Zealotry is boring. Cynicism is boring.
...but the bit in-between is fascinating
SXSW Dispatches - Part 1
I was lucky enough to spend last week at SXSW. What a privilege it is to see incredibly impressive people talk about things they’re passionate about. I’m better and more optimistic for the opportunity.
I took so much from it which I think will inform changes in how I work in all sorts of different ways. I plan to write about over the course of a few posts in the hope that I can organise and figure out what I think while I try and make it interesting for you to read.
The first one is on AI - I know, sorry, but it informed everything everywhere all week, so it’s really the only place to start.
Zealotry is boring. Cynicism is boring. The bit in-between is fascinating.
One morning I consciously tried to avoid any session where someone may mention AI. I failed. To be honest I think the festival would have been richer if it was possible, but it really hammers home the breadth of impact it’s likely to have.
My broad observation is that the more evangelical people were about it the less detailed they were able to be about how they expect it to manifest (government ministers included), and the more financially invested they were in its wholesale application. It felt to me like they were trying to convince themselves as much as their audience, and broadly their expertise lied elsewhere - be it venture capital, finance, or running an advertising holding company.
It seemed to me the real potential of Artificial Intelligence lies in the fields of science and data analysis - goodness me the potential for accelerated human progress is enormous, and incredibly exciting - rather than professional services. Those working in science and data were far more cautionary about the likely pace of progress though, and talked more openly about challenges and headwinds they face, despite being bullish on the long-term opportunity they see.
Like everything else in this world, dull people in navy suits with access to capital make the most noise, but unlike everything else, I think it’s prudent to pay attention to the initiatives supported by nation states rather than private money for the really interesting, consequential stuff.
On the other side of the ledger I’ve been surprised by the level of skepticism I encountered in commentary around the event and upheaval in the industry. It struck me as odd that this was universally voiced by people not in attendance at the festival or close to the frontline of agency process - how can you hold a strong opinion about a thing you’ve not seen up-close? Again I think a lot of this may be people trying to convince themselves of their view rather than their audience.
The reality is obviously in the middle. We are in the foothills of a period of significant change, but projections of its short-term impact are frothy and don’t stand up to scrutiny - as much as some people would love to reduce marketing to an exercise in data analysis there is so much more to the job than that. Jobs will be augmented rather than replaced for a while, other than in businesses looking for an excuse to shrink, but the augmentation will be significant and it serves nobody to pretend otherwise.
I left the festival clearer and more confident in my value while negotiating an uncertain period, and clear that my expertise gives me a massive head-start in working out how to adopt new practices into my work. I’d imagine that’s true for most of you reading this too. Action is the antidote to anxiety; in my opinion the smart short-term play is to figure out the bits of my job that will and won’t change, and test-drive new tools and ways of working.
As always, I’d love to know what you think.
Greg