Three things I learnt during my #AWChat about A.I

In the run up to Advertising Week Europe next week, I took part in a Twitter conversation with the @AWEurope team and the Twitter community to get the conversational juices flowing ahead of the event.

The key themes for the conversation were around artificial intelligence, the future of search and data. Over the space of an hour we discussed the new realms of technology and what the future has in store for marketing – and marketers.

So, what did I learn?

The scepticism around A.I. still stands – people are still not fully invested. When posed the question by Ad Week as to whether machines and humans can live harmoniously, I emphasised that we need to frame this partnership as collaborative, not combative. We have so many opportunities to work together with machines and especially within the marketing industry - we have the ability to elevate our own competencies beyond what we ourselves are capable of. However, it did become clear that chatbots were the most ‘approachable’ form of A.I., with a couple of people responding to the question stating that they are already using chatbots for (successful!) interaction with their customers. Sometimes, fear of the unknown is the thing holding brands back from adopting new technologies, such as this. 

People find voice search useful, but are still ‘getting used to it’ – there is no doubt more and more people each day are adopting voice as their primary means for interacting with a device. However, one user said he was still reluctant to speak into his phone, computer’ – and even his Xbox. I believe that we will overcome this awkwardness with time, just think back to the introduction of Bluetooth headsets! Nowadays you see people walking around all the time talking, seemingly deviceless, into technology. Once consumers realise the true potential of voice search, that is when we will see adoption really take off.

The importance of a ‘human’ touch – when questioned about the need to adapt to today’s new world of technology and data influx, the conversation revolved around how marketers need to keep learning, testing and adapting to their customer’s needs. But, more importantly, it was clear that there needed to be a ‘human’ and ‘personal’ element in all brands do today. One user mentioned how brands need to stay on top of trends within the technology sector in order to fully capitalise on the benefits – they are right. Awareness, personalisation and relevancy are key - only then will they successfully capture the attention of customers.