- Publicis Groupe is joining an industry coalition that promotes the responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence (AI) at an inflection point for the technology’s marketing applications, in keeping with a press release.
- This is the primary major ad-holding group to function Steering Committee member for the Coalition of Content Provenance Authenticity (C2PA), which formed in 2020 to handle online misinformation and certify the sources of digital content. Founding members include Adobe, Arm, BBC, Intel, Microsoft and Truepic.
- C2PA seeks to develop a latest framework for content verification, along with authenticating AI assets for brands, creators and consumers. Publicis signing on to the initiative signals that marketers are taking AI’s threats to areas like mental property (IP) and brand safety more seriously.
AI’s rapid ascendance within the mainstream has surfaced numerous ethical questions that marketers might want to grapple with because the honeymoon period closes. Who actually owns work that’s generated by scraping media from other artists and storytellers? Should AI-generated images and videos disclose they were made via automation? How can brands ensure their IP isn’t being misrepresented or used to spread misinformation as AI output becomes tougher to discern from the true thing?
Publicis is putting a stake in the bottom to indicate it’s taking these issues seriously at a time when competitors are eagerly touting their latest AI capabilities. The company desires to position itself as a frontrunner for responsible AI within the industry as calls for standardization and regulation grow louder.
C2PA’s mission is to develop a content verification framework that recognizes the complexities of a murky digital landscape. That goal faces steeper challenges as more work is delegated to software like OpenAI’s mega-popular ChatGPT. The organization has already implemented a tool called the C2PA Specification that helps confirm original content across media formats including photo, video and audio.
C2PA collaborates with policymakers, academics and business leaders from numerous verticals, including tech platforms, publishers and now marketing services providers. Microsoft and Adobe, two of the coalition’s founding members, have helped spearhead the present generative AI arms race, with the previous partnering closely with OpenAI to revamp its Bing and Edge products.
For agencies like Publicis, generative AI technology presents a double-edged sword. More sophisticated, speedier ways to provide a high volume of creative assets are appealing. Rival WPP last week unveiled a partnership with chipmaker Nvidia around a generative AI content engine purpose-built for such a task.
But automation taking on more duties, like making images, copy and videos for brands, poses risks to traditional creative teams which have fallen under pressure amid ad spending pullbacks. At the identical time, clients will likely be on edge trying to administer their reputations as deepfakes and AI-generated media proliferate. Safeguarding IP is clearly top of mind for Publicis with the move to affix C2PA.
“In an industry where daring, thought-provoking content has the ability to maneuver people, tell stories and demand motion, we cannot afford the danger of bad actors compromising a creator’s authentic vision and creation,” said Carla Serrano, Publicis’ chief strategy officer, in a press release. “The C2PA’s efforts help protect that invaluable IP and ensure authentic creative visions are delivered to completion — and verified along the way in which. And people can feel confident knowing that the content they’re viewing is exclusive, original, and straight from the source.”
Publicis has experimented with AI for several years, notably through an internal assistant called Marcel. The costly solution was at first the butt of industry jokes — including amongst Publicis staff — but may very well be viewed more favorably as such tools develop into commonplace. Publicis has performed well to this point this yr, in April claiming the spot because the world’s second-largest ad-holding group by revenue behind WPP.
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