AI: The future is now

AI is typically portrayed in a dystopian fashion, often illustrating the hubris and demise of mankind in a distant future, serving to hold a "black mirror" to us and society.

Our 21st Century reality is that AI has integrated seamlessly into our daily lives. Voice assistants and smart phones (e.g. Alexa, Siri and Bixby) are good examples of just how connected to AI we are.

More broadly, AI is reshaping industries, transforming societies, and redefining the way we live and work for the better.

But what is AI? And how is it used in marketing?

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial Intelligence was first coined in 1955 as "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines".

After nearly 70 years, AI does not have one globally recognised, universal definition, which is reflective of its continuous technological evolution and expanding capabilities.

Now, it is largely considered an umbrella term for systems and technologies that mimic human intelligence, which can autonomously (whether fully or partly) perform a range of cognitive abilities, such as learning, decision-making, reasoning and problem-solving.

What can AI do?

The capabilities of AI are seemingly infinite, and it is being used by almost all industries.

AI can help us do our jobs better, by automating time-consuming and repetitive tasks that allows employees to spend their working hours more wisely for example. It can be used to improve customer service, such as in online chatbots to answer FAQs. In finance, it can be used to detect fraud or decide whether an individual is eligible for a loan. In healthcare, it can be used to save lives through detection, diagnosis and treatment.

In marketing, AI has many applications. Most notably is the use of generative AI (such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini) in multi-media content creation. With just a couple of prompts and clicks, you can produce compelling blog/social media posts, email or website copy and captivating images and videos. It is the development of "GenAI" that has exploded over the last few years, bringing Artificial Intelligence to the forefront of legislation, society and our lives.

For many years AI has been widely used behind the scenes in data-driven marketing and personalisation. It is used to efficiently analyse large amounts of data to segment a business's database into customer profiles, which in turn allows that business to target their marketing efforts intelligently. This makes for more successful campaigns, that result in better engagement and customer experience.

What Next?

Artificial Intelligence has been around for a long time, and it will continue to be for years to come, although definitely not as we know it now. As it evolves, the potential for AI to transform our world is almost unfathomable.

However, for all its benefits and transformative powers, AI is by no means without risk (including biases, inaccuracy, safety and security) which must be appropriately mitigated. It's true what they say: with great power comes great responsibility.

Prime Minister Kier Starmer recently announced an "AI Opportunities Action Plan", containing 50 recommendations to "turbocharge growth and boost living standards".

What does this mean for regulation? The UK has adopted a risk-based and proportionate approach to regulating AI that relies on existing laws and frameworks. To this end, regulators (such as the ICO, FCA and Ofcom) have been tasked with producing guidance to promote responsible AI use and address sector-specific risks and challenges.

Talks of an "AI Bill" over the last year or so suggest there will be legislative requirements in the UK, but only on those that "develop the most powerful AI tools". The details of this have yet to be revealed, although one thing is clear; the emerging (and existing) regulatory landscape is a tricky one to navigate.

In this series, informed by the expertise on the DMA's AI Taskforce, we will explore AI in the context of marketing, provide guidance and tools on how to use it responsibly and ethically, and help you to make the most of it.