In a Gen AI world, human is premium. Tom Fenwick-Smith, Senior in house creative for Three UK reveals why the human touch is the real shiny new object, in this week's partner podcast Shiny New Object.

In a world where everyone will be using Gen AI, “human is premium” according to Tom Fenwick-Smith. The Senior In House Creative at Three UK shared why the human element of AI is his shiny new object, while looking at his interesting and varied career achievements.

Tom’s always been “obsessed with storytelling” - so his first job was in the film industry, where he got to be part of features, music videos, and ads working with some iconic directors. He then retrained at the School of Communication Arts 2.0, which he credits with boosting his creativity thanks to “a melting pot of just brilliant people,” launching him into the world of marketing.

After a varied career in agencies (which are like “pirates”) and in house (which is akin to being in a political party), Tom’s top data driven marketing advice is to blend data insights with storytelling and empathy. “When you understand that human element, there’s often something on the other side of the fence you can grab on to, which then creates something really, really special,” he advises. Tune into the podcast to hear how he did just that by combining data about Alzheimer’s and the connection between music and memory to create “Meet Betty” - a unique project.

As for his shiny new object, we talk on the podcast a lot about how human input is key to making AI work for your marketing. Marketers need to create content that stands out, not relying on just AI to make things cheaper and quicker, losing originality. That’s why Tom thinks “human [will be] premium” in the near future and those who understand how to make people feel will make the best creative.

The host of the Shiny New Object podcast is Tom Ollerton, founder of Automated Creative.