I recently came across the concept of “machine assistance” to describe when the strengths of machine learning are merged with the strengths of human intelligence and creativity. In other words – it’s an alternative to the vision of a pure AI-marketing world, where the “automation” in marketing automation comes full circle. Machine assistance instead argues the ideal dynamic is more of a partnership than a winner-take-all battle.
I find this path a lot more interesting, mostly because it personifies the blend of art and science that drew me to marketing to begin with. Besides, I’ve never put much stock in the fearmongering about AI completely eliminating marketing jobs – there’s just too much nuance and creativity required for AI (at least in its current state) to succeed in all aspects of marketing.
Marketers are already over reliant on “best practice” to guide their every move– a pure AI play will only lean more into this. Yet it’s often the weird and unconventional ideas that break the mold of sameness that so much of marketing seems to fit in these days.
Maybe I’m wrong, and maybe I’ll regret this opinion someday, but I certainly hope not – I don’t want to be a marketer in a world where AI is the only player. That sounds like a pretty boring game to play.