MOLLY WOOD: Immediately I’m speaking to James Thomas, international head of know-how at Dentsu Inventive, about his group’s early expertise with generative AI at work. Dentsu is without doubt one of the world’s largest international artistic companies and was additionally one of many first to check out Copilot for Microsoft 365 as a part of Microsoft’s Early Entry Program. James has a report from the entrance traces. He shares how incorporating generative AI into on a regular basis operations has remodeled his workforce’s workflows. And he talks about what enterprise leaders ought to take into accout as they start getting their fingers on this know-how too. James, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
JAMES THOMAS: Thanks for having me. It’s nice to be right here.
MOLLY WOOD: Okay, so Dentsu was one of many first corporations to check out Microsoft’s Copilot as a part of its Early Entry Program. Inform us about it. What has the expertise been like for the groups that took it out for a take a look at drive?
JAMES THOMAS: Yeah, so, an enormous quantity of individuals wished to get their fingers on it. Sadly, we didn’t have that many licenses. However the fortunate 300 or in order that received entry can be a actual sport changer. Lots of people can’t see themselves going again to how they used to work earlier than. Folks see the efficiencies. They see the standard of their output being improved and the standard of their collaboration, significantly in artistic roles. You recognize, lots of time is spent planning—complicated manufacturing conferences and inventive classes the place lots of notes and lots of motion and subsequent steps are wanted to be created, lots of complicated budgetary Excel paperwork to handle, even simply summarizing an extended e mail chain. You recognize, these financial savings and efficiencies are big. It means individuals can get straight onto the duties that they’re presupposed to do.
MOLLY WOOD: How has AI impacted the artistic course of at Dentsu?
JAMES THOMAS: So within the precise artistic course of itself, you recognize, ideation, we’d usually work with a consumer in what we name a chemistry session, which is, you recognize, we get everybody in a room, we’ll actually simply sort of collaborate, provide you with some nice concepts over just a few hours. Usually then what occurs is we’d go away as an company and we might come again, you recognize, days, weeks, typically even months later with some artistic therapy, visualizations of those concepts, proper? And, uh, it’s taken months to even get to that stage. By utilizing Copilot in Groups and DALL-E, we will ideate whereas we’re within the room with a consumer. We are able to sketch down concepts into Phrase and have ChatGPT increase that out into thought out concepts. We are able to create visualizations in DALL-E. The exhausting bit with artistic is attempting to carry different individuals on board with the thought you will have in your head. And, uh, the extra artistic the thought, the tougher it’s to attempt to get it to individuals. So the thought of with the ability to actually visualize issues in a short time or simply take just a few traces of copy and immediately flip that into some sort of proposal is big. And once more, it simply means we will get going quick with the consumer. We all know the place the lifeless ends are and we all know, proper, that is the proper thought. And it simply helped us to iterate loads sooner. I feel lots of these use instances are ones we hadn’t considered earlier than. You recognize, creatives, I feel it’s truthful to say, have been fairly apprehensive about this know-how when it was changing into extra widespread, you recognize, like, like lots of us—what does it imply for the long run, their work, their jobs, humanity—however, you recognize, now I feel artistic individuals have seen that it’s really only a software of their toolkit and it means they’ll get to their concepts loads sooner. In truth, because the Copilot deