Unicorn sundae, mermaid sundae, caramel milk cake- images posted by Baskin Robbins were an ice cream wonderland! 

Recently, ice cream brand Baskin Robbins posted a series of images for the launch of their new flavors. Photographs gained traction on various social media platforms.  

But what was unique about this campaign? The images were generated by AI. 

Baskin Robbins is one of the big names that explored the scope of generative AI in marketing. The images were created using Midjourney by AI artist Tapan Aslot. 

"I posted a series of photos on Instagram titled 'Food with a Golden Touch', created using Midjourney Version 4. Baskin Robbins saw the project and requested to create a campaign for the brand", said Tapan in a conversation with INDIAai. 

In today's marketing world, it is necessary to have visually appealing content. Visual material has become an essential area of focus for every company due to the widespread availability of gadgets for mass communication and extended visual advancements. 

GenAI in marketing  

Before machines transformed the textile industry, the productions were handmade. Even after the invention of machines, hand-woven materials never lost credibility. On the contrary, their value increased.  

Similarly, VFX is widely used in the movie-making business, and it portrays the impossible. It can reimagine worlds and make men fly. But when directors like Christopher Nolan create sets with human resources, or when actors like Tom Cruise hang on a flying plane without CGI, the effect escalates drastically.  

Furthermore, the fear of being replaced by AI is baseless. In the long run, it will enhance the prestige of the human-generated content. 

AI-generated images and videos have a good scope in advertising. However, AI-generated copies receive little boost from social media algorithms, affecting the post's visibility making brands resist using AI-generated texts for marketing. Though this trend stands with no substantial evidence, it was noticed by some marketing experts according to Tapan. 

"Some of my friends working in brand marketing were instructed by their superiors not to use AI for copywriting", he said. 

However, some brands use AI-generated texts for large-scale content production, such as blog writing. Notably, AI does a better job of refining the text than creating one from scratch.

Challenges in Adoption 

Designers working with generative AI for over a year have been a part of the AI journey. They witnessed AI grow from nothing. This is a setback for designers who just started exploring it.  

Photographers, designers, and social media managers who are exceptional in their jobs are still trying to learn the basics of generative AI. 

"A day in generative AI seems like a year now", says Tapan. New ideas, programs and use cases are introduced daily to the field.  

From a brand point of view, the directors are provided with the opportunity to leverage futuristic technology with less expenditure. This proves the scope of transformation the genAI tools could bring into this space. 

Another factor which contributes to the resistance to generative AI in the market is the copyright rules which vary among nations. The policies of some governments do not allow artists to copyright their work generated using AI. Thankfully this is not the case in India. 

"Even after this advantage, it is surprising to see the minimal amount of content produced using AI in India. I blame it on the lack of information available on the internet for those willing to learn", stated Tapan. 

Similarly, the affordability of the generative AI portals is yet another hurdle. When artists hesitate to invest in costly AI tools, they tend to lean towards free portals with unsatisfactory image quality. Hence, artists turn their back on generative AI when the result fails to match expectations. 

Continues to grow 

"I want to enlighten my listeners to use generative AI for their betterment", said Tapan, who will soon start mentoring students in a college in Ahmedabad. He pointed out the impact of misinformation spread through media. Blogs and articles are targeted towards artificial general intelligence or artificial superintelligence. Current advancements in AI are nowhere close to this stage. Speculations projected on the nature of future developments contain an element of prejudice.  

AI in 2023 certainly brings out the best. For instance, sewage cleaners who do most of the dirty work could benefit from the contributions of a robot. Robots will not replace the laborer but will aid in completing the assigned task. 

"The discussion should be leveraging the technology ethically and not to prevent its use", remarked Tapan. "It's high time we learn to talk with machines". 

Images used in this article is created by Tapan Aslot and the copyright belong to Baskin Robbins. We received this artwork from Tapan Aslot. Any imitation or distribution without prior consent is strictly prohibited and may result in legal action.