More Human: Andy Sandoz’s Guide to Surviving the AI Revolution

Whether you’re a future-forward techie chasing the robots, or a dedicated artisan worried about the distractions of the digital age, Andy Sandoz has upbeat tidings for you in his talk at the upcoming Kinsale Sharks festival. The brave new AI-powered world has a place for you, whatever kind of creative you are.

“I’ve got a few points of view in there [his talk] that are hopefully positive and inspiring to all those working across the creative industry. Digital technologies are going to have a transformative effect on all aspects of life, and advertising. So it’s natural to worry about how your skillset, be it data or UX, or stories or cinematic photography is going to be disrupted… as a Creative, where do you go when the robots come for you?” he says.

Andy is known for founding Work Club and most recently was ECD at Havas London, but his upcoming role as the first ever U.K. CCO of consultancy Deloitte Digital takes him to the frontier of the industry.

“I think creativity is more commercially and socially impactful when applied to the whole business, beyond just marketing, and I’ll talk to where I’ll be putting my energies with that going forward,” says Andy.

“I’m inspired by the yet unknown positive potential of these disruptive technologies. They offer a chance to do it differently, not just better. Great technology carries a little magic, the ability to make the possibly impossible possible, if we amplify that through business and brand then, well… abracadabra!”

“But what if technology isn’t your thing? As someone with an arts background, illustration, animation and design, I spend a lot of time thinking about the future here too. The importance of how an idea is delivered, understood, enjoyed. What happens to the charm, beauty and intrigue of craft?”

Ultimately though, wherever your passion lies on the spectrum of art and technology Andy’s advice is to be “more human”. If automation and AI are going to become an ever-growing part of our work and lives, then it’s our sheer humanity that will allow us to thrive.

“We’re pretty much bags of delicately balanced chemicals, us humans. We’re artistic, needy and unpredictable, whilst it’s hard to predict the future of AI it’s equally hard to predict the future of humans. And humans are way weirder than computers.

“My point is that humans are remarkable survivors – they’re adaptable, they’re sneaky, they’re funny… I don’t think a robot can tell a joke yet!”

“So I say double down on creativity while you can. Be more creative, more emotional, more weird. Maybe technology has the power to make us more human?”

Kinsale Sharks is open for entries now and the festival takes place 21-23 September.