AI, Marketing & Ethics: It's a No Brainer
Do AI ethics matter to marketers? I address that question and many others as a guest on the No Brainer podcast.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining Geoff Livingston and Greg Verdino, veteran marketers and founders of Cognitive Path, an AI advisory firm, on their No Brainer podcast.
We discussed the definition of AI ethics, why ethics matter for marketing, what it will take to get more marketers to take ethics seriously, and how brands can determine what’s “right” in terms of morals and ethics.
Along the way, we explored how the choices we make today aren’t so different from the choices marketers made (or didn’t make) in the early days of the internet, email, and (especially) social media. We landed on a fundamental truth: AI ethics aren’t about technology but humanity.
The conversation got a little heated at times, but we still ended as friends. Please take a few minutes to listen to the podcast and leave a comment with your thoughts and impressions.
Here are the conversation’s primary talking points (via YouTube):
00:00 Introduction
01:30 What is AI ethics and why does it matter for marketing?
10:33 Are marketers thinking and doing enough about AI ethics?
14:36 What needs to happen to put responsible AI on the front burner?
25:49 Are generative AI companies inherently unethical?
31:00 Marketing history repeats: the internet, email, social media, and AI
36:05 How can marketers figure out what’s “right?”
45:00 The Ethical Implications of AI and Job Loss
51:15 The Future of AI Ethics in Marketing
AI ethics aren’t about technology but humanity.
Main Takeaways
Here is a summary of the main takeaways:
1. The Importance of AI Ethics in Marketing: I emphasized the growing significance of AI ethics in marketing and highlighted the lack of emphasis on ethical considerations among marketers and the necessity of discussing this topic.
2. Definition of AI Ethics: We defined AI ethics as the responsible and ethical development and use of AI technologies, considering the impact on people, society, and the environment. The conversation stressed the importance of fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI systems to avoid harm and align with human values.
3. Lack of AI Policies: Very few companies have policies in place for the responsible use of AI, despite recognizing its importance. Marketers will likely only seriously consider AI ethics when the consequences of not doing so become too big to ignore, such as reputational damage, regulatory penalties, or loss of consumer trust.
4. Challenges in Aligning AI with Human Values: The discussion touched upon the difficulty of defining common values due to cultural and background differences. However, we suggested fairness, transparency, and accountability as universal values that guide AI ethics.
4. The Role of Marketers in AI Ethics: Despite its importance, the conversation indicated a general lack of priority among marketers regarding AI ethics. Statistics from studies highlighted the absence of internal guidelines on AI use in companies, showing a gap between recognizing the importance of AI ethics and implementing policies for responsible use.
5. Regulatory Pressure and High-profile Incidents: The discussion mentioned the potential role of regulatory pressure and high-profile incidents of unethical AI use in driving more attention to AI ethics. It suggested that increased regulatory scrutiny and industry standards might force brands to take AI ethics more seriously.
6. Brand Safety and Ethical Consideration: The discussion accentuated the importance of brand safety and how ethical missteps with AI can damage a brand's reputation and customer trust.
7. Determining What’s Right: To determine what is "right" when it comes to ethical AI use, companies can look to universal principles of fairness, transparency, privacy, and human rights, align AI with their existing corporate values and mission, and bring in diverse outside perspectives.
8. Human Job Loss: The increasing use of AI will likely lead to job losses in certain areas like customer service that can be automated. Companies have an ethical obligation to be transparent about this impact and try to help affected employees reskill, if possible.
9. Future of AI Ethics in Marketing: We expressed hope that by 2030, the ethical use of AI in marketing will become the norm, with industry standards prioritizing fairness, transparency, and respect for consumer rights. We envisioned a future where AI augments human creativity and judgment without compromising ethical principles.
Do AI ethics matter to marketers? Let us know what you think about that question or any of the other topics discussed in the podcast.
Warm regards,
Paul Chaney, Editor
AI Marketing Ethics Digest