| SPOTLIGHT ON |
| If OpenAI doesn’t trust AI, should you? |
| It’s been AI this and AI that at least the last 18 months. It’s supposed to be the future of marketing (and pretty much everything). But, explain this: OpenAI, the powerhouse company behind ChatGPT, just ran a Super Bowl ad—and every second of it was made by humans. |
| No AI-generated scripts, no voices from people that don’t exist. Just people telling a story. And it’s thrown a question mark into what role AI is meant to play. |
| (If I’m honest, I was entirely convinced it was a spot for Lite Brite. Surprise! Not even close. Give it a watch and let me know what you think.) |
| It’s a wake-up call. Since AI swept onto the scene marketers have been rushing to integrate AI into everything. Write faster. Automate every second of every day. Optimize to infinity. But OpenAI just reminded us that the truth right now is that AI won’t magically make bad marketing good—it’ll just make it faster. |
| What AI still can’t do (and why it matters) |
- Create something truly original:
AI blends up existing ideas into something that looks new, but really isn’t. Sure, you can use AI to generate some thought leadership for LinkedIn, but you’d just be adding to the cacophony that is the noise of AI. - Make people feel something:
It’s a good tool to optimize subject lines, but AI can’t connect with the words on the page on a human level. The gut-punch of a great ad still belongs to humans. - Think strategically:
As a tool AI is great for helping with execution, but it’s incapable of making the most impactful marketing decisions. Yes, it can “make a decision,” but it’s not able to weigh the risk, feel the instincts, or trust its gut like you can. |
| So where does AI actually help? |
In all kinds of places! It’s a fantastic tool when used in the right ways.
✅ Automating the boring stuff (data crunching, repurposing content, drafting basic copy)
✅ Powering smarter personalization (but only when it feels human, not creepy. The goal is to build trust, not lose it.)
✅ Enhancing creativity, not replacing it (Because the best ideas come from you.)
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| And I don’t want you to leave this email thinking AI is the enemy—it’s far from. It’s just not the answer to everything. OpenAI’s ad proves that just because AI "can" (sort of) do something, doesn’t mean you should trust it to. |
| Just remember, there’s knowing how to use AI, and there’s knowing when to roll your sleeves up and do it yourself. |
| — Lydia 💜 |
| Catch up on some good reads: |
| 🤖 Inside OpenAI’s $14 million Super Bowl debut |
| ✨ From static to smart: How quizzes and integrations fuel scalable growth |
| 👥 The 2025 Advertising & Marketing Report |
| 📝 Inside the marketing industry trends to follow in 2025 |
