Over the last year, AI has gained a formidable reputation as a disruptive force due to the rapid adoption of chatbots and image creation services powered by generative AI — systems capable of learning from pre-existing content to create something new. It’s tempting to think of the emergence of these tools as sudden developments and imagine gloomy scenarios where they replace human talent, creativity, and innovation.

The truth is far more prosaic. Companies from social media giants like Meta to global communication conglomerates like Publicis Groupe APAC have been using AI for decades as an enhancer of skills. At Meta, $30 billion to $33 billion of capital expenditure has been allocated to infrastructure in 2023, including AI and apps.

Speaking at ‘Magic, Media and Machines,’ a summit on integrating media and AI organised by Publicis APAC and Meta in Singapore, Laurent Thevenet, head of creative technology at Publicis APAC said, “AI is a growth accelerator. It’s not just hype where everyone forgets about it the moment something new comes along. This will create new business models and opportunities.” Carlos Palacios, strategic connections planning lead at Meta added, “We have used AI to fundamentally improve the way that our advertising system works. The benefits are becoming apparent, and we have seen a 20% increase in conversions YOY and decline in cost per acquisition.”

Some of these business models and solutions impacting creativity, media, and targeting have been co-created by Publicis Groupe APAC in partnership with Meta, and point towards greater collaboration, not conflict, between humans and AI.

Accelerating the creative process

Communication has moved from a one-size-fits-all approach to more bespoke messages aimed at individuals, or small groups who share similar interests.

With consumers reacting favourably to relevant advertising, in a digitally driven world this translates into creating thousands of personalised videos. Deepa Kadam, regional head of technology solutions, Publicis APAC said, “When it comes to video, we must be able to deliver at scale across different sizes, durations, and channels, while leveraging data in a cookieless world — in real time and within budget.”

To meet these diverse objectives, Publicis Groupe APAC and Meta have built a proprietary AI-driven dynamic content engine (DCE), with features like:

Modular template creation: The DCE’s modular nature gives it the flexibility to use a template to create multiple permutations of a piece of communication, allowing brand consistency to be maintained across diverse creatives.

Automated media delivery: These different permutations can be created on the fly and served to an appropriate channel.

Automated campaign optimisation: Using the creative intelligence that powers the DCE, the system can use insights into audience preferences to create newer and more relevant versions of messages for customers in real time.