Dubai Media City & Communicate Explore AI’s Impact on Marketing & Advertising
Artificial Intelligence has become a discussion of curiosity, speculation, and obviously the future since the launch of its products - ChatGPT, DALL-E. As the debate of its potential impact on the various industries rages on, Dubai Media City and Communicate took the opportunity to drive the conversation forward for advertisers, creators, and brands at its DMConnect Brunch Series.
Dubai Media City, a member of TECOM Group PJSC, in collaboration with Communicate organized the first Creative Brunch under its DMConnect series for the year on Tuesday, February 7th at in5 Tech, located along King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, attracting some 100 creative, marketing and technology professionals in the city.
Commenting on the event, Majed Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President of Dubai Media City, part of TECOM Group, said, “The overwhelming attendance at the first DMConnect event of 2023 proves that creatives want to be part of a network where they can come together to share their vision for the future of the industry. It’s crucial to explore the impact of AI on the media and communications industry, and it cannot be achieved in a silo. Seeing experts exchange their opinions and insights demonstrated the strength of our creative community and the knowledge bank strengthening our creative economy. We are certain that the popularity of DMConnect will continue to yield valuable insights, and we're delighted to facilitate forward-looking conversations on media, creativity, and innovation.”
The community brunch centered a debate around Artificial Intelligence and its potential impact on the marketing and advertising industry in the MENA region. Experts from the industry including Paul Hamilton, Managing Director across MENA for Ogilvy; Jennifer Fischer, Chief Innovation and Growth Officer at Publicis Groupe; Anthony Permal, Multichannel, and Omnichannel Advisor; Rafael Lavor, Head of Strategy at TBWA\RAAD and Aysel Kazimova, Business Marketing across MENA for Snap Inc. kickstarted the session with an introduction to the various uses of the technology in advertising as well as its forthcoming in the near future.
Hamilton opened the debate with examples and case studies debriefing AI’s current standing in MENA’s creative industry. “This part of the world has an advantage in leveraging the technology at its best as it is always very open to exploring and adapting. AI enables us to up our game, and do things quickly,” he explained.
Speaking for AI as a facilitator of productivity, Fischer, who recently took charge as the innovation and growth officer at Publicis Groupe MENA, said, “While AI is based on a predictive model, and cannot feel human emotion, its interpretation is self-evident. This is why over 50% of the regional organizations have already adopted the technology to help increase productivity and facilitate repetitive tasks.”
Further adding on to that point, Rafael Lavor, Head of Strategy at the disrupting agency, TBWA\RAAD said, “We need to address the issue of distributing these tools and systems across a broader spectrum. While the region is doing everything to be on top of these cutting-edge technology systems, it is also our responsibility as advertisers, developers, and creators to bring AI to all communities who might not be as exposed to them as native users.”
"Our partnership with Dubai Media City feeds into the mission of positioning Communicate as a value-provider. The DMConnect series has attracted thousands of creators and marketing professionals in the city to engage and learn in a holistic setting and each session has been a testament to that. We're witnessing a massive transformation in the region today and AI is one of the many facilitators, whether it's going to be a friend or a foe, professionals need to educate and make themselves aware of how it is impacting the industry," said Sahar Rafique, Managing Director at NordStella Events which is a subsidiary of Akama Holding.
