AI and representation—ad leaders discuss equality in emerging tech

Amid the emergence of AI marketing, brands are looking at how to incorporate these technologies in interesting and ethical ways. While marketers, agencies and media companies have all been eager to experiment with new platforms including ChatGPT and DALL-E, leaders at two recent industry events expressed the need to prioritize equality as the tech takes shape. Industry experts from companies such as Meta, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Procter & Gamble spoke last week at SeeHer SheFront, an upfront held by gender equity organization SeeHer, about prioritizing representation in content and upholding commitments to gender equity in media. Later in the week, the Hispanic Marketing Council’s annual summit sparked more conversations surrounding Web3 and equity. Katie Couric, speaking at the SeeHer SheFront about cultural relevance in media, called AI, “so exciting, yet so terrifying,” regarding the speed to which it’s being adopted in media. Related news: Top 5 AI marketing activations to know about Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs This level of advancement has led to some concerns over ethics or misuse of tech. Historically, AI systems are not without bias, and have sometimes been used to discriminate against people through features such as facial recognition. “There is a lot of work that needs to happen in the industry for all of us to deploy this technology in an ethical way,” said Marta Martinez, managing director for agency platforms at Google. Martinez said that working with Global Alliance for Responsible Media, Google has been getting comfortable experimenting with AI, and carving out best principles and practices. In 2018, Google first released its AI Principles, establishing a framework for AI-centered policy and decision-making across the company. “There is enough technology, there is enough resources, a lot of data sets that can really help us address that. Let's put the right women in those roles, and then let's continue to learn,” said Martinez. Leaders in attendance at the HMC Annual Summit, held on Thursday, looked at AI as an opportunity to expand content portfolios. “It’s an amazing tool,” said Flor Leibaschoff, founder and chief creative officer of Hispanic-led agency BeautifulBeast. “I still believe that you have to have the human involvement, for now, to know how to use it.” Diego Andrade, senior VP at Los Angeles-based agency Orci referred to AI as a resource for marketers. “I don't think that we can shy away from it,” said Andrade. “We just have to learn how to use the tools to apply them in the best way we can. It’s a piece of technology that's inevitable.” Javier Osorio, group creative director at agency Fluent360, said that although he does see AI as a tool, he doubts its accessibility, claiming that it will never be fully accessible. Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here

AI and representation—ad leaders discuss equality in emerging tech

Featured Stories