AI Archives - Emotive Brand

Will the Future of HR Still Be Human?

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Chris Ames

Ironically, the biggest forces shaking up the HR industry these days aren’t human at all. Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and natural language processing (NLP) are all drastically transforming the world of recruiting and hiring.

Just look at the Artificial Intelligence Index 2018 Annual Report by Stanford University, which shows that the number of active U.S. startups developing AI systems has increased 14-fold since 2000. There is clearly a hunger for this type of technology, but we’re only just starting to grasp what’s possible with these shiny new toys. While we’ve all had our own successes and failures with chatbots, there are some applications of AI and ML that are truly game-changing. Let’s dive in.

Killing Repetitive, Low Value-Add Tasks

Kate Guarino, Director of Human Resources Operations for Pega, says AI presents the opportunity for HR to automate those boring, mindless tasks that end up stealing all your time. This is a fairly well-trodden space – perhaps your organization is already using AI to automate the steps of onboarding a new employee (i.e. allocating space, provisioning a laptop). Saving time in those areas helps HR teams pivot to make sure they focus on “value-add work like mentoring and continuous feedback.”

And therein lies the paradox of AI technology. At first blush, it seems like these advances are designed to replace human involvement. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. When AI operates like it’s supposed to, it facilitates more human interaction. The goal of technology is not to eliminate people – it’s to eliminate meaningless repetition.

Most HR professionals understand that AI will never replace the emotive, human element in hiring. Instead, it can alleviate tiresome tasks like sourcing, screening, and conducting preliminary interviews. John Feldmann, Communications Specialist for Insperity, says, “This will allow more time for hiring managers to build meaningful relationships with candidates, leading to a shorter time-to-fill and improved employee retention.”

Working Toward an Unbiased Hiring Process

Here’s a human question: how do you create a truly equal and diverse hiring process for all? Perhaps technology can answer that. AI-backed talent discovery businesses like HiringSolved and Plum promise to hire, grow, and retain top talent by ditching the traditional resume format. Instead, potential candidates take discovery surveys that collect information on background, culture fit, and cognitive ability. These results are graded by AI instead of people, in an effort to eliminate screener bias.

Another landmine in the process of hiring is that of language itself. A psychological tool called the Implicit Association Test (IAT) shows that people’s subconscious word associations indicate bias. “These biases find their way into job descriptions, as well as resume selections. Now, thanks to AI, algorithms can be designed to help employers identify and remove these bias patterns in language they use to improve their hiring communications and welcome diverse applicants,” researchers from the Human Resources Professionals Association noted.

It’s hard to imagine an objectively unbiased hiring process, but perhaps these technological safeguards could help shed light on blind spots in a company’s onboarding process. Think of them as additional lenses of perspective in an HR rep’s toolbox.

Putting Scheduling Nightmares to Bed

You might think the most difficult thing about an HR professional’s day is dealing with conflict. The fact is, that’s the easy stuff. The hard part is playing calendar tag – endlessly searching for available time slots for meetings, training sessions, or orientations. Enter companies like x.ai, which develop autonomous AI-assistants to manage scheduling. The tool can suggest where you should put your next meeting and even notify candidates when you are waiting for them.

Everything from sales demos to phone screens to happy hour with the marketing team can be seamlessly automated. If you just got goosebumps, chances are you’re a project manager or HR specialist.

Boosting Employee Engagement

Whenever we talk about company culture or morale, it tends to be discussed as the ephemeral, unmeasurable vibe of a workplace. But companies like IBM are working to create AI tools that can provide quantifiable insights and actions around nebulous things like engagement.

KangoGift is a tool for giving authentic feedback and praise in a timely manner. The all-digital platform solves the problem of employees not getting the recognition they deserve. Powered by the IBM Cloud and IBM Watson technology, KangoGift makes it easy to set up and manage both structured and on-the-spot recognition programs.

During performance reviews, managers can analyze keywords to view an employee’s recognition history, drilling down into the context and content of each recognition. Applying the same analysis enterprise-wide can pinpoint the buzz around influential people, key projects, and corporate values. And Watson Tone Analyzer and Personality Insights can reveal insights into the communications style of a manager, workgroup, or department.

The Future of HR

All of these tools are exciting, but they will only ever be as intelligent, predictive, and unbiased as the people making them. Make no mistake: AI is not a quick fix for solving systemic prejudice and misogyny in the hiring process. But when used properly, these technologies can act as checks and balances for brands. The human element of HR will never be replaced – but it can be aided.

Emotive Brand is a brand strategy and design firm in San Francisco.

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AI and Machine Learning: A Future Forward for Brands?

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Saja Chodosh

The Future, It’s Here: AI and Machine Learning

It’s easy to think of an AI-led world as a thing of the future – that movie-like image where robots run hotels, TV ads know your name, and data is more valuable than the gold people ran to California for decades ago.

Yes, the future is blurry, exciting, full of fear, and countless unknowns. Yes, it is changing every day – and fast. But the future is happening, now. In fact, AI is already integrated into the way each of us experience brands every day – even if we don’t know it. You wake up in the morning and ask Alexa what the weather is. You Google Map how to get to your meeting and blast your Spotify Discover Weekly playlist on your drive. You buy a new book based on an Amazon recommendation. You scroll content on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – all while your bank is making sure you’re safe from credit card fraud. There’s AI integrated into all of those brand experiences.

And it’s no longer something solely owned by the tech giants. Smart businesses and brands – big and small, old and new, B2B and B2C – who want to elevate their brand experiences and build a brand fit for the future are investing in AI and machine learning in innovative and strategic ways, today.

It’s Complicated

Right now, the breadth of AI is huge, and it’s only getting bigger. AI is being used to improve decision making, fuel creativity, increase speed and flexibility, and personalize at scale. Right now, AI assistants are being trained to display complex human emotions like sympathy. Brands like Microsoft are building teams of data scientists, data sustainers, poets, playwrights, and novelists to develop the right AI personality for their brand. Autodesk’s Dreamcatch is being programed to enhance the imagination and fuel the creativity of the most exceptional designers out there. At the same time, GDPR regulations are arising intricate and important questions surrounding privacy and data collection. Teams are hiring in-house ethicists to help navigate issues. With every innovation, comes another challenge.

Each day, the circumference of possibility expands. And this can be overwhelming for brands and businesses trying to find their place in the future.

A New World of AI and Machine Learning

As a brand strategy agency that works to help brands navigate their space and build better experiences for the people that matter, we have also been watching AI. There is so much to consider, but here’s some insights we are keeping top of mind.

1. Voice Matters

In the same way that people can be disappointed or delighted by an experience with a customer representative, they will also have an opinion of your chatbot or AI system. So what’s important for brands building chatbots today (as are many) to remember is that the voice of your AI system must reinforce everything you want people to believe about your brand.

Alexa is confident and polite but Siri, unlike Alexa, is sassy. This distinction in voice reveals a difference in brand. Apple strategically built Siri to be just like it’s brand – individual, bold, not afraid to say something different. Sephora’s Kik bot is conversational, fun, in-the-know, and a little bit sparkly (think emojis galore) – just like the teen-targeted brand. On the other hand, Microsoft’s Cortana is helpful, but not bossy. So like any new touchpoint, put strategic thought into the experience and use it to reinforce your brand.

2. Decisions, Decisions – Better? Faster? Stronger?

Take Stitch Fix – an online clothing retailer that offers subscription clothing and styling service. The differentiator? Users don’t actually shop for clothes. Instead, they give measurements, connect their Pinterest boards, submit personal notes of preference, and fill out style surveys. Stitch Fix’s machine learning algorithms take in this data and communicate key findings to the company’s fashion stylists (real life humans!).

In short, AI superpowers the productivity and effectiveness of those stylist’s decisions. With greater speed and better accuracy, stylists can recommend even more creative, personalized, in-tune clothing options. The data collected in the process allows Stitch Fix to see style trends before the market itself catches on. The brand even develops fashions entirely born from data – which they term “frankenstyles.”

The collaboration between machine learning technologies and creative, visionary employees is key here. When you join the forces of human and artificial intelligence, amazing things happen. Innovation increases, creativity soars, and employees can hone their strengths. So never forget about the power and intelligence of your employees – you’ll always need their capabilities.

3. Extreme Personalization at Scale

We’ve talked again and again about the power of personalization – and, the demand for it. Now, AI gives brands the opportunity to achieve unprecedented levels of personalization, at scale.

For example, Mercedes Benz created Cobot arms (with AI-technology) that act as extensions of their own employees on the ground. These cobots allow employees to do less manual labor and heavy lifting, and act as pilots of the robots. Customers at the dealership want to see the car with leather seats? Add new dashboard components? This innovation creates the agility to customize right there. No two cars that leave the dealership have to be the same. And customers can see their unique desires become realities in real time.

Considering the moments and experiences you can tailor to your customer’s needs and desires can be one of the best ways of tapping into the power of AI.

4. Trust, Transparency – Are You There?

Although, there is a lot of buzz out there surrounding AI – there is little talk of trust.

And in a world where what privacy is being questioned more than ever, leaks in data happen every day, discussions around face recognition and data collection ethics are commonplace, and new rules and regulations are emerging in response, ultimately, brand trust matters more than crazy algorithm or hyper intelligent robot.

GDPR gives consumers the right to receive an explanation for any algorithm-based decision. Businesses globally are hiring what people call “AI sustainers” – employees who work to ensure that the systems are working properly, safely, responsibly, and ethically. This all comes in response to a greater demand for transparency, and a larger need for trust – one that has been bubbling over for quite some time.

So put resources and focus towards building trust before you launch into something that risks jeopardizing it. And never forget to be human – brands that feel human to people build better, more trust-filled relationships.

Like Anything, Get Strategic

The future might be here, but the fact is that brands are still struggling to use AI technologies to solve real business problems. It’s not that the tech doesn’t work, it’s that people aren’t clear around how to actually use it strategically.

Part of what’s so scary for brands and consumers alike is how open the world of AI seems. It’s expansive and complex – a huge and often risky investment for brands who might not sure how to approach it.

The worry is that AI becomes a black box. So if you choose to invest in AI, don’t make it just another separate R&D initiative. Get people around the table – not just data scientists, but leaders and creatives too – to think strategically about how AI can strengthen your brand, deepen and complement your employees strengths, help you connect with the right people, position you for growth, and ultimately fuel your business into the future.

That’s the future we can’t wait for.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.

The Right Ad, Just When you Need It: Talking “Moment Marketing” with Randy Wootton

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Sara Gaviser Leslie

Randy Wootton and Moment Marketing

Continuing our Emotive Brand expert series, we’re interviewing past and present Emotive Brand clients to discover what they do better than anybody else – and how that expertise can be used to embolden your brand today.

In this post, we speak with Randy Wootton, former CEO of Rocket Fuel, a past Emotive Brand client whose positioning project resulted in a major acquisition for the company. In this interview, we talk about the evolution of marketing and advertising today and why brands poised for success are focusing in on what Randy calls “Moment Marketing.”

Below, we discuss his book in-progress and hear what he has to say about one-to-one marketing, audience segmentation, AI, and the future of advertising. Could advertising ever be truly helpful for consumers? Even welcome? Randy says it’s possible. Read his interview below:

Tell me about your book-in-progress, Moment Marketing?

First, let me clarify what I mean by “moment”. When I use that term, people often think about big moments in their lives: the groundbreaking discovery, a wedding proposal, or solution to a difficult problem. But 99% of moments are banal. Moment marketing means you reach the right person at the right time, at the right place, in context.

Last weekend, for instance, I sat on my couch and watched the Raiders with my 11-year-old son. He played a Disney game on his phone. I checked email. It was a perfect opportunity for Disney – or a similar advertiser – to create a wraparound experience. If they could push an ad to me for a 20% discount on my next trip while also placing an ad in my son’s game, chances are the advertising would be a lot more effective than a Disney billboard I pass on the way to work.

If we’re targeting individuals, is that the end of audience segmentation?

I think it is. Segments can be helpful but they also limit you. Think about one of the popular segments: soccer moms. Marketers make many assumptions about this group and target based on age, gender, and location. But segments don’t capture the robustness of individuals. They don’t describe individuals; they don’t tell you that one mom has other kids who do baseball and guitar but hate soccer.

When you track individuals’ actions, interactions with brands, and purchases and then target them one-on-one, you can be much more precise. What’s even better than that, though, is engaging them at the right time, in the moment.

You have said that consumers could eventually welcome advertising. Really?

Think about Amazon today. When you look for a book, they suggest other titles you might enjoy as well as reviews of those books. When you get this data at the right time, in context, it improves your experience. Consumers aren’t opposed to advertising, they are opposed to bad advertising!

In a world of Moment Marketing, what will stop advertisers from hounding me with ads for the pair of shoes I didn’t buy?

Online advertising today is disruptive and interruptive. Moment marketing requires companies ingest lots of data in near real time and take action in less than 20 milliseconds. That’s where AI comes in. You need insight engines to mine all of this data or you’ll get overwhelmed and drive your customers and prospects crazy. AI can help us discern the relevant data and then deliver advertising at the right time, in context.

Do you think marketers are ready for AI?

Right now, we are still in early innings of understanding the possibility of data. Think about when people first rode in cars. It probably seemed very dangerous. People named cars “horseless carriages” because the only way they could conceive of the future was through lens of the past. We are going to see computers make decisions more and more often. Marketers will have to surrender control and trust results. Otherwise, they’ll stand in the way of progress – and higher conversion.

How does this affect non-digital commerce? Brick-and-mortar stores?

It will be the end of those flimsy circulars we get in the mail, for sure. I see marketers getting really good at combining offline and online. Holiday shopping, for example, will be defined by mobile. When I go Toys R Us to shop for Christmas presents, that’s when I want to know about the hottest toys and receive a discount coupon.

The opportunity to stitch online and offline together thru predictive marketing is radical. When marketers understand individuals and context, they create more meaningful experiences. Companies that successfully do this will differentiate themselves in the market and, ultimately, capture more than their fair share of revenue.

Stay tuned for what both Randy and Emotive Brand do next.