Michigan State University Ad Creative Student Talks AI in Advertising
By: Jenna Kuzmicz
The growing presence of AI’s role in advertising is a prominent topic in media today. There are many different opinions surrounding creativity, ethics and consumer transparency involved in the use of AI. MSU ad creative student, Jojo Tocco, is feeling the rise of more sophisticated generative AI in her MSU courses.
“AI has been growing rapidly over the past five years, and this past year, I’ve watched its knowledge expand beyond what I thought it could,” said Tocco. “Through my coursework and personal experience, I have seen firsthand how AI can be impactful and innovative.”
The progress of AI in advertising has grown significantly within the past few years through design, animation, copywriting, generating visuals and brainstorming. Numerous brands have utilized the capabilities of AI to enhance consumer engagement. Companies such as Netflix and Coca-Cola use AI tools to develop data-driven advertisements and strategically place them across platforms to target specific consumers.
“There are so many brands leveraging AI’s abilities and using them to their advantage in very strategic ways. I believe AI’s abilities will continue to grow in ways that allow companies to connect with consumers and impact their engagement,” Tocco said.
As AI continues to grow in advertising, marketing and digital creation, opinions vary about how AI affects idea generation and authentic creativity.
“Although AI offers valuable insights and concepts, it can damage the public’s ability to fully engage through ideas, topics and themes,” said Tocco. “I believe there can be a healthy balance between the benefits and threats to AI’s influence on human creativity.”
Depending on the purposes an individual chooses to use AI tools, it can either enhance or diminish their ability to perform a task independently.
“Through my courses, I’ve explored real-world AI applications in advertising, focusing on how companies use it for ad targeting, content creation and consumer engagement,” Tocco said.
There are many ethical concerns surrounding the use of AI such as misinformation and bias. Leveraging AI when developing advertisements can introduce these into the industry, putting companies at risk for loss of trust in consumers.
“It’s important for companies to disclose when AI has been used, not only to foster transparency in their relationship with their consumers but to uphold ethical standards in their practices,” said Tocco.
Tocco offers a unique perspective on AI in advertising, highlighting its impact on creativity, ethics and transparency.
“AI can do incredible things but there is something about authentic human creativity that AI cannot replicate or replace,” said Tocco.