While AI has been at the forefront of the industry’s thinking for the past few years – from innovation to automation to driving efficiency – Tom Goodwin, co-founder of consultancy All We Have is Now, expressed concern for the implications of these developments on new talent and entry-level roles.
During the Q&A portion after his recent ADMA Global Forum presentation, Goodwin was asked about his thoughts on the future of the marketing team structures.
“The current architecture of (marketing) teams is much like a command-and-control system from the Industrial Revolution. As a general principle, I don’t think agile is right, but we need multiple collaborative clusters of talent.
“I’m very scared about what AI means for interns,” Goodwin said. “Most people are fantastic at their jobs because they did shit jobs for quite a long time, and they use that to learn.
“We recognise that most good work in marketing doesn’t happen because of formal hierarchies. It happens because of orchestration, lobbying, and persuasion.”
“What happens when we become too efficient and impatient”
In a chat with Mediaweek at the ADMA Global Forum, Goodwin revealed that he doesn’t believe marketers are using AI well yet.
“I think AI is a very powerful technology, and because it’s so powerful, we were wise not to be in a hurry. The people who used it first are likely to make big mistakes, like its ability to hallucinate and issues related to intellectual property and copyright.”
Goodwin said that while it was important for people to experiment and learn about AI, caution still should be exercised when it comes to confidentiality.
“There are some big problems that are waiting to happen, so be enthusiastic. But pick the right moment.”
Tom Goodwin
Goodwin’s cautious enthusiasm toward AI is evident in his concerns about its implications on new talent and entry-level roles.
“There are parts of life where inefficiency is good. It’s good to take the time to go to an office and to meet people face to face because you learn how to conduct yourself, learn from each other, and learn a sense of camaraderie.”
He noted that “crappy intern-level jobs are how you get exposure to different things” and is an avenue to “learning through experience.”
“In a weird way, we’re like AI. We train ourselves with all that data. I’m worried that companies will use this stuff to be selfish and mean-spirited.
“One of the nice things about marketing and advertising is that it’s quite a generous and human profession. So, I’m quite worried about what happens when we become too efficient and impatient,” he added.
Ads as a “function of commerce”
Looking ahead at the state of the market, Goodwin said that markets should consider commerce and content the same thing.
“I’m always quite surprised; a lot of advertising now seems to want to take you on this journey where they can plot where you’re going rather than getting out the way.
“I see these car adverts where bold creators took poetry to new places. I want to book a test drive for the car; why do you want me to read poetry? Or ‘read more about our fashionistas and how they design the patterns of clothes.’ No, just let me buy the clothes and tell me when it will arrive.
“I think ads will increasingly become a function of commerce.”
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Top image: Tom Goodwin