An Ethical Perspective on AI and the Evolving Role of Marketers

There is no single, definitive answer to the ethical questions raised by the increasing use of AI in marketing. We must all wrestle with these questions as we move forward.

Photo Credit: Annika Huizinga

TL; DR

The ethical costs of AI in marketing include job displacement, devaluation of human creativity, content homogenization, and privacy and data ethics. Addressing these costs will require a focus on upskilling the workforce, ensuring that AI continues to be accessible to all, and creating inclusive solutions that level the playing field.

The Quote Heard ‘Round the World

“95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today will easily, nearly instantly, and at almost no cost be handled by the AI — and the AI will likely be able to test the creative against real or synthetic customer focus groups for predicting results and optimizing. Again, all free, instant, and nearly perfect. Images, videos, campaign ideas? No problem.” 

- Sam Altman, from Chapter 1, Our AI Journey by Adam Brotman and Andy Sack

This quote got A LOT of attention in the marketing community recently, but not so much from an ethical standpoint. 

Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer unpacked the revelatory quote on Episode 87 of The Artificial Intelligence Show. His projections for the next decade of AI development are eye-opening for marketers and knowledge professionals alike. 

I won’t recap Roetzer’s entire forecast here. You can listen to the podcast episode or read about it on Marketing AI Institute’s blog (it’s a 7-minute read). I will, however, discuss the ethical implications and a path for marketers to consider. 

Roetzer’s insights offer a profound look into the future of AI and its potential to reshape marketing and nearly every facet of knowledge work. With its implications for jobs, creativity, and the broader socio-economic landscape, this forecast dovetails with conversations I’ve recently had in other forums.

From Sugar Cookies to Societal Impact

dberkowitz

A post shared by @dberkowitz

David Berkowitz, founder of AI Marketers Guild, addressed a similar issue in his LinkedIn Newsletter, Serial Marketer Weekly. He asked AIMED for our take, and David and I exchanged a few ideas in the comments on his LinkedIn post. In turn, I  promised David a response to his ethical quandary, which I’ve summarized below:

In using ChatGPT to find the “best ever sugar cookie recipe,” have I inadvertently,

• Hurt the content creators publishing sugar cookie recipes on their blogs who have invested time writing an article and potentially money into SEO by not conducting a Google Search?

• Negatively affected publishers who rely on revenue from advertisers who purchase ad units sold on a per-impression basis? 

• Taken business away from the advertisers who can’t reach me if I use subscription-based, ad-free apps? 

• Damaged Google’s ad revenue from sponsored listings?

Initially, my response to David was that ChatGPT is just another resource. I used the analogy of my grandmother’s 70-year-old sugar cookie recipe found in our church cookbook, which has been passed down from generation to generation. 

My justification went like this:

If I wanted a sugar cookie recipe, I would pull the church cookbook my grandmother gave me off the shelf and locate her sugar cookie recipe. That cookbook was written in the 1950s. Anyone could contribute a recipe, so there are about six different sugar cookie recipes in it. It was written before the internet, but it has survived for almost 70 years and is still in publication.

I didn't pay for that cookbook; my grandmother gave me a copy upon graduation. She probably paid about $5 for it. It contains no advertisements, nor does it mention brand-name flour or other ingredients. It's not available for purchase on Amazon or at any other retailer.

So, if I look up my grandmother's recipe in the church cookbook, am I doing Google, Amazon sellers of cookbooks, bloggers, or baking product advertisers a disservice by not looking up a sugar cookie recipe online?

I'd have to say NO. And here's why — I used the resources available to me.

Bottom line: ChatGPT is just another resource.

David came back with: 

What if I don’t know where ChatGPT got its data from? What if it’s scraping all these creators’ sites and making them obsolete? 

In other words, am I part of the problem? 

Revisiting My Response 

Over the past week, I’ve thought a lot about David’s query. In light of Altman’s quote and Roetzer’s predictions, I’ve concluded that my initial response may have been a bit shortsighted. 

However, I stand by my initial statement that this is an ethical problem that we, as marketers, must ALL grapple with as we move forward. 

And still, the best answer I can offer is: There is no single, definitive answer. 

That’s the thing about ethics — it isn’t black or white. There are many shades of grey. As I said on LinkedIn (you can read the entire thread here), there are many lenses one could use to examine these issues. 

For example, if I were to look at it through an existentialist lens, I might ask myself:

• Which choice is the most oppressive for the masses? 

• Am I making this choice in “bad faith” and rejecting responsibility for my actions?

• In making this choice, am I clearing the path for myself AND others?

An existentialist would say that the ‘right’ choice is the one that gets us closest to universal freedom, the choice that is the least oppressive for the masses and takes into account personal responsibility.

