Marriages, house moves, nervous breakdowns & the impact of AI on the world – especially our industry – it’s been one helluva morning!
It was quite the conversation when I caught up with long-time friend, work collaborator, (and PR legend), Angie Moxham of Fourth Angel to discuss AI and its impending impact on the world economy … and what it really means to be human.
So you are now reading what started off as a ‘phone call with the head of our PR agency Angie, (a convo which was never intended for public consumption. but now too good not to share.
We have known each other for 17 + years from my previous life as a PR and Comms professional with Angie being what I could only describe as a bit of a “rock star” of the PR world, and someone who in my fledgling career I was dying to work with.
I gave her a call to discuss some projects we have simmering on the proverbial, & for some assistance on a tagline I was struggling to find. What transpired was a 2-hour 11 minute tour de force retrospective of our lives, loves & heartache of the past 20 some years cumulating in a lighting round of future scaping brain volley balling about brands and how they will have to adapt to AI agents, including what will the C suite do without a human PR knocking about?!
It’s no secret that I am a little AI obsessed. But obsessed in a way that’s both curious and terrified in equal measures – with a dash of nervousness – about how it’s going to play out on a global scale – cue Arnie’s famous line “Hasta La Vista, Baby!”.
Sam Altman recently tweeted that AGI (artificial general intelligence) is far closer than we think. This shoudn’t be taken lightly, especially as AI is fast becoming the new normal in all our lives – work and play. Even Kier is all over it!
And whilst in theory – and already in practice – the impact on the private and public sector businesses and organisations seems to be mind bendingly beneficial, what do we do with the word on the street that AGI is going to replace 70% of all human based jobs within 5 years.
That’s right folks, in 5 years the entire marketing industry could be an army of AI agents with skeletal staff manning the mainframe – and let’s not talk about the professional industries. No more lawyers, doctors, teachers with its impact reaching deep into all industries with customer service, factory workers and most admin-based roles all being replaced with a more efficient, more effective, cheaper, emotionless agent who can work 24/7.
So, what on earth are we all going to do? That is one of the bigger more existential questions currently being asked in every AI forum globally. So in between half-finished stories of menopause (Angie’s not mine), marriage breakdowns, what we ate for Xmas (& less interestingly the current weather), I mused about the future potential trend that might sprout from this AI takeover that originates from the golden ages of PR itself.
With back to the future firmly planted in our heads we reminisced about the good old-fashioned rolodex and hitting the phones to spark real human connection. The energy and hustle of the press office was a cadence like no other with the roar of excitement that seemed to fill every inch of space when the “big idea” was landed for the client.
From early starts to very late nights it was the comradery that sparked imagination and play. The exchanging of life stories while skilfully (and sometimes desperately) trying to cultivate a broadsheet worthy press release due to the client 30mins ago often led to workplace bonds and friendships that would last a lifetime. At times it was messy, chaotic and slightly overhyped but the reality was it was real, it was human, and it was utterly beautiful.
You see that’s what us mere mortals have on AI, our story. Our lives lived, our human experience all of which is not linear. Our creativity doesn’t come in formulated doses from an algorithm, it comes from the kaleidoscopic array of emotions and experiences that form our very existence and without that is any brand messaging really going to resonate on a human level in the future ?
Though Ai is a huge leap forward and something we are implementing in our business at this very moment I think we do so with caution as I do not want to lose the very essence that drives me in this pursuit for growth.
I am who I am today not because of a series of successful level ups becoming more efficient as I go. My success has come from my MANY failings, my many *falls flat on my face* mistakes that I had to dust myself off from and carry on. My success has come from me understanding that to be human is to fail and win in not so equal measure and it’s the people that you share those moments with that really matter.
Our memories, our journey are all so intrinsically woven into everything we do that to become operators (slaves) to these machines seems like a future job one not need apply for.
When I started the House of Willow Alexander it was myself and my husband taking on the world with only ourselves to really consider but as we have grown now to a 30+ team my priorities and drive has changed.
I am now not just working for my success alone. I am genuinely motivated every day to build a better company for everyone who works in it and on the days when I feel like closing the curtains and hitting the “f*6K it” button for the day it’s my team that remind me to keep at it.
The notion of getting rid of half of our workforce and replacing it with a computer seems somewhat bleak and though we are harnessing the power of AI here I am going to make dam sure it becomes the supplement not the successor.
After the call with Angie I was making a coffee and started to laugh to myself at the stories we had just shared when the elusive tagline I had been struggling for weeks to land struck like lightening in my frontal cortex. My imagination and creativity was given a much needed boost (and my subconscious clearly went into over drive) after a whole hearted dose of human connection!
No AI agent is going to replace the human spirit, it can learn what we do and may be better at so much of what we do but it wont replace the life in us – It cannot replace our heart and soul!
My thoughts are as AI reshapes the job market, skilled trades may emerge as a refuge for some seeking stable, fulfilling employment. In a corporate setting I see early adopters reshaping the workplace and utilising AI so that the us Humans can become the most creative that we can be.
And as for this musing, I did not us Ai to write or correct any of it. I am human, this is me, so I left my typos and mistakes in!