Fear of Evolving AI Technology

In Think with Google.    On the future role of marketing.

AI and machine learning have many wondering about marketers’ future role. GroupM’s Rob Norman says ‘fear not’

By Rob Norman Mar 2018 Emerging Technology, Search, Video

Rob Norman served as GroupM North America’s CEO, and more recently as the company’s global chief digital officer. He retired this year and shares why marketers shouldn’t fear for their survival as marketing moves toward automation and assistance.

After serving more than 30 years in the agency world, I’m retiring at a time when many aren’t clear what their careers might look like, even five years from now.

With marketing moving toward automation, there’s a lot of uncertainty about the future, and I’m often asked by peers about what’s next for marketers professionally. My advice: Fear not. The move toward automation will only create more need for the work marketers do to build relevant, assistive brands.

We’ve been here before
When I look back on my decades in the ad industry, I can think of several periods of similar uncertainty. And each one was brought on by a new innovation in tools and evolving technology.

There’s no need to fear. … The work marketers do is becoming more important, not less. .... "