The Strategic Advantage of Proprietary Large Language Models for Brands

I read a recent article on AdAge about the knee-jerk reaction of some brands about their agencies using AI. I get the concern; things are moving too fast for the legal teams and CIOs to keep up.

“Recently, we won three new pieces of business and in the [master service agreement] it says, ‘you’re not allowed to use AI of any kind, without prior authorisation,’” said one independent ad agency CEO, who spoke with Ad Age on condition of anonymity to protect the identities of clients. “So, that even means they don’t want us to use AI to help work on concepts, not just anything that goes out the door.”

Their concerns largely revolve around the need for robust safeguards to ensure their marketing efforts remain true to their brand identity and protect their valuable data and intellectual property.

“Brands need to adopt AI, but they also don’t want to inadvertently lose control of data and assets, according to one top tech executive at a major ad agency, who spoke on condition of anonymity.”

Brand Concerns

Brand Consistency

The essence of a brand is often captured in its voice and messaging, which should be consistent across all platforms and mediums. AI-generated content poses a risk here; if not finely tuned, it might generate messages that don’t align with the brand’s tone, style, or values. This could lead to mixed signals for the audience, potentially diluting the brand’s identity and weakening customer connections. The challenge is ensuring that AI tools fully understand and replicate the nuances of a brand’s communication style.

Data Privacy

AI’s ability to personalise marketing efforts relies heavily on data, often requiring access to vast repositories of customer information. The concern for brands is twofold: ensuring the security of this data against breaches and unauthorised access and maintaining customer trust by using their information responsibly and ethically. Mishandling data has legal ramifications and can damage a brand’s reputation irreparably.

Intellectual Property

Generative AI can produce new content based on existing materials, raising concerns about the ownership and originality of creative assets. For brands, there’s a fear that their unique content could be replicated without consent, leading to a loss of control over their intellectual property. This not only affects the exclusivity of their creative assets but also raises concerns about unauthorised use and potential legal disputes.

The way forward for brands and LLMs

In the dynamic digital marketing landscape, where AI’s influence continues to expand, a trend is becoming increasingly clear. Brands, in partnership with their marketing agencies, should be exploring the development of their own augmented Large Language Models (LLMs) and diffusion models as a strategic response to the challenges posed by generic AI solutions. This bespoke approach to AI offers a myriad of benefits that are perfectly aligned with the unique needs and aspirations of each brand.

Customised Brand Voice

By developing their own AI models, brands can ensure the technology is deeply ingrained with their unique brand voice and messaging guidelines. This involves training the AI on specific examples of the brand’s content, fine-tuning it to understand and replicate the brand’s tone, style, and nuances. The result is AI-generated content that is indistinguishable from content created by the brand’s own team, ensuring consistency and preserving brand identity.

Enhanced Data Security

Owning and controlling their AI infrastructure allows brands to implement robust data security measures tailored to their specific needs. This can include advanced encryption, strict access controls, and secure data storage practices, significantly reducing the risk of breaches. Moreover, by keeping the AI systems in-house or with trusted partners, brands minimise the exposure of sensitive data, ensuring customer information is handled with the utmost care and confidentiality.

Control Over Intellectual Property

Creating proprietary AI tools gives brands unequivocal ownership of the content and innovations generated by these models. This ensures that all creative assets produced remain exclusive to the brand, protected under their intellectual property rights. It also offers legal clarity and control, preventing unauthorised replication or use of the brand’s content and enabling swift action against potential infringements.

Tailored to Ethical and Legal Standards

Custom AI development allows brands to build their tools in strict adherence to prevailing ethical guidelines and legal regulations. This proactive approach helps navigate the complex regulatory landscape and positions the brand as a responsible and trustworthy entity in the eyes of customers and regulators alike. It ensures that the AI tools respect user privacy, consent, and fairness, aligning with societal values and legal obligations.

In summary, as brands explore AI's vast and intricate landscape in marketing, creating bespoke Large Language Models (LLMs) and diffusion models stands out as an innovative and strategic solution. This tailored approach is not just about mitigating risks associated with brand consistency, data security, and intellectual property; it’s about embracing AI’s potential to redefine digital marketing in ways that are truly aligned with each brand’s unique vision and values.

This approach by POWER SHIFTER Digital not only addresses the immediate concerns surrounding AI in the digital marketing space but also empowers brands to be pioneers, leveraging GenAI in ways that are authentic, secure, and inherently forward-thinking. As we continue to navigate the evolving digital landscape, the collaboration between brands and visionary agencies like POWER SHIFTER Digital in developing custom GenAI solutions will undoubtedly shape the future of marketing, transforming challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.