Use of AI turning Aussie brands into vanilla boomer businesses: Lyndall Spooner
Much of the world has been using Generative AI (Gen-AI) to do fairly low risk, efficiency-based tasks such as analysing large data sets, automating routine tasks and synthesising or theming information. Creating generic dull key word ridden blogs is also another popular Gen-AI activity.
According to Lyndall Spooner, while Gen-AI is exceptionally good at these types of workflows and activities, many people are pondering how they could use Gen-AI next and if there are any other uses that would actually bring value on a day-to-day basis and help set them apart from what everyone else is doing.
“Before we start convincing ourselves that Gen-AI could be used to enhance an unlimited number of workflows and activities, we first should consider how Gen-AI’s neural net and ‘algorithm-based thinking’ differs from human neuron-based thinking, and whether that limits or at least cautions us in the use and application of Gen-AI,” Spooner said.
Lyndall Spooner is the Founder and CEO of Fifth Dimension and a leading authority on brand trust. Fifth Dimension’s groundbreaking Trust Matrix centres on the premise that trust in brands has its foundations laid in two traits – the capability of the brand to do what it promises and the character of the brand to operate in an honest and ethical manner. Fail on both trust traits and brands risk losing a customer they have let down for life and weakening brand growth due to the legacy of a proven poor reputation.
“As humans, the way our brains are programmed determines how we think, which in turn influences what we do. The thing with humans is we are so diverse, we have different personalities, we think differently, which means we can approach the same situation but behave in very different ways,” Spooner said.
Humans consist of different personality types but Gen-AI has only one profile
“A simplified psychological framework can be applied to segment humans into four major personality types or ways of thinking and behaving,” Spooner said.
“The first dimension we use to segment people is whether you have more of an optimistic or pessimistic outlook. The second dimension is whether you are more conscientious or apathetic when faced with decisions.
“Like humans, Gen-AI also has its own dominant personality, based on the algorithms that drive it. Gen-AI’s default personality and thinking is to be highly optimistic and conscientious. Gen-AI algorithms strive to be helpful and constructive, provide positive and actionable advice and ensure what it conveys is based on accurate, well researched and helpful information. It is also designed to pay attention to detail, deliver thoughtful analysis, be efficient and present complex ideas simply.”
Gen-AI is optimistic but most humans are not
“While Gen-AI is marketed as the ‘all purpose’ solution, only one in three people claim to think and behave like Gen-AI,” Spooner said.
“In fact, with rising anxiety, depression and pessimism in the world, less and less of us think the way Gen-AI has been programmed. Our research shows Gen-AI is more likely to think like a baby boomer than a digital native (Gen Y, Z, Alfa).”
Gen-AI thinks and behaves like a baby boomer
“Baby Boomers are the most optimistic and conscientious of any generation. Just like Gen-AI they are more likely to be confident in making decisions as they do their own research and evaluate their own needs, like to plan ahead and make their own decisions independent of others,” Spooner said.
“Whereas younger generations are losing their self-efficacy and are least likely to think like Gen-AI. They feel the most negative about their future, lack confidence, are more likely to be driven by fear, are least likely to plan ahead or understand their own needs and have the lowest ability to comprehend information. As a result, they are more likely to be influenced and nudged into a decision.”
The default personality of Gen-AI makes it good for some tasks, but not all
“Just like humans, the default personality of Gen-AI makes it great for some tasks but not as ideal for others,” Spooner said.
“If you were hiring someone to summarise information or to drive efficiency you want that person to think like Gen-AI. We all know these people, they love a good spreadsheet, they are accurate and considered, they don’t procrastinate or spend hours watching mindless reels. They simply get stuff done and feel good when it is done well,” Spooner said.
“These detail orientated people are not the best for more creative tasks. Gen-AI is not intuitively or expressively creative and because of its programming it tends to be overly positive, too rational and generalised and contrived and exuberant in its generic language set.”
Gen-AI does not think like most of us – it is way too rational
“Gen-AI does not think like most people do, which means it will struggle to accurately explain behaviours and the nuances of what interests people in new products and services,” Spooner said.
“It has no fear which is a problem because many decisions and behaviours that people undertake today are driven by fear. Gen-AI has clear priorities, parameters and goals and it remembers everything.
“Humans on the other hand are emotional and forgetful. All training data used to build large Gen-AI language models remains salient and available, whereas over time humans tend to remember some things and forget others. Humans move on, change their focus, remember some experiences and forget others. There are layers and intricacies to what remains relevant over time and this can create differences between what humans believe is important compared to Gen-AI.”
Can Gen-AI really capture the mood and desires of your customers to drive growth
“Remember there are numerous companies out there talking about the benefits of using Gen-AI in many different ways, all of which directly boost their revenues. The prudent approach is to consider what am I potentially giving up by using Gen-AI as much as what am I gaining,” Spooner said.
“It is important to consider how you use Gen-AI, especially if you are looking for new product or service ideas or growth opportunities. Does the ‘opinion’ expressed by Gen-AI actually reflect your target audience? Does your target audience have the confidence and level of understanding and knowledge that you have fed into your Gen-AI training data? If the answer is no, then you need to consider other factors.
“When using Gen-AI, how are you structuring your prompts? Did you ask for the potential downsides of an idea? Did you ask it to take a more pessimistic view? Did you explore what are less common reasons people may or may not like an idea?”
Is the hybrid approach still the best way forward – human and Gen-AI
“Given that Gen-AI lacks human emotion and is more reflective of the personality type of a baby boomer, is the technology really delivering the content or output that is really needed for the purposes of helping organisations to connect with their audiences and drive growth,” Spooner said.
“Maintaining a hybrid approach involving humans in your creative processes, ensuring you gain a wide range of opinions from real people on what their needs are and what motivates them, will give you broader creative platforms than the centralist view of Gen-AI.”
Spooner emphasised that when it comes to less operational and more creative tasks that can build meaningful differentiation for your brand, don’t take the output from Gen-AI as gospel. You need to consider the bias in the Gen-AI algorithms and training data and make sure you are putting in more effort to ensure what you get back actually reflects the broad range of personalities and perspectives of the people you are targeting.
Fifth Dimension’s Trust Model
Fifth Dimension’s groundbreaking trust model centres on the premise that trust in brands has its foundations laid in two traits – the capability of the brand to do what it promises and the character of the brand to operate in an honest and ethical manner.
Fail on both trust traits and brands risk losing a customer they have let down for life and weakening brand growth due to the legacy of a proven poor reputation.
