Creativity is one of the industries that is being most transformed by the impact of generative artificial intelligence. Projects that previously lasted for weeks have been reduced to a few hours and some tasks can now be condensed into a couple of clicks. Processes, functions or even the way of thinking are adapting to the possibilities of new technology, bringing to the table challenges around talent management, ethics and the company’s value proposition.

The way in which companies face these challenges articulated “Scaling Creativity with AI”, a professional meeting promoted by Freepik, a Spanish company specialized in generative AI and stock graphic resources. From reason.Why We were able to attend the event, which focused on the changes in the strategic and human perspectives that companies are making to navigate the transformation generated by AI.

All of this was analyzed in a discussion panel that included the participation of Rana Raouf Farag, Head of Cloud AI Architecture for EMEA-S at Google; Chema León, Executive Creative Director of Design Bridge & Partners (WPP); and Paula Vivas, Head of Marketing for the United States at Freepik, moderated by Manuel G. Pascual, journalist in the technology area of The Country.

The transformations of artificial intelligence

Accelerating processes, increasing efficiency or boosting scalability are some of the contributions that AI is making in the creative industry, according to Chema León. On the other hand, finding originality and differentiation with a technology that tends to standardize proposals is the main leaking point.

“The most important thing now is to determine how we manage creative excellence, how we use AI from the beginning to find our strategic niche, how it can help us stand out.“, he commented. “The industry’s biggest fear is that AI will generalize creative output. That is where the capacity of each agency, the talent and the strategy have to come in to achieve competitiveness.”.

The industry’s objective should be, he says, to achieve “augmented creativity”, that is, creativity enhanced by artificial intelligence and that brings with it new formulas and a creative level and a thinking higher. Technological tools must help professionals and teams achieve better results.

For Freepik, the contribution of artificial intelligence is not only limited to a boost in the capabilities of the team, which has had to reinvent itself, but has also involved the complete transformation of its business model. “AI has gone from being something to explore to being our core product“, expressed Paula Vivas. “We no longer just offer stock images or make creators’ content available, but we teach them how to be more productive with new tools”.

In the case of Google, beyond the sophistication of its products and services based on artificial intelligence, the company’s main transformation is related to its role as a partner. “Companies are reinventing themselves, our mission is to accompany them on the journey with products that go further”, noted Rana Raouf.

AI and change management

The three professionals agreed, however, that the biggest change that artificial intelligence brings is a necessary change in mentality, especially with regard to understanding the impact of technology on day-to-day work and the evolution of processes. Thus, we must change the focus in different aspects: from an emotional perspective, understanding AI as an ally of productivity and efficiency; or from a more tactical level, such as the legal and ethical implications of using AI tools at work.

Given this, companies are applying different mechanisms and policies in order to promote the cultural management of the adoption of artificial intelligence. Among them, training sessions with the team, workshops, creation of guides for the use of platforms, the incorporation of new talent or the monitoring of models and the establishment of filters to prevent them from falling into bias or harmful content or guarantee the security of corporate information.

“In some cases, professionals make mistakes without knowing they are making them, such as including company data in third-party models.“, noted Rana Raouf (Google).”It is important that each company understands the needs of its employees, how and why they are going to use artificial intelligence, and put the most appropriate tools at their disposal.”.

In addition, companies can also make use of measures offered by technology providers to ensure the security of their businesses. Many AI platforms already have the ability to customize filters and rules to prevent employees from inadvertently or deliberately violating corporate policies.

Sustainability and the impact of AI at work

Sustainability was also one of the points addressed during the meeting. The environmental impact of artificial intelligence is an issue that often goes unnoticed, but represents a challenge for the industry. Professionals consider that creation with this technology will, little by little, become more conscious as society descends from the wave of “hype” and leaves the phase of experimentation and “creating for the sake of creating.”
They also trust in the evolution of technology itself, which will result in more powerful, but smaller models that require fewer resources.

But the impact of artificial intelligence also has social and economic implications to the extent that it will affect, in one way or another, the work environment. Like other previous technological transformations throughout history, the adoption of AI will be reflected in a transformation of jobs.

The adaptation of professionals, in this sense, will be a strategic issue. “Jobs will evolve“said Paula Vivas (Freepik).”I think that, for example, a plumber will be better, because he will have a more demanding client in front of him who will have asked ChatGPT what he needs to fix a breakdown and how much it will cost.“.

In the face of this adaptation, professionals highlighted certain skills that are and will be useful to navigate the context of transformation. They point out that in the face of a trend towards standardization of the so-called hard skills, what will make professionals stand out will be attitudinal skills, such as the ability to work as a team, hunger for knowledge, curiosity, resilience or creativity.

The latter, precisely, will be one of the most valued elements compared to technology. In this regard, Chema León concluded the conversation with a statement about the permanent value of ideas, strategy and emotions to generate authentic connections. “We trust in the power of good ideas, because they are rare. Therefore, talent will continue to be crucial, and the tool a facilitator“, he recalled. “But we cannot see the industry as it was a year ago, because everything is changing and other challenges are being presented. We have to respond with new formulayes.”

A conversation about AI changes

After the meeting, from reason.Why We were able to talk in a more relaxed way, but also in depth, with Paula Vivas, Head of Marketing for the United States at Freepik, to analyze how they are managing the transformation of their business model, as well as the cultural changes that their sector is going through.
The details of our conversation with her are what you will read below.

RW. What cultural and process changes have you perceived in the way creativity is approached with the impact of AI?

As far as the company is concerned, we have normalized the pace of work. We have assimilated the speed that the market demands, that launching new features every 2.7 days is normal. And it’s something we don’t do just to try to be the best, but to stay relevant, to be considered against the competition.
As for the team, the creatives who were previously dedicated to generating content for the stock part, and now have transformed into AI Artist. They have had to specialize in record time: they are the ones who test the tools, the ones who create the product videos, etc.

RW. In the debate about human talent vs. AI, what role do creators now play in Freepik’s strategy? How are you managing the different cultural positions?

We have been working with creatives for fifteen years, helping them and betting on their content. We have simply gone from offering them the material to providing them with the tools to develop their work. We do not leave the creative aside, but rather we evolve and grow with him.

For Freepik the community is very important. This is what has allowed us to transform the business model in just two years. We have accepted our competitors seeking to collaborate, knowing that we are in a moment in which no one is yet an expert in AI. We organize events, panels or training sessions with creatives or designers. That mentality is what has given life to the Upscale conference, which has become, not only the center of Freepik, but of creativity.

RW. Freepik has repositioned itself around AI in just two years. What has this meant for the business and its presence in the market?

We are one of the very few profitable artificial intelligence companies globally. We have our own models and products, but our added value is the partnerships we have with the different players. We bring together more than twelve models, but our alliances allow us not only to provide the best product, but also a good price

Although our focus now is artificial intelligence, we continue to provide that stock service that has made us grow and position ourselves over so many years, and our mission remains focused on the community. Because the difference is not in the AI, it is in the soul and only creative people have that.