As AI Rises, Human Creativity Reigns

Written by Charlie Crose, Robert Bumgarner, & Alex Loomis

This article is part of an “AI in Practice” series, designed to give PR and marketing pros like you the practical advice you need to produce more efficient, strategic and creative work with the help of AI.

As Generative AI evolves and becomes increasingly ubiquitous, tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT generate images and text in mere seconds that can simulate sophisticated human art, photography or writing. Ironically, as machines get smarter, the value of human creativity soars. How could that be?

Keeping It Real…ish 

Creativity isn’t just about originality; it’s about connections and interpretations. AI can mimic inspiration, but it still lacks the intuition, emotion and empathy that defines the human experience and by extension, defines true creativity.   

By quickly generating visual concepts, platforms like Midjourney offer powerful and sometimes unexpected starting points for new creations—helping creatives explore new dimensions in their work. Likewise, with the right prompts Chat GPT can generate copy drafts almost instantly, letting human writers focus less time on capturing the right information and more time on infusing the work with nuance and emotion. 

A Creativity Booster 

We are already putting AI to work in countless ways for our clients. Here are a few examples: 

As a conceptual tool, it expands our reach during brainstorms, letting us cast a wider “net” for ideas while speeding up our process.

As a pre-production tool, it helps us imagine new possibilities, try out unique angles and push our creative boundaries on photo and video projects. 

As a design tool, it can quickly generate a bunch of potential visual directions. AI lets our team focus on fine-tuning ideas instead of starting from scratch.

As a copywriting tool, ChatGPT can generate outlines, proof drafts and make those drafts more concise, but tends to infuse the phrasing with a sameness that robs the language of power regardless of the prompt. Used properly, ChatGPT efficiencies free our writers to spend their time crafting final copy that stirs the soul and inspires readers to action. 

As a post-production tool, AI allows us to convert images to short engaging video clips, “up-res” low-quality images and add detail to previously unusable media. 

The Balancing Act 

GenAI brings big perks but also real risks. Over-reliance kills creativity, churning out “vanilla,” or worse, “off-brand vanilla” work. Our rule? Balance. AI is best used as a tool, not a crutch. Use it judiciously or risk your flavor going flat. 

Moreover, working with AI can feel like a crapshoot — results will most certainly vary. This unpredictability means creatives (and clients) may have to give up some control over the final product. But you can still achieve great results by embracing that unpredictability as an opportunity for unexpected inspiration. Those who see GenAI as a partner, not a proxy, will do well. Those who can’t accept a bit of uncertainty will struggle. Success with AI requires a willingness to experiment, adapt and relinquish absolute control. 

Upskilling in the AI Age 

As AI evolves, so must our skills. Investment in ongoing learning, structured knowledge-shares and hands-on training ensures creatives knows how to use AI tools and understands their capabilities and limitations. At the speed this technology is changing, it’s the only way to harness AI’s potential while keeping our creative edge now and into the future. 

Looking Ahead 

Generative AI is a siren song, and those selling it as a service are sailing into the cliffs. Treat it like the remarkable tool it is, and you’ll help clients achieve things once thought out of reach. 

At Jackson Spalding, we are excited about the possibilities that AI brings to the table. We will continue to explore new ways to integrate AI into our creative processes, always with the goal of enhancing our work and delivering exceptional results to our clients. 

Lead the Way with Us

As AI redefines the creative landscape, Jackson Spalding invites you to join us on this journey in exploring generative AI. Together, we can explore new horizons, push the boundaries of creativity and achieve extraordinary results together.