AI at Accord: empowering creative minds

TravelDigitalCreativeStrategyInside AccordWhite papers

16 Jul

AI's creative and productive opportunities are boundless, particularly when used to augment and support human ingenuity and creativity.

The advent of AI

In recent years, we have all seen AI platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney disrupt our politics, arts and culture, scientific breakthroughs, and how businesses operate. We are also seeing the ongoing impact of these technologies in marketing and advertising.

Whether agency or client, AI offers tremendous opportunities for faster, more intelligent ways of working, with clients benefiting from increased productivity. However, getting the most out of AI still requires a distinctly human touch.

We’ve all had to learn and adapt to new tools and methodologies. In each case, the purpose of adopting a new tool is to enhance, rather than replace, human creativity and joined-up thinking. In this respect, we see AI adoption as being no different.

New ways of thinking

In considering the opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties involving AI, Accord has established an AI working group to shape our company ethos and operational approach (more on that later) so that everyone can leverage AI’s capabilities in a strategic, sustainable, and client-focused manner. The group’s first responsibility was to devise our new ‘AI Mission Statement’ consisting of five key pillars:

Collaboration
To work closely with key stakeholders to align AI with organisational goals and priorities.
Stay informed
To continuously educate the business and our clients about AI developments through research, conferences, and networking.
Ethical use
To develop guidelines, policies, and training programmes to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI.
Innovation
To foster a culture of experimentation and innovation in response to AI’s evolving landscape.
Data strategy
To ensure the continued safe use of the tools regarding privacy, bias, and security.

New ways of working

AI's capabilities are impressive, but they depend heavily on human expertise as arbiters and optimisers. Even the best generative tools base their output on what already exists, so there is nothing inherently innovative about AI outputs. When copywriting headlines or images are generated, there is no imagination at work. Judgement, taste, and abstract thinking still depend on a human touch.

At Accord, we are developing an AI approach that empowers team members to leverage generative tools to enhance their productivity. This approach involves a mindset shift, where, for example, Creatives have the freedom to delegate more of the doing to AI so they can spend more time focusing on big-picture ideas and visions.

The process in practice

What does this approach look like in action? Below is an example of how we have used AI to accomplish a photo editing task that, a few years ago, would have involved significant time and effort. With the help of AI, a designer can automate ‘high effort, low impact’ tasks like this so they can spend their time exploring new concepts and perfecting those nuanced details that make a project distinctive.

However, AI’s benefits do not belong only to the Creative department. Likewise, generative tools can (and are) freeing up time for digital marketing specialists to discuss goals, strategies, and performance with clients.

Teams within teams

Accord’s greatest asset is its people. From Client Directors to Digital Specialists, Strategic Planners to Creative Designers, the expertise, imagination, and adaptability of our team members define who we are.

AI offers clients and agencies an incredible opportunity to harness the intelligence and productive capabilities of their own ‘sub-team’. As we gradually shift focus from routine execution toward creative vision, more voices can join the conversation, share ideas, and take initiative. This shift is already pushing the boundaries of what a truly joined-up approach can achieve.

Stay tuned for regular updates on exciting developments in this ever-evolving space.