The blistering speed at which generative AI scaled and was widely adopted has fueled both hype and fear cycles around the rise of AI. Fear of job losses across industries is right on top with views and opinions of a more apocalyptical nature.
In creativity-led industries like advertising, AI has been the center of every conversation in the past year. At the recently held IndIAA awards organized by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), Storyboard18 caught up with visionary leader Suresh Narayanan, who is the chairman and managing director of Nestle India, owner of iconic brands like Maggi and Kit Kat. We asked Narayanan to share his views on creativity and advertising in an AI era.
Speaking on the future of creativity and the Indian ad industry, Narayanan said, “The future of creativity is alive and doing well. As the consumer makes the journey through increasing moments of opportunities, complications and experiences, the role of the creative person is going to be greater, and not smaller.”
As per Narayanan, fear pertaining to AI taking jobs is exaggerated. Because, ultimately, to feel human, one has to be a human, he stressed. “You cannot be collecting data from the past and connecting the dots. I believe that the role and future of creativity will continue to be very strong. New brands are coming up, new markets are opening up, new consumers are emerging, new aspirations are forming and new occasions are happening,” he told Storyboard18.
Narayanan added, “It is impossible for me to conceive a situation where creativity does not play a role. I don’t think the creative industry should really fear AI because clients might push them to use AI for some parts of their creative execution.”
The leader of Nestle India that guided the company through one of its most challenging times – the Maggi crisis of 2015, said that the quality of creative work that India is putting out today is amongst the best in the world. “Technically, in terms of essence, in terms of creativity, the work that you see today is really world class,” he said, referring to the campaigns that won at the IndIAA awards.
Narayanan added, “Indians should be very proud of the fact that we still think from the heart.”