Overcoming the Fear and Embracing the Benefits of AI

As the head of content and AI for Deloitte Digital, Jenny Kelly brings a passion for creating compelling content that connects audiences with brands. 

With over 15 years of experience, Jenny has a proven track record of delivering high-quality, impactful content that resonates with audiences and drives business objectives. 

She works with brands on everything from marketing strategy to content creation, production at a global scale, and how to transform content lifecycles using Automation/AI/GenAI.

LBB> What’s the most impactful way that AI is helping you in your current role? 

Jenny> I use AI daily, from summarising meeting notes and action items to even just asking prompts like ‘how to best use GenAI in a Content Supply Chain’ and seeing how it responds versus what I would have said. 

LBB> We hear a lot about AI driving efficiencies and saving time. But are there any ways that you see the technology making qualitative improvements to your work, too? 

Jenny> I think quality is an interesting byproduct of AI that not many people think of. For me, it’s helped pull from a broader data set to provide insights that are more comprehensive than if I were to search for it another way.

LBB> What are the biggest challenges in collaborating with AI as a creative professional, and how have you overcome them? 

Jenny> When most people use GenAI, they ask themselves, ‘Do I like what it made?’. When creatives use GenAI, they ask themselves, ‘Did it make what I wanted?’. The power of creatives using GenAI is that they often visualise the creative that they want, and then can use AI to make it – hopefully accelerating their process. 

The challenge right now is mostly around getting the technology to do what you’re visualising – and there are still some limitations, depending on the use case. 

So, working on better prompt generation, or knowing the right tool for what you want to do will help solve some of those challenges. Others will come with time as the tools improve.

LBB> And how do you ensure that the work produced with AI maintains a sense of authenticity or human touch? 

Jenny> So far, for any creative I’ve seen made by GenAI, it works best when it’s used as an accelerator. Either it provides ideas and inspiration, or it gives a strong start. 

Then, as a next step, it still needs the individual with an understanding of the business or of the audience (and also what good creative looks like) to finalise their work. 

And sometimes, by the way, we’ve seen traditional advertising made just by humans get it wrong too!

LBB> Do you think there are any misconceptions or misunderstandings in the way we currently talk about AI in the industry?  

Jenny> I think the idea that it will replace jobs is a misconception. We’ve seen it work best when the human is paired with the technology. 

LBB> Have you seen attitudes towards AI change in recent times? If so, how? Broadly speaking, does the industry’s current conversation around AI leave you feeling generally positive, or generally concerned, about creativity’s future? 

Jenny> I think the more people that have tested and used the tech, the more open they’ve become to using it. The benefits of the tools are easier to understand once the fear of the tools on their jobs reduces, and creatives can see the power of using it.