MOEY SHAWASH ON HELPFUL ASSISTANTS AND FAIR USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Moey Shawash, Creative Strategy Director, thinks AI is “like the ultimate office mate who handles all the tedious admin and runner tasks we’d rather not touch. It’s the unsung hero of advertising, letting us focus on the creative magic we actually signed up for.” For him it is an assistant that “never takes a tea break and always gets the job done; without nicking the last biscuit from the tin!

Shawash thinks it’s a no brainer to use AI. For his personal branding video, he confesses that, “I couldn’t stretch the budget to hire a VO artist, so I used AI to mimic my favorite of all time, the famous Morgan Freeman. Imagine him narrating my life.” He goes on to say that a friend of his developed a cracking ChatGPT plugin for strategists, “which I use religiously. It’s a treasure trove for Strategic Planning, Brand Strategy, Creative Strategy, and Process work.” Clients apparently, according to Shawash, went for the tried and tested: ChatGPT and Gemini. Some took the plunge for more, while others are still resistant. Shawash takes the longer view on things: “It’s all about planting the seed and watching curiosity (hopefully) sprout!”

Shawash is adamant, and one meme he originated went viral on Instagram: “To replace creatives with AI, clients would first need to accurately explain what they’re after. We’re safe!” Let’s be honest, the human touch, the nuance, the understanding, the ability to decipher a brief written in cryptic shorthand… simply can’t be replaced by AI. Not now, not ever. So yes, our jobs are as safe as houses... for now! So, let us not get carried away. While AI can deliver, it is certainly not, according to Shawash, “when it comes to the big, bold ideas, you still need a real person at the helm. So no, it’s not about going lavish with a skeleton crew. It’s about having a clever assistant who knows its place!” If technology is linked to freedom, Shawash is a little conflicted on the issue: “While technology has undoubtedly enabled greater freedom and connectivity, it has also introduced new forms of control and surveillance. The promise of freedom depends on how responsibly technology is developed, governed, and used.