From copywriting and branding, to typography and AI artistry, DEPT® asked four of its most talented thinkers and makers, each representing a different creative field: what are three things brands can do now to prepare for the AI-led future of creativity? Here are their answers.

Generative AI

Henry Daubrez, CEO & CCO of DOGSTUDIO/DEPT®

First and foremost, deal with the legal situation around AI, which is moving fast. Globally, the legal framework wasn’t ready for the implications of AI. So, we need to anticipate rules and regulations… and following how they evolve will be crucial to the future.

Tied to that, is number two, keeping up with everything happening. I’m following the news but also checking social media… What are the new tools? How are tools involving a hands-on approach?

There’s a huge chance a lot of brands are going to try to hit the ground running right away, and for that, you need to understand what’s been going on for the last few years.

And last but not least, I would say, the service side of it. As those tools get involved into the creation process, what is the implication for pricing models? This is especially true for agencies. These tools are going to help save time, but they aren’t going to replace agencies overall.

AI isn’t magical. You still have to have a human being who will be behind and try to bridge those tools together to make the most sense out of it.

Branding

Noëlle Newbold, Group Creative Director at BASIC/DEPT®

One: Recognise that AI will require teams to have a new way of thinking about process and creation. There will be an adjustment.

Two: That said, the fail fast mentality will be important to sharpen or define your brand values if you haven’t already. Gen Z’s scrutinisation will only become more significant as time goes on.

And three: Simplify. In an increasingly complex world, it will be more important than ever to simplify for your consumer, to simplify their experience, simplify your message, just simplify where you can.

Copywriting

Marc Weinrich, Copy Lead at BASIC/DEPT®

One: Change perception around AI as a threat. Make learning about it mandatory for creatives through workshops and knowledge sharing.

Two: Identify new revenue streams—supported if not automated by AI.

And, finally: Improve customer relations by evolving the chatbot to be more human and empathetic and helpful.

Typography

Christopher Noort, Lead Designer at STUDIO DUMBAR/DEPT®

Besides rethinking every aspect of your current way of doing business, I think embracing the technological evolution that is about to happen is very important.

Prepare for that by freeing up time—especially for the creative teams—to start experimenting and getting used to the tools, and making them part of your arsenal.

AI will be something that will save a crazy amount of time and help us think even further and create even more beautiful things.

But it will always be a conversation between a human and AI. All these new tools give us absolute freedom to create everything that we can think of—but that doesn’t automatically mean that everything we can think of is also a great idea. We still need to be conscious and critical to avoid creating an endless stream of very mid content.