AI Hype vs. Reality: What Marketers Need to Know
Artificial Intelligence is everywhere right now. The buzz is intense, with promises that AI will transform creativity and labor. But a new book, The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want, by Emily Bender and Alex Hanna urges us to slow down and look more critically at these claims.
Bender, a linguist known for coining the term “stochastic parrots” to describe large language models, and Hanna, a researcher focused on AI ethics, argue that current AI systems aren’t actually democratizing creativity or labor. Instead, they suggest these tools often cheapen creative work and limit consumer control over the data collected from them.
Why This Matters for Marketers
The marketing world is flooded with AI tools promising to boost productivity, generate content, or analyze consumer data. But this book warns that much of the AI hype glosses over serious limitations and ethical concerns. For marketers, it means being cautious about adopting AI solutions without fully understanding their real capabilities and potential downsides.
Claims around AI’s artistic abilities, for example, can be misleading. While AI-generated content might seem impressive, it often lacks true originality and can devalue human creativity. Plus, the data these systems use is typically owned and controlled by big tech companies, not by the consumers or creators themselves.
What You Can Do
- Question AI claims before buying into hype.
- Focus on tools that genuinely add value rather than just automate tasks superficially.
- Consider the ethics of data ownership and transparency in AI-driven marketing.
- Stay informed by exploring resources that break down AI’s real impact on your field.
If you want to get a practical understanding of AI and how it can genuinely support marketing roles, check out Complete AI Training’s certification for marketing specialists. It offers clear, no-nonsense courses that focus on real-world applications.
Additional Resources
- On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? — ACM article discussing limitations of large language models.
- Latest AI Courses — Stay sharp with up-to-date AI training tailored for professionals.
Marketing professionals should approach AI with a balanced view. Recognize the hype, understand the limits, and use AI tools where they truly benefit your work—without compromising creativity or ethics.
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