The Rise of the Machines

(Photo: “Terminator Cinemaquette T-800 #371,” by Flickr user bernov69, with addition of text, via Attribution 2.0 license)

 

“Researchers have come up with a new way to teach robots how to use tools simply by watching videos on YouTube.” – VentureBeat , 1/2/15

“Silicon Valley loves a new fad. To judge by the spate of fundraising by start-ups in recent weeks, it has found one in an idea that is more than half a century old: artificial intelligence.” – The Financial Times, 1/4/15

“The hedge fund robots are winning again. That’s a key lesson from 2014, when computer algorithm-led investing produced stellar returns, beating most gut-driven human managers and dramatically recovering most of their losses from 2011, 2012 and 2013.” – CNBC, 1/5/15

The idea of artificial intelligence has been around for quite a while. Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison and Phillip Dick, among other sci-fi writers, have all delved into the concept of a thinking, learning computer. It looks like it’s coming to pass.

My questions about this are many – when? How exactly will they operate? How much will they cost – I want one!

But I also wonder about the “human element.” Even though an AI robot can learn to cook watching YouTube videos, can it determine when a recipe needs a touch more salt? Will investors look seriously at the large-scale ramifications of introducing robots into the workforce – placing hundreds, if not thousands of employed (or potentially employed) humans at risk?

Will the hedge-fund robots take the speculators out of the equation – you know, the guys who artificially drive prices up or down, making our financial lives a nightmare.

In our business, we use information and having the information that algorithms create would be spectacular, helping use define shifting market trends and demographics in a split second. But what about the human element – the ability to actually create a message from the information accumulated?

In a relationship-based business world, the human touch is the most important – I’m not sure AI could give us a Hallmark-style feel good ad campaign or a laugh-inducing radio spot, or a jaw-dropping logo/webpage/ad campaign. Could all the digital information in the world, even in the hands of an AI robot bring a tear to your eye with a beautifully photographed landscape?

So, bring on the AI but don’t ever forget the human element – it’s what makes us us, and what makes good marketing an emotional experience.