Tossing sugar cookies aside, David’s article underscores a bigger ethical question: 

What happens when jobs and revenue are at stake? 

It’s important to recognize that AI’s potential to automate marketing tasks has significant ethical considerations, including job displacement, the devaluation of human creativity, and the potential for homogenization of content. Not to mention, it raises concerns over privacy and data ethics. Let’s unpack each of these issues further:

Job Displacement and Professional Identity

Automating tasks could lead to significant job displacement within the creative and marketing sectors. This raises questions about the value society places on human creativity and the future of professional identity for those in creative fields.

As someone who often collaborates with subject matter experts, I understand the irreplaceable depth and nuance human experts bring to the table. I would never consider AI a replacement for “picking a SME’s brain.” 

Roetzer’s projections suggest a significant shift in the nature of work. While there may be excitement about AI's efficiency and capabilities, there is also fear surrounding job displacement and the devaluation of human skills.

Ethically, it prompts us to consider how we can prepare individuals for this transition, ensuring that the workforce has skills that complement AI, such as creative thinking, emotional intelligence, and complex problem-solving. 

Bottom Line: We must navigate this transition while respecting and incorporating the unique contributions of human professionals. 

Equity and Access

The democratization of creative tools through AI could lower barriers to entry for individuals and small businesses, potentially leading to a more diverse range of voices in marketing. However, there’s also a risk that these tools could exacerbate existing inequalities if only those with advanced technological access and skills can fully leverage AI capabilities. 

So the question becomes, how do we upskill the workforce and ensure that AI continues to be accessible to all? How do we level the playing field?

As David Berkowitz pointed out in our most recent AI Marketer’s Guild forum, spending $100 monthly on AI tools makes sense for marketers who want to experiment with AI. But the average person isn’t going to invest that much into it. 

On the business side, smaller companies and solopreneurs will need help to compete with Big Tech and Big Data when integrating AI solutions into their workflows. 

Bottom Line: We must focus on creating inclusive solutions to ensure equitable access to new technologies.

Content Quality and Authenticity

While AI can generate content quickly and inexpensively, there’s an ongoing debate about the quality and authenticity of AI-generated materials. Human creativity is essential in producing content that genuinely connects with an audience and enriches the consumer experience. 

This depth of engagement is rooted in human perspective, experience, and expression, which AI cannot replicate. While AI-generated content can mimic specific patterns or styles, the subtleties of tone, context, and emotional intelligence that come naturally to human creators play a crucial role in crafting genuine and authentic messages. 

Moreover, the reliance on AI for content creation raises essential questions about the homogenization of voices and perspectives. As AI models are trained on existing datasets, diversity of expression and thought could sideline underrepresented voices and stifle innovation.

The challenge is to leverage AI to augment human creativity rather than replace it. A collaborative approach between AI and human creativity is critical. AI can handle the heavy lifting of data processing and pattern recognition, while humans infuse the content with the nuanced understanding, empathy, and ethical considerations that define us. 

Bottom Line: We must commit to authentic and meaningful content creation. 

Privacy and Data Ethics

AI systems require vast amounts of data to train and operate, raising concerns about privacy and the ethical use of data. This is particularly pertinent in marketing, where personalized strategies are key.

Privacy and data ethics concerns will only escalate as AI systems become more integrated into our lives. AI's capacity to personalize interactions based on vast amounts of data raises questions about consent, data protection, and the potential for misuse. 

As we move towards the predicted future, transparency, accountability, and consumer empowerment must be at the forefront of data handling practices. This will require a concerted effort from all stakeholders — developers, marketers, regulators, and consumers.

It is not enough to adhere to current data protection laws. Companies must also commit to educating consumers about how their data is used, ensuring they have meaningful control over their personal information. 

Bottom Line: We must treat consumer data with the utmost respect and care. Prioritizing ethical data use and consumer privacy is not just a regulatory obligation; it’s the foundation for building a digital ecosystem that respects individual rights and fosters trust. 

Bringing It Full Circle

Contemplating the ethical dimensions revealed through David’s inquiry and the analogy of my grandmother’s sugar cookie recipe touches upon the core of what it means to integrate AI into our personal and professional lives.

This isn’t merely about the choices we make in seeking information or the tools we use but about understanding the domino effect of those choices on content creators, businesses, and the very nature of human creativity and connection. 

Altman’s statement and Roetzer’s insights serve as a clarion call to acknowledge the monumental shift AI promises to bring to the marketing industry and beyond.

Altman’s vision of AI handling ‘95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for at almost no cost heralds a future of efficiency and ease for everyone. But it also begs the question: “What do we value most?”

If we value human contribution to marketing and creative work (which most of us do), it challenges us to consider how to preserve those values in an increasingly automated profession. 

There Is Always a Cost

Altman's bold statement that marketing tasks can be easily automated at almost no cost seems misaligned with OpenAI’s mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity.

His vision focuses on reducing monetary costs at the expense of human creativity, professional identity, and job security. These costs represent considerations beyond financial implications, leading to feelings of devaluation, self-doubt, and anxiety. 

The path forward does not lie in rejecting AI to maintain the status quo, nor is it about embracing AI and recklessly heeding its implications. Instead, it is about navigating these questions with empathy, responsibility, and a commitment to equity.

The existential questions I’ve raised–about oppression, bad faith, and universal freedom — echo the deeper ethical considerations we must confront as AI becomes an even more integral part of our lives. 

The transition from traditional marketing practices to AI-driven strategies is not just about trading “the old boss” for a “new boss” (thank you, AIMG, for that clever turn of phrase).

It’s about critically evaluating what it means to lead in an age where technology’s capabilities are boundless. It’s about ensuring that as we move forward, we do not lose sight of the humanity that connects us, the creativity that enriches the human experience, and the ethical principles that guide us. 

Addressing the Costs

The discussion around integrating AI into marketing and other knowledge professions needs to move beyond efficiency and cost-saving metrics to consider the broader impact. This requires a multi-faceted approach that includes the following:

• Ethical AI Development: Encourage the development of AI in a way that considers its impact on human jobs, creativity, and societal well-being. This includes designing AI to complement human skills rather than replace them. 

• Education and Reskilling: Invest in education and training programs to help workers adapt to the shifting nature of work, focusing on areas where human skills are irreplaceable. 

• Social Policies: Implement social policies that support individuals through transitions, such as universal basic income (or, as Elon predicted in November 2023, universal high income), mental health services, and community-building initiatives to mitigate the effects of job displacement. 

• Human-Centered Design: Ensure that AI development is guided by human-centered principles, valuing what AI CAN do and what it SHOULD do to serve humanity’s broader interests. 

Recognizing and addressing these costs ensures that technological advancements will benefit society without sacrificing our creativity, identity, and well-being and may be the only way to save our profession. 

Join the Conversation

As I stated previously, there is no single, definitive answer to the ethical questions raised by the increasing use of AI in marketing. We must all wrestle with these questions as we move forward.

It’s important to be aware of the ethical implications of automation and consider human costs when making decisions about using AI. A human-centered approach can mitigate the negative impacts and create a more equitable and inclusive future. 

I encourage you to join the conversation and come up with your own answers to these questions:

• How can we ensure that AI is used to benefit our profession and society at large rather than displacing workers?

• How can we promote diversity and include the use of AI in marketing?

• How can we ensure that AI is used in a way that respects privacy and data ethics?

• What other questions does this issue raise for you? 

These are just a few of the many questions we will need to answer as we move forward. I believe that by working together, we can create a future where AI empowers people, creates a better world, and improves our profession. 

Author’s Note on Ethical Lenses

If you are interested in the field of ethics, there are several lenses ethicists might apply when considering the ethical implications of any issue. Here are a few:

• Deontological: This approach focuses on the moral agents' duty to act according to certain principles. When applied to AI marketing, one might consider whether using AI to target people with ads based on personal data or using AI to create deepfake content is right or wrong.

• Consequentialist: This approach focuses on the consequences of actions and whether those consequences are good or bad. As applied to AI marketing, one might consider questions such as whether the use of AI in marketing leads to increased sales or a more informed and engaged public.

• Virtue: This approach focuses on the character traits important for moral behavior. A virtue ethicist might consider whether the use of AI in marketing promotes honesty, fairness, and responsibility. 

• Postmodern: This approach rejects the idea of objective truth and morality and instead emphasizes the role of power and context in shaping ethical values. Postmodern ethicists might ask whether the use of AI is simply a reflection of the values of the dominant culture or whether it has the potential to create new values and possibilities.

• Technological: This approach focuses on the ethical implications of new technologies, such as AI. When applied to AI marketing, one might ask whether the use of AI in marketing is safe and secure or has the potential to be used for harmful purposes. 

It’s important to note that these are just a few lenses that ethicists might apply when considering the ethical implications of using AI in marketing. There are many other factors to consider, and the best approach will vary depending on the context.

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Kristina Martin

Meet the Author: Kristina Martin wears many hats. She is the founder of NoFear Media, a content marketing and branding agency in Frederick, Maryland. She is also a content strategist, course and educational content creator, curriculum writer, adjunct instructor, leadership learning consultant, and freelance writer and editor. And she (obviously) knows a thing or two about AI marketing ethics. Contact Kristina via her website or LinkedIn.

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