AI Isn't the Answer, Is It?

 How can small businesses and content creators work in a landscape that is quickly leaning towards an AI-centric place? 

When the idea of AI first came to the forefront of conversations with fellow educators, I will admit I was excited about it. It could prove to help brainstorm engaging lessons, help create questions based on the material being covered in class. As the months passed, more examples of AI began to pop up, with many social media users cranking out way more content than what they were producing formerly due to the capabilities of AI. However, being someone who considers themselves empathetic as well as a creative person, I began to wonder about the implications of using AI art, which would have had to derive its inspiration and ideas from somewhere. That somewhere, being the work and labor of actual artists–human artists whose life lines and incomes depend on their ability to create unique artwork with their own skill and expertise. 

It is getting harder and harder to avoid AI in your day to day, with Canva explaining the process it takes to create AI-generated images by stating  “To create AI-generated images, the machine learning model scans millions of images across the internet along with the text associated with them. The algorithms spot trends in the images and text and eventually begin to guess which image and text fit together. Once the model can predict what an image should look like from a given text, they can create entirely new images from scratch based on a new set of descriptive text users enter on the app.”(Canva)  Without source material, the AI has nothing to work with. Many turn to AI due to its ease of use and smaller price tag, but the availability of AI hinges on its extortion of the human source. 

Author, Ally Russell, has the interesting experience of working in marketing in the publishing landscape while also now being a published author of middle grade books. When asked about AI and the implications of it, she said that for those who are against the usage of AI, they shouldn’t hide from it entirely.

Ally Russell, author of It Came From the Trees

“Instead, they should aim to educate their audiences about some of the pitfalls of AI and explain why they refuse to use it (they prefer to keep real humans employed, respect for the intellectual property of artists, sustainability, etc.). Over the last decade, we’ve seen public opinion shift in favor of companies and brands that put people over profit and establish strong, definitive ethical stances on social issues (Costco and Ben & Jerry’s are prime examples of this in action), and if small businesses and content creators can follow an ethical path forward in regard to AI, audiences will take note and hopefully keep supporting them.”  

This was incredibly interesting because she has seen both sides of it, from understanding the importance of staying on schedule, creating engaging content, as well as the human connection aspect.

Pivoting from an author to those focused on the landscape of Marketing, I asked Romina Bassignana, Social Media Manager, and she  had this to say:

Romina Bassignana, Social Media Manager

“Small businesses and content creators should leverage AI as a tool to enhance efficiency and free up time for creativity. AI isn’t here to replace the human touch that makes brands successful, it can’t replicate personality, storytelling, or authentic connections. Instead, it should be used to automate repetitive tasks like scheduling, reporting, and trend tracking, allowing small businesses and content creators to focus on what truly matters: building relationships and prioritizing human connection.”

Focusing on AI as a tool to enhance efficiency, while continuing to place humans at the front when it comes to creativity, is a step in the right direction. Simply because something is easier does not mean it is the right call. 

Curious as to what long-standing professionals in the marketing field would have to say, I asked Anthony Miyazaki his opinion on the matter, and he said

Anthony Miyazaki, Brand Strategist and Marketing Educator

“While there are those people who feel that AI can replace creativity, the truth is that AI lacks true human creative capabilities due to its reliance on probabilistic associative learning algorithms, its limitations regarding divergent thinking, and its inability to judge its own work for meaningfulness and impact. Entrepreneurs and content creators should view AI as a powerful tool rather than a replacement for creativity. By leveraging AI for tasks like data analysis, trend forecasting, audience insights, or streamlining administrative workflows, creators can free up time and energy to focus on the human element that truly sets their work apart—authentic storytelling and unique perspectives.”

It was incredibly reassuring to see both of them speak about the importance of understanding that if AI is wanted in your workplace, or your market, use it to handle the analytical side of things and stray away from the creative aspects. 

AI is a divisive topic, with many falling on side of the fence or the other. It isn’t rare to see people pivoting towards the easier of the two options, but when you look behind the AI curtain, you will see a growing list of ethical concerns, not to mention the environmental impact that the servers have on the world. In the future, I urge people to consider the potential ethical downsides to utilizing AI over humans, the very source that without it, AI wouldn’t exist.