being great at something comes from what he called “finesse” – this idea that you can pay attention to detail, it could be a small thing, or a number of little things added up, that elevates whatever it is you’re doing above the norm.
Take his salmon cornet, as an example. If you hear him tell the story behind this now-famous French Laundry appetizer, Keller was inspired to create the dish by eating a Baskin-Robbins ice cream cone on a day when he didn’t feel particularly great about his cooking prospects. He thought to himself: Why not try the same concept with salmon tartare?
What came out was a whimsical, delicious creation. It connected with people on a creative level because he understood the cultural resonance and comfort of a simple ice cream cone.
A machine can’t do that.
Sure, if you ask ChatGPT how to make this salmon cornet, it could certainly do that. It can essentially find the recipe and copy what exists. And as we’ve said previously, AI can do some form of limited of creativity in that it can take examples that exist and put different things together based on those inputs.
But most of what machines can create today and will do in the future is “average.” It won’t create the next salmon cornet. It can’t come up with a joke that is truly, fall-on-the-floor funny. It won’t write the next Hotel California or Stairway to Heaven.
It will create “serviceable.”
‘Connecting’ with Others Is Only Something People Know How to Do
As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, one of the AI tools that I play around with is Suno, a music-creation app that, by all standards, is truly amazing. It can create songs that sound professional, like they were created with real musicians.
Though we use it for clients to develop instrumental backgrounds for videos, I play with it mainly to create amusing songs for friends and family. The goal being, of course, to make someone laugh. But the machine can’t do it on its own, if that makes sense. It needs the input and the insights that come from my relationship with those friends and family. I not only have to prompt those, but I have to massage it, evolve it, and adjust it until the final “product” is exactly right.
In other words, I have to pay attention to little details until I get the nuances exactly right, where it connects with my target audiences.
Human Marketing in the Future Will Be About Elevating What a Machine Does
One of the reasons you’ll hear advice about not just taking what a machine spits out – whether that’s a research paper, a marketing campaign, or anything that is generated – is that the machine is generating “average.” Will it get better at this? Of course. But right now, only you as a human can “elevate” that beyond “serviceable” and create something that truly connects.
For marketing, in particular, I would argue this will be a critical aspect of any company’s effectiveness, especially when it comes to campaigns, marketing content, and even brand development. All of that requires nuance and finesse to get it exactly right. And for now and in the foreseeable future, you need other people for this role.
Conclusion
What if you just want average marketing? Well, very soon, a machine will likely be able to do this for you and do it cheaply. In the future, you won’t need a marketing team or to hire an agency, perhaps if that’s all you’re looking for. But if you truly want to strive for greatness, you will need someone. A person. A human being who “gets it.” If you need help figuring this out, don’t hesitate to contact us at Marketing Nice Guys.
