If the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is an expansive ocean — and, let’s face it, it’s as deep, wide, powerful and even ominous — how are you riding the waves?
Speeding ahead on a powerboat? On the shore with your head in the sand? Dipping your toe in? Maybe you’ve already built the sailboat and are navigating beautifully across the seas! (If it’s the last one, what are you doing here? We probably don’t have any answers for you).
Whether your organization is embracing AI or avoiding it, there’s no denying it’s a part of doing business now. So, it’s important to establish a framework for how you plan to engage with AI. Because what you cannot do is ignore it.
Why Does AI Feel Urgent?
Just as the pandemic necessitated companies to evaluate workplace priorities, efficiency versus efficacy, and work-from-home policies, the proliferation of AI — particularly its rapid integration into work tools such as Microsoft and Google — should initiate similar reflection and evaluation.
After all, it seems like “everyone” is either using AI, talking about NOT using AI or wondering how they should be using AI. According to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Stanford HAI), 78% of global companies report using artificial intelligence, and between 50% and 60% of Americans report using AI for personal tasks weekly. With such enthusiasm for the technology and seeming promotion of its capabilities, there is understandably a gap between the “if” and “how” of AI within an organization.
One way to possibly bridge that gap is creating a company philosophy around AI usage — a statement that defines whether and why teams can utilize artificial intelligence to assist in their daily work while they’re … um … at work. In other words, maybe your organization needs an AI approach. At Angell Marketing, we are actively creating a philosophy and policy guidelines. And while we do not call ourselves experts in AI adoption, we are motivated to learn and to continue defining how and for what we’ll use this powerful tool.
Why Is a Philosophy and Policy Necessary for AI?
According to a recent survey conducted by Function Point, 87% of creative agencies using the project management system report using AI tools weekly or daily. Some agencies are actively encouraging team members to integrate AI into their workflows while others are experimenting with the possibilities. Experiences (and results) may vary, but the fact remains: adoption of AI seems like an inevitability for advertising agencies and marketing firms.
In an effort to be thoughtful and strategic in whether and how we use AI, we formed a steering committee, set goals and have set in motion an ongoing effort to continually examine and illuminate our relationship with AI.
The philosophy we drafted stands as a starting point for our team to embrace the technology in responsible transparency. That philosophy:
Artificial intelligence is just one of the many tools our experts use to help our clients gain a competitive advantage. We believe in the power of combining human insights with the intentional use of AI to improve efficiency and accelerate delivery. We continually monitor our AI usage and adjust our policy accordingly to ensure it aligns with current industry standards.
At Angell Marketing, we recognize the marketing for this industry is nuanced, and the key advantage our talented team brings to the partnership with clients is our experience in senior living. We leverage our personal strengths and work from a place of real understanding. Therefore, AI should be used internally and externally as a supplement, not as a replacement for industry knowledge. Here’s the course we’re charting at Angell Marketing.
How We Approached an AI Perspective
Below outlines the approach our agency took to establish an AI philosophy and policy. Maybe this will be helpful for you as you consider creating or refining your own philosophy for AI usage.
1. Launched an AI Steering Committee
Angell Marketing established an AI steering committee composed of representatives from each of our key departments: client service, creative, content strategy & audience insights, digital, and operations.
After launching, the committee met regularly to establish a framework for the responsible, effective and innovative use of AI within our agency.
It was decided the output would be twofold: First, a philosophy of AI usage. Then, a comprehensive policy that would apply to all employees for internal operations, client work and any AI-assisted creative, strategic or operational activities.
2. Surveyed Our Team
As part of the AI philosophy and policy creation process, the committee first wanted to understand how AI was being used across the agency. We had each department report how they were using AI so we could understand the team’s comfort level and where we needed to focus on building guardrails.
Each department representative surveyed their team members, fielding specific examples of how they were currently utilizing AI in their work. This included tasks like organizing meeting notes, checking trademarking and usage of new community names and creating SEO schemas.
3. Crafted a Philosophy
After reviewing the responses from each team, the committee started to draft a philosophy. It began with building shared language, agreeing on key phrases and concepts.
This philosophy doesn’t get into the nitty gritty details of AI usage, but rather provides a framework, an agreed-upon purpose and stated goal. The committee decided it should be simple enough that the team can easily repeat back key phrases and feel comfortable enough integrating the language into their communications with clients.
4. Developed a Policy
After agreeing on a philosophy, next came the drafting of a more comprehensive AI policy.
An outline was drafted to include sections such as key terms, general rules and nonnegotiables; a breakdown of acceptable and prohibited use by department; and a process by which team members could put forth a new AI tool for consideration.
This phase had lots of discussion as the committee worked through questions like, “Can every team member use AI that way?” or, “Where are we willing to draw the line?” This part of the process is where what is possible with AI had to be checked against our newly formed AI philosophy. In other words, just because AI can do something doesn’t mean we will use it in that way.
5. Planned for Adoption
Built into the committee’s responsibilities was the roll-out process, including future training and onboarding. Current and future employees are required to sign an AI policy acknowledgement form as part of our Employee Handbook.
Future Considerations
Just as you cannot step on the same beach twice, it feels like the landscape of AI is ever shifting, too. As an agency that values adaptability and strategy, reflection and critical evaluation is built into our process for AI just as it’s built in for any other endeavor we undertake.
No, we do not have all the answers on how AI can or should best be used. But we are wading into the waters with a philosophy and a policy that is sure to adapt and evolve as this technology does.
Connect with us if you’d like to talk about how our steering committee is answering the big questions about AI usage. We’d love to chat.
Featured Image: PayPau / Shutterstock
