5 Tips for Navigating the AI Effect on Social Media

AI is infiltrating our social media feeds at a rapidfire pace. It’s undeniable the power it has to drive personalisation and capture consumer attention with carefully crafted algorithms dictating what consumers see. As brands vie for a sliver of that attention, they’re being faced with a slew of hurdles and challenges that could have dire implications if they’re not navigated around carefully. 

In a recent panel, ‘How to navigate the AI effect on social media’, at our Digital & Social Summit, We Are Social Singapore’s head of strategy Anton Reyniers sat down with Dipashree Das, senior marketer for tech and entertainment at Amazon, and Nic Burrows, creative strategist at Google Asia-Pacific, to discuss just how brands should be steering their way through it all. Here are five takeaways from the session.

Transparency is essential

Transparency is becoming more important than ever. Our Digital 2025 Report found that 58.8% of the global population are concerned about what’s real and fake – up 5.3% year-on-year. This is only likely to increase as AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated. And, brands shouldn’t misjudge the audience’s sophistication when it comes to creative consumption and spotting AI-generated content either. Consumers are developing authenticity detectors and can increasingly tell when content lacks authenticity or feels “too polished” to be real. 

While some tasks like research may not warrant disclosure, it’s imperative you’re open and transparent about its use with external outputs like customer service, content creation and especially, if you’re using AI-generated representations of people. Brands who fail to disclose their use of AI in these instances run the risk of eroding brand trust and being called out by consumers. 

“In the age of AI, it is critical for us to be aware of it and to be transparent about it,” Burrows said during the panel discussion. “That ability to be genuine needs to come through in how brands communicate. Consumers will call them out if they’re faking it.”

AI is a tool, not a replacement

Hammers didn’t replace builders, and AI won’t replace marketers or agencies. It’s critical that brands don’t see this as simply an opportunity to reduce production costs. The technology’s ability to find audiences, guide strategies, speed up storyboard development and assist with measurement and reporting are already helping supercharge our work. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

Reyniers said brands and agencies should view artificial intelligence as “augmented intelligence”. AI is not here to replace human creativity or think for us. It’s a collaborative tool designed to think with us and empower us to do better. Rather than approaching it as a catch-all solution to our problems, Das advised marketers and agencies to approach AI with curiosity. If you’re saving money as a result, reinvest it elsewhere. There’s an opportunity to push the boundaries of creativity and make work that is even better than we’ve been able to before.

Don’t underestimate the value of human creativity

AI’s strength lies in its ability to predict patterns – not original ideas. With AI-created junk filling our feeds, the appetite for real, authentic content is going to grow even more insatiable and brands are going to have to fight harder than ever to be seen. As a result, the role that creatives play will become more invaluable than ever. 

The best ideas that truly resonate with people, often defy logic and come from unpredictability. They are born from the chaos, the unexpected connections, the cultural insights, emotional resonance and lived experience that only humans know. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use AI but instead serves as a reminder for why humans should remain involved in the creative process. As AI becomes more prolific throughout this process, creatives will be the architects leading human and AI co-creation to come up with truly original ideas for your brand – not the other way around.

“I’ve seen such incredible AI experiments being done by great creatives. And it can be done, but without their craftsmanship, their ideas, and their vision, it’s not going to work,” Burrows commented.

Prioritise brand differentiation

One of the biggest mistakes a marketer can make is losing sight of what makes their brand unique and different. AI is placing brand differentiation at risk as marketers prioritise efficiency or short-term relevance. While we would all love to be more efficient, an over-focus on efficiency without equal attention to effectiveness will cost your brand in the long-term. Similarly, jumping on every AI-generated content trend filling social feeds to stay relevant is only going to place your brand into a sea of same.

“Do not use AI just to imitate trends that everyone else is doing. This is going to cost you your brand’s differentiation,” Das said. “I know it is fun for now but what it’s going to do is create a circular reference loop that will lead to content convergence rather than brand differentiation. In the long term it’s your brand that will pay the price and you do not want that.”

Think of AI as more than just an execution tool to pump out a pipeline of mass produced social assets at speed. Prioritise creating distinctive memory structures and experiences, instead of jumping on the bandwagon of a trend that bears no relevance to your brand. We all have access to the same AI tools, so focus on finding ways for it to give your brand a competitive advantage instead of falling prey to the emerging robotic sameness crisis.

Stay true to your brand values

The potential of AI can be both exciting and anxiety-inducing for brands and agencies alike. The technology is here to stay and those who don’t adopt it will likely face a case of “digital Darwinism”. However, that doesn’t mean you should dive in without careful consideration. It’s critical to ensure how your brand uses AI remains true and consistent with your brand values. 

“Have a strategy. Even if it takes time, even if it takes trial and error. Understand why you need AI and where you are going to deploy it,” Das advises. “Define for your brand what you will and won’t automate based on your brand values and the relationship you have with your customers – and it cannot just be about efficiency.” 

By taking a position that aligns with your brand and communicating that with your customers, you’ll be able to stay the course and manage expectations moving forward. 

ICYMI, you can watch all the sessions from the Digital & Social Summit on-demand here.