The chief Marketing Officer of financial services organisation, Link Group, Wendy Mak, has called for stronger protocols around the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creative campaigns.

Speaking on ‘The Business Of’ podcast from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Business School, Mak acknowledged the efficiency gains from AI platforms like ChatGPT, but insisted on the need for ‘guardrails’.

Mak suggested if generative AI or large language models are used to create content or campaigns, it should be clearly stated that the content was not created by a human. She believes transparency in AI usage allows consumers to make informed decisions about the information they consume.

“How do you let your people use large language models in their jobs to increase productivity, but not compromise the security of your business or the security of your consumers? Because to use these apps, you have to give it a certain amount of information. It’s an exchange model. So I’m giving the app something, it’s giving me something back greater, bigger, shinier, brighter,” Mak said.

“I firmly believe if you are using generative AI or large language models to create content or campaigns, that the byline should definitely 100% be this was not created by a human.”

Mak told host Dr Juliet Bourke, a Professor of Practice in the School of Management and Governance at UNSW Business School, marketers often find themselves having to manage business expectations as the drivers of growth and revenue with customer expectations and building trust, saying “the grey area comes from commercial expectations versus do no harm”.

Mak also saw a bright future for young marketers who can understand and navigate the pros and cons of new technology, even while suggesting future marketing roles may focus more on governance and correction due to the rise of AI.

“I think the opportunity is there for us to get super-efficient in how we create campaigns using all of this technology. The question for me becomes what role do we as humans play in that? And how does that change the skill set of the team that you’re looking to bring in?” Make asked.

”A lot of roles in marketing and communications especially may potentially be superseded by a large language model. The skillset that you bring in might be just one of governance and correction, which might be very different to your team, and what that looks like today. So as leaders, I think what’s coming next, you’ve got to really think about what your team looks like in the future for 10 to 15 years from now.”

Dr Bourke agreed with Mak’s insights on the growing ethical complexities for marketers in managing AI tools.

“It was enlightening to hear what future marketing departments will need to incorporate to effectively manage AI tools in a business. The ethical complexities are only growing for marketers, and Ms Mak has plenty of insights to offer in this area,” said Dr Bourke.