Seth Godin Says Only Mediocre Creatives Should Fear AI
"AI is dramatically underhyped and wildly misunderstood," said marketing trailblazer Seth Godin in an exclusive interview at Ad World Prime . As tools like ChatGPT become more advanced, marketers fear being replaced by machines. But Godin argues AI will redefine marketing creativity, not replace it.
AI's Threat to Creative Jobs
Godin has perspective, having studied AI back in 1983 at Stanford. He argues that only mediocre creatives are at risk of being replaced. "If you're a pretty good science fiction illustrator, it's over. But if you're Gene Roddenberry and you can invent Star Trek when Star Trek didn't exist before? You're going to be fine for the foreseeable future," he said.
Godin compared it to the advent of photography centuries ago. "Cameras instantly replaced mediocre painters, and extraordinarily skilled painters were never threatened." The same will hold true as AI grows more advanced. "What's going to happen is AI, as seen in GPT-3, and then GPT-4, which is gonna blow people away, is always going to be with us. And that is why it's going to change everything," said Godin.
The marketing hacks and copycats will be automated, but truly original creatives will remain irreplaceable. Godin argues that great marketing rises above mercenary hustling. Marketers should refuse to "make pretty good ads for pretty average products" and instead do work they are proud of.
Stop Being a Hack
When asked how marketers can grow, Godin contrasted time spent grooming social media profiles versus exploring new tech tools.
"How much time are you spending every day engaging in chat with [AI] compared to grooming your social media presence?" he asked. While polished personal branding builds platforms like Facebook, diving deep on AI builds creative marketing skills.
"I would stop completely using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for two weeks until I became the smartest person in the office about how the AI tools work," Godin recommended. He acknowledged initial failures and discomfort come with charting new territory. But escapism via social media offers false comfort over forward motion.
For marketers, complacency is the enemy. We must run towards uncertainty rather than avoiding pain. As Godin put it, "let your ignorance drive exploration." Being mediocre meets platforms' needs, not audiences'. To create the future, abandon the familiar and expand perspectives.
Making Yourself Irreplaceable
So how can today's marketers avoid being replaced by machines? According to Godin, it starts with identifying your "smallest viable audience." Find the niche that would "miss you if you're gone."
Once you identify that core audience, serve them with work that's worth paying extra for and worth talking about. Let them spread the word. As Godin says, "Our job isn't to get the word out. Your job is to create something for your smallest viable audience, so people who have given you permission, and then they get the word out."
This means creating something remarkable and resisting the temptation to take shortcuts. When asked about the divide between hacks and true creators, Godin said the hacks "go for the shortcut, satisfies the client and moves on." But creators serve their niche while also producing work they are proud of long-term.
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Uniting Audiences for Change
Great marketing makes change happen, according to Godin. "If you're going to do significant work, human work, you're going to make a change happen. And if you're not there to make a change happen, I would argue you shouldn't show up."
How do you motivate people to take action or embrace change? "We create the conditions where the people who do want change, feel comfortable talking about it," Godin said. When early adopters feel safe to express new ideas, it gives others permission to evolve.
Godin pointed to shifting cultural attitudes in recent decades as an example. When change agents feel comfortable speaking out, it opens the floodgates. Marketing can facilitate that process.
The world's best marketers don't pander or take shortcuts. They fuse distinctive creativity with serving a niche audience. This builds word-of-mouth and makes change possible. In Godin's words, "We're not just going to get the word out, we're not just going to settle, and we're not going to try to make average stuff for average people".
The Future Belongs to the Bold
In closing, Godin makes it clear - the future of marketing belongs to the bold. Those willing to push boundaries, serve a niche audience, and unite people around meaningful change will remain irreplaceable.
Complacency and taking shortcuts leads to being automated away. Marketers should run towards the unknown rather than avoiding pain. The liminal spaces where change lives hold opportunity for those willing to enter. Success requires refusing to settle.
Godin challenges us all to do work we're proud of long-term, not just satisfy in the moment. When we create something worth talking about, word spreads itself. And when we help early adopters feel safe provoking change, real impact becomes possible.
The question that remains is, will you lead the future of marketing or be left behind? As AI advances, now is the time for boldness.
TL;DR
This article was created with the help of Claude 2, an AI assistant by Anthropic. Images were generated with MidJourney and edited in Photoshop. While AI can assist in writing, human creativity and editing remain essential. For more on AI and creativity, Follow me on LinkedIn.
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