The Rise of Generative AI: What This Means for Marketing

When you hear the words “artificial intelligence,” what comes to mind? Do you think of machine-generated images, content creation and advances in technology? Or do these words spark questions surrounding the legal and ethical impacts of AI use? With new updates and versions of AI being consistently released, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest developments. In this article, we break down the implications of AI on marketing. 

What Is Generative AI?

Artificial intelligence, simplified as “AI,” is a tool growing in popularity across nearly every industry, but especially artists, digital content creators and other creatives. Traditional AI, which has been in practice for years, was designed to complete a specific task, learn from the collected data and make decisions. Generative AI, however, is an up-and-coming segment of the AI industry which focuses on producing new content (such as images and written works) from scratch – based on prompts given to it by a user. 

With the release of ChatGPT in 2022, a generative AI-based system that allows users to interact with a chatbot, the use of AI has skyrocketed. According to Statista, the global market size for AI was more than $200 billion in 2023. With more companies adopting AI-based systems, the global market size is projected to grow by nearly 50% this year. 

Recent Trends in Generative AI Marketing Tools

As the AI industry expands, updates are continuously being released. What does this mean for digital marketers? Read through some of the newest AI programs available to users. 

1. Design Software – Popular design companies, such as Canva and Adobe, have recently implemented AI-based design systems into their software.

• Canva’s Magic Studio includes writing tools and text-to-image generative AI, which can create designs based on a prompt from the user.
• Adobe’s just-announced GenStudio will offer users a centralized hub of generative AI tools – ranging from image resizing to a campaign planning software.

2. Content Creation and Editing

• Grammarly – This program analyzes existing text and makes suggestions to improve the clarity, conciseness and tone of voice of your content.
• Jasper – This website provides templates for content generation, such as blog posts and emails.

3. Additional Tools

• Keyword Insights – This SEO tool works as a “writing companion” and can generate keywords and writing samples to match the user’s prompt.
• Google Gemini – This all-encompassing software works with Google’s existing programs (such as Gmail and Google Docs) to produce AI-generated content from a user’s prompt.

What This Means for Marketing

With almost instantaneous access to machine-generated content, using generative AI may feel like a great choice for your marketing projects. However, many fear that artificial intelligence lacks a “personal” touch. Questions over the ethical use of AI are increasing, especially as these systems may provide inaccurate or outdated information in their generated content. 

Concerns are also rising over intellectual property and copyright laws, with companies’ legal rights to AI-generated work being in question. As a legal framework is still being set up regarding AI, there are no clear answers as to whether a company holds legal rights to the work of an AI system. According to a Reuters article, the U.S. Copyright Office has declined copyright protection for recent cases concerning art created with AI technology. This may cause issues for businesses who use AI-generated content in the coming years until legislation is put in place. 

Do we believe AI can offer smart recommendations in the content creation and refinement stages? At this point, sometimes yes, sometimes no.  At Good Aim Communications, we craft original designs with a personal touch. If AI helps improve our created work for clients in any way, we’re all for it. But it’s the support, not the heart. All of our ideas are tailor-fit to the needs and goals of your company – with a mindful intention for the greater good. This is our Good Aim. 

If you’re looking for a marketing agency that creates custom strategies for your company, we’d love to have a conversation.