When Artificial Intelligence (AI) first properly emerged in mainstream business in 2022 with OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT, companies were faced with both an incredible opportunity and a challenge. Almost overnight, AI moved from being a technology discussion into a business conversation about marketing, operations, productivity, and the future of work.
At Manning & Co., we were watching this new AI development closely. We were, in fact, right on the frontline, feeling the direct impact of the release of ChatGPT. While companies in many other industries have had a few years since then to see how the AI phenomenon has unfolded and think about how to respond, for us, the impact was immediate without warning or time to prepare.
We were not observing AI from the sidelines; we were in the thick of it trying to understand not only the technology itself, but what it meant more generally for businesses, their marketing and communication strategies, and how organisations would need to build trust in an increasingly ‘artificial’, AI-driven world.
2022 was not just the start of a new technology cycle; it marked the beginning of an entirely new era that some have likened to the next industrial revolution, according to Columbia Business School. Curiosity drove the first chapter of AI: organisations experimented, tested, and explored how it might boost efficiency and productivity. Yet so many unknowns remained.
Against the backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, economic pressures, and tough business conditions at the time, the mantra in boardrooms around the world was to cut costs and do more with less using AI. This fuelled the rate of adoption further, with 88% of organisations now embedding AI into operations.
Fast forward to today. After much experimentation and observing what works and what doesn’t work with AI, it’s time to lay out the facts of where things are. How can we turn the page with AI and think about this next chapter of marketing in an AI world? And how can we ensure the value of human-led marketing doesn’t become overlooked?
The emerging risks of AI in marketing
AI has fundamentally reshaped marketing over the last three years. With 75% of marketers now using AI, it’s firmly part of the marketing and communications agenda. Yet many marketers and brands have not yet experienced the full value of AI beyond generic automation. At the same time, many organisations are at the forefront of risks emerging from AI that can seriously damage brand credibility and trust.
The rise of ‘AI slop’
One of the most obvious areas of marketing that AI has impacted is content and the creative process. Customers are increasingly concerned about the rise of ‘AI slop’, which refers to generic content and design generated by AI tools. Widescale AI adoption has led to large volumes of content being created at speed with limited originality, insight, or human perspective – and it comes at a cost to brand credibility.
Look at the creative aspects of brands, and you will see this increasing lack of originality and ‘sameness’. For example, there has been much criticism of ‘AI slop’ in the business world recently, with brands such as Valentino and McDonalds pulling ads that used AI-generated imagery due to backlash.
Well-known brands and luxury brands are a good example of where many have chased the desire to target the masses and modify their original brands for digital scalability. But they have done so at the risk of losing their heritage, soul, and desire to be aspirational.
You only need to scroll through LinkedIn to see generic posts appearing one after another. Brands are struggling to differentiate themselves. They sound the same and look the same. People can pick AI-written content and visuals from a mile away and are becoming increasingly sceptical of marketing that appear inauthentic and not original.
You can now produce content faster with AI, analyse information more effectively, and personalise customer experiences at scale. Yet today’s customers are unhappy with ads being targeted to them that they find unsettling and cheaply produced. The explosion of low-quality, generic AI output has decreased customer dissatisfaction overall.
The problem of ‘Shadow AI’ use
‘Shadow AI’ use also presents risks to modern brands. According to IBM, Shadow AI is the ‘unsanctioned use’ of any ‘AI tool or application by employees or end users’ without ‘formal approval or oversight’ from their IT department and organisation. With everyone now wanting to be an ‘expert’ in brand and marketing, it’s becoming harder to protect brand originality and quality.
AI has created the ease of people being able to generate their own content and messages. But these AI-generated ideas being put out to the world by employees aren’t always sanctioned or even known about by their managers, creating issues with inauthenticity and potential false or misleading information.
These hidden risks and limitations of AI are not always visible at first. A lack of knowledge and awareness around these tools remains. With these technologies fast emerging and constantly changing, AI is just as much of a challenge for brands as it is an opportunity to unlock greater productivity and value.
Why ethical AI matters for the future of marketing
The rapid adoption of AI has created important conversations for leaders around ethics, transparency, and responsibility. For businesses operating in this new world, ethical AI is not simply a compliance consideration; it’s directly connected to how your brand is perceived.
Marketing industry research shows that 71% of customers feel more comfortable buying from brands that use AI transparently. Responsible AI adoption demands that organisations ensure every AI-driven decision is subject to review and challenge, and that maximum transparency is upheld at every stage.
In marketing, ethical AI use means keeping human oversight at the heart of important decisions and always fostering trust with customers and stakeholders. Only by embedding these principles into daily practice can businesses truly build and maintain the brand credibility that is essential in today’s world.
In addition, with AI usage also leading to environmental and societal challenges, how brands communicate their AI usage and governance is important. We can already see the importance of brands communicating AI usage to the broader community with the younger generation of customers, who are far more environmentally conscious than previous generations. Brands simply showing their ESG and DEI credentials will not be enough to win customer trust.
The next chapter of AI in marketing is human
As Google Search Central emphasises, the future of successful marketing will not come from producing more content with AI or ‘AI slop’, but from creating quality content that demonstrates genuine expertise, originality, and value. And these characteristics rely on human beings who think deeply and creatively.
The first chapter of the AI revolution was defined by excitement and rapid experimentation and adoption. The next chapter will be defined by maturity. Businesses will move from asking what AI can do alone to understanding what AI can do for people. They will move from chasing efficiency and short-term wins to creating sustainable transformation. And again, marketing is at the frontline of this next chapter.
Marketing leaders need to move quickly to ensure that the human aspect isn’t lost from their marketing and do this with urgency. Unique ideas, creativity, original thinking, trusted expertise, and a solid reputation are critical in this next chapter of AI.
The real long game for brands is to protect the human marketing skills required to truly leverage AI. So, remember to dig deeper. Be original, be different to the ‘sameness’ out there, embrace creativity, and make your voice stand out. Don’t let AI dictate your future. Humans must be the ones holding the light up to AI to see a clear path forward.
