Despite what the classic film The Terminator tells us, humans and machines can co-exist without bringing about the end of the world. Generative AI is being adopted by designers and marketing agencies to make the creative process quicker and more efficient. But, as with a lot of spiffy new automated technology, there’s a catch. 

Self-checkout machines and wine

You know those super helpful self-checkout machines in supermarkets? We thought they would replace human cashiers within a few years, but they never did. Why? 

Well, like any tech, they’re not immune from those pesky little problems (like wine or a box of headache tablets). There’s always a human on standby to make sure everything works as it should, and AI is no different.

The benefits of AI for creative agencies and designers

AI technology is quick and efficient. It can take on those pesky repetitive and time-consuming tasks like nobody’s business. When you’re a creative design agency, AI can give you time to be MORE creative. 

It can generate content, research topics, and even come up with ideas, up to a point.

The ballerina

Let’s go back to The Terminator. If this 80s blockbuster can teach us anything, it’s that things can go wrong with new technology. Artificial intelligence is the same way: it can get things done, but it can also get things very wrong. 

Take a look at this hilarious and yet equally disturbing scene created by AI: https://www.tiktok.com/@rivetingknowledge/video/7390522937553587487

Or this creepy image:

(Don’t worry robots, we know hands are hard to draw)

AI needs human intervention 

While AI can help your business become more efficient in several ways, it’s clear that the technology has a long way to go when it comes to creativity. AI needs human intervention for: 

• Human emotions: AI can recognise that customers have emotions, but it can’t understand or respond to them in the way another person can. 
• Research accuracy: AI conducted research is based on stuff that’s already out there, but what if the existing research is wrong or out of date? AI research should be checked and verified by humans. 
• Creativity: let’s face it, AI is no replacement for human creativity. It can come up with a social media design, but the design might be flawed, and it won’t be based on anything new.

How UP uses AI for good

A top-notch creative team (like ours) brings a unique blend of expertise, skill, experience, and talent to design for charities and ethical businesses. We like to think of AI as less ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (we provide the intelligence) and more ‘Assisted Ideation’. The UP design process looks a little bit like this: 

1. It starts with an idea: 

As living breathing (boldly creative) humans at UP, we start every design process with the concept. This concept comes from YOU. In particular: 

• Who you are
• Who your supporters are 
• What sets your organisation apart
• What you want to achieve by hiring us

This should always be the start of any design process, whether generative AI takes us into the future or not. 

2. Garbage in. Garbage out. 

Here’s where AI comes into play. We might use our anonymous AI assistant to do some quick research, brainstorm some ideas, or guide and curate an initial AI generated image. 

This work goes beyond adding prompts, though. It requires a deep understanding of visual storytelling, brand aesthetics, and audience preferences. 

This is where humans come in… 

We carefully refine AI output to make sure those designs align perfectly with your vision and goals. This process transforms raw potential into polished visuals that grab your audience’s attention (for the right reasons) and motivates them to donate, support, join in, sign up. 

3. The final finesse 

Applying finishing touches to AI visuals is essential to brand consistency and quality. Our skilled, experienced and creative (human) designers refine details like colour, typography, and composition, to make sure you have a quality final product that’s on brand and impactful to your audience.  

AI is a speedy, efficient and often fun way to add a bit of oomph to your work process. But ultimately, these friendly robots are a long way off from replacing the creativity, flexibility and problem-solving skills of a real human designer. 

UP your social media game

Experience the future of content creation by talking to the humans at UP today.