Social AI overkill: Are social AI initiatives destroying brand authenticity?

Recently, social media platforms have been integrating AI into every aspect of their user experience, from video generation to generating ad ideas. It’s an efficient way to save time and increase the productivity of their users.

For marketing pros and brands, these AI initiatives also allow us to produce relevant content at scale. Tools like Meta’s ad creative generator makes it simple to produce variations in seconds compared to hours, even stating that it will save advertisers “five or more hours a week – the equivalent of one month per year”.

However, if every brand uses the same social AI tools to generate content, does authenticity suffer? And have creators become fatigued with constant AI integrations that push original thinking out?

Curating experiences.

User experience and data personalisation is now more advanced and apparent than ever. Social feeds tailor content based on AI powered algorithms to optimise targeted content and personalise experiences in real time. For marketers and creators alike, this opens windows of opportunity to drive higher engagement and build a more curated community.

At the end of last year, the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, teased a new AI feature for the app, which allows users to visually reimagine their own videos without using extensive editing skills. As with most generative AI models, users simply type a text prompt and the MovieGen AI model reworks the video content as desired.

In Mosseri’s video, he shares a few flashy examples of this integrated tool, such as changing his background, outfit, and adding accessories. Most drastically, he was able to completely change his appearance and entire video style to a whimsical puppet-like character.

Despite his enthusiasm, plenty of negative comments piled through, criticising the initiative with general dismay for new AI features on the app – with some users stating that they’re ruining the platform’s authenticity.

Efficiency over originality.

With the demand for high-quality content to be pushed out faster than ever, AI tools have been useful for generating quick wins to sell an idea. Designers with access to Adobe Creative Cloud’s generative AI tools have the luxury of polishing up images and generating complex visuals in minutes. Those willing to pay a larger bill can create hyper-realistic and stylised content beyond their skill set using tools like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Sora.

In recent years, more accessible alternatives have been launched through social media platforms, to give access to the everyday user and professionals wanting to experiment with the existing platforms. For example, WhatsApp launched a free image generator in the US, powered by Meta AI. In an article by the Independent, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg stated that their new Meta AI model is open source and that “AI has more potential than any other modern technology to increase human productivity, creativity, and quality of life”.

However, this could lead to some brands having a homogenised aesthetic. With less time spent on original thinking and development, there is more potential for oversight of creative outputs by leaning heavily on AI. This could also lead to a backlash of consumer trust – especially in cases where AI has unknowingly been used to sell a product or service, think of the uproar that the infamous Willy Wonka experience caused last year.

AI is here to stay.

It’s inevitable that AI will continue to evolve and merge into each platform for the foreseeable. It’s changing how brands develop and create content, whilst expanding the knowledge of users through personalised content.

However, it should be used with strategic intentions and not as a standalone crutch to replace human creativity. Experiment with AI tools to improve efficiency and develop baseline ideas, but it’s essential that brand authenticity is upheld to connect with a relevant audience.

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