Embrace AI cautiously as future will be about balancing tech with art: Cannes Lions report

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken centre stage in the advertising industry so much so that two third creative leaders and marketers believe that AI will be the most important tech trend in 2023, and a third of them plan to experiment with signal-based marketing through AI, says the latest survey of Cannes Lions Advisory. 

The 2023 State of Creativity report, which was released on Wednesday, is based on insights from over 2,400 creatives and marketers.

There is a reason for them to sound the alarm. A study by Gartner says that by 2025, 10% of all data produced, and 30% of all outbound marketing messages from large brands, will be from Generative AI.

The Cannes Lions report dwells on the biggest question that has perplexed both marketers and creative leaders-“How can we harness its power rather than be threatened by it?”

The authors of the report say, “AI is playing a much bigger role in the field of creativity. Our recommendation is to cautiously embrace AI. Mind and machine shouldn’t be an “either-or” in the context of creativity. The best ideas come from the crossroads of creativity, technology and humanity,” 

Referring to the late Author Ken Robinson, the report said, “Imagination and creativity are what fundamentally set us apart from anything else on earth. For now, that still includes AI. Success will come from combining the attributes that set us apart from technology, with those that set technology apart from us.”

The report predicts that the next decade will be about balancing tech with art. “There is a lot of hype around technology and its impact on creativity, but rather than see one as more critical than the other, there is more value in seeing the power of the two together,” say authors. 

Value of creativity 

The pressing issues this year are macro - global uncertainty has put downward pressure on budgets. Creatives and marketers are having to work harder than ever to prove the value of creativity. Most important is demonstrating a clear link between creativity and commercial outcomes, the report suggests. 

Investment in creativity can power growth

The report reveals that while brand leaders state they are prioritizing investment in the customer journey, their creative partners believe brand leaders are prioritizing investment in targeted promotions and activations to drive sales uplift.

On the plus side, creativity has the interest of the C-suite. There is a call to bring the CEO and CFO in on the conversation and prove to them the value of investment in creativity and how it can power growth, found the report. 

Limited growth due to budgetary constraints 

Respondents in the survey questioned whether the industry could reach its full potential, saying it’s “limitless, but limited”. But to foster creativity, we must see these constraints as opportunities, not limitations, authors noted. 

They explained, “We need to use small budgets as a catalyst for creativity, a way to look at challenges in different ways to find new solutions. 70 years of award winning work has taught us that creativity is found at the edges, and constraints are what push us there.”