Agencies are turning to AI tools for writing, research and creative support.
This is the second installment of a new series exploring the ways agencies are experimenting with AI. Are you using an interesting product that’s not listed here? Send an email to [email protected] for consideration.
From photorealistic avatars to writing assistants, advertising agencies are turning to AI for support of various needs.
Here are nine AI tools agencies are experimenting with right now, as well as a video explaining how they work.
Captions, an AI startup backed by actor-musician Jared Leto and Index Ventures, lets users create and alter videos. VML has been exploring Captions’ ability to create “influencer-like videos on the fly,” said Brian Yamada, chief innovation officer at the WPP agency.
Below is a video of Captions’ AI Creator product, which was unveiled in June and is designed for posting videos on social media.
Independent media agency Noble People is experimenting with HeyGen, an AI startup that allows users to create realistic-looking avatars that can speak in their voice and translate their words into different languages. HeyGen was recently valued at $500 million after a funding round that raised $60 million.
Noble People used HeyGen “to ‘reanimate’ a coworker to host our monthly all-staff meeting which, naturally, was AI-themed,” said Todd Alchin, partner and chief marketing officer. “We also use it to voice videos where traditional voiceover isn’t needed.”
Earlier this month, HeyGen rolled out its new Avatar 3.0 (video below).
Also read: More AI tools agencies are using
Several agencies—including Goodby Silverstein & Partners and McKinney—told Ad Age they are using the AI model repository Hugging Face, which stores open-sourced foundation models such as Meta’s Llama 2 and Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion.
Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Weber Shandwick has given its employees access to Nextatlas, an AI-powered trend forecasting and consumer insights tool, according to a spokeswoman for the agency.
“It’s a great resource for our teams to culture-check their campaign and messaging or find inspiration when brainstorming new opportunities,” said Michael Connery, executive VP of AI strategy for Weber Shandwick Futures, in a statement.
Nextatlas recently debuted Generate Suite, an AI-powered market research assistant. Omnicom Group and Accenture are also using the tool, according to the company's website, which also lists brands such as Barilla, Mondelēz International and Stellantis as clients.
One of the more established entries on the list, Perplexity is an AI search platform that agencies, including Bandits & Friends and FCB Global, have been using for strategy and research support.
“The tool quickly pulls and summarizes data, providing fast, relevant answers backed by a wide range of sources—great for strategy and creative sessions,” FCB Global Chief Creative Officer Andrés Ordóñez said in a statement.
In June, Perplexity named IPG’s UM as its first media agency of record. The company, which has drawn the ire of some media publications, recently launched its biggest ad campaign yet—a football-themed ad that aired during “Monday Night Football.”
SpecialGuestX, which is based in Madrid, Spain, shared that it’s experimenting with text-to-image AI model Stable Diffusion. RPA has used Stable Diffusion for work on behalf of Honda, including a recent spot called “Prompted by Dreams.”
In June, Stability AI released Stable Diffusion 3, which the company described as its “most sophisticated image generation model to date.” Check it out in the video below.
Keeping notes during meetings can be quite tedious. Convicts, a New York-based digital media and creative agency, has tapped AI meeting assistant Tactiq to streamline the process, Social Media Director Sean McKeever said in an email. McKeever added that the tool has made a “notable difference” in managing post-meeting work and action items.
Wordtune is an AI editing tool that, in addition to providing proofreading support, is designed to identify users’ writing styles and tailor authentic suggestions. It’s caught the attention of SuperHeroes, a Brooklyn, New York-based creative shop.
Accenture Song employees are using tools from Writer, a startup creating generative AI writing products, according to a company spokeswoman. Accenture made an investment in Writer last September; terms of the deal were not disclosed.
One of Writer’s more recent features, Palmyra-Vision, analyzes and generates text from images, including graphs and charts.
