In 1911, Pablo Picasso was a suspect in a wild art heist when he and his friend were arrested for stealing the Mona Lisa. Though both were soon cleared, this incident forever linked Picasso to a legendary art mystery.

table of contents

June 12, 2024

• Introducing The Survive & Thrive Framework

• Is Traditional Animation Going Extinct?

• Mini Case: Condiments Get an AI Makeover

• Fintech Giant Embraces AI, Quality Questions Emerge

• Tools to Consider…

framework

Survive and Thrive! Leverage AI To Preserve and Amplify Your Unique Human Talents

In the age of AI, how can you strike the perfect balance between human creativity and technological integration? The Survive and Thrive Framework, a simple 2x2 grid, helps you evaluate your creative work on a specific project and find the sweet spot.

To use the framework, first, ask yourself two simple questions:

1. Human Touch: How much of your personal touch is in this project?

2. AI Integration: How much AI are you incorporating into this project?

Map your project on the 2x2 grid to see where it lands:

Die (Low Human Touch, Low AI Integration)
Automation reigns supreme. Your personal pride and market value diminish. Avoid this quadrant!

Survive: Human-Centric (High Human Touch, Low AI Integration)
You're an artist! With hard work, you can survive here. However, keep an eye out for AI integrations that may reduce your value in the market.

Survive: AI-Centric (Low Human Touch, High AI Integration)
Think prompts. You can survive here, but you must be on the cutting edge at all times. This is closer to a producer role than an artist.

Thrive (High Human Touch, High AI Integration)
The sweet spot! You're an artist with a producer's mindset. Your human talents are amplified by AI, maximizing your artistic integrity and market value. Embrace this quadrant to survive and thrive!

animation

AI to Steal the Show, Says Animation Mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg!

Animators cover your ears…and eyes. Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-founder of DreamWorks Animation, made a bold prediction at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore. He stated that within three years, by 2026, AI capabilities would reduce the cost and workforce needed for producing high-quality animated movies by 90%. Katzenberg predicted that with AI, it "won't take 10 percent of that" in terms of manpower and time to achieve the same quality.

Watch the full session.

mini case: design

Heinz Pours AI Creativity into Ketchup Campaign

Heinz decided to spice things up (pun intended) with their "Heinz A.I. Ketchup" campaign. They used DALL-E 2 to create wild ketchup images from user-suggested prompts like "ketchup in space" and "ketchup bottle stained glass." The idea was to let AI generate some quirky visuals, and it worked! The campaign, made with Rethink Canada, showed how with a great human idea, AI can bring fresh, creative content to life and keep things interesting. It’s a fun example of blending tech with good old human creativity to keep the brand vibe alive and kicking

Survive and Thrive Framework Placement: Thrive

• This campaign showcases a successful blend of human creativity and AI-driven tools, resulting in a highly engaging and innovative marketing campaign.

marketing

Money Saved, Quality Compromised?

Amid concerns over the ethical use of AI in marketing, Klarna has slashed costs and boosted efficiency using AI tools. In Q1 2024, Klarna reduced marketing expenses by 11%, saving $10 million annually. AI-driven tools cut image production costs by $1.5 million, shortening timelines from six weeks to seven days. However, while costs are down, it’s unclear if the AI-generated content meets the quality or performance of previous human-created content. Klarna's CMO, David Sandstrom, admits this shift raises ethical dilemmas and leaves creatives questioning their roles: “We can achieve way more with lower costs.”

Survive and Thrive Takeaways

• Don't be discouraged by Klarna’s move. While easy and cheap to create, the value of AI-generated assets alone is unknown. Instead, leverage AI to elevate your unique creativity and produce content that surpasses the value of AI-generated assets alone.

• Always consider the ethical implications of AI-created content, ensuring transparency and maintaining trust with your audience.

links

Tools to Consider…

• Notta - Audio and video transcription powered by AI. What makes this so cool is you can paste YouTube URLs for video transcription.

• Subsvideo - Captions. Free, unlimited, and no watermark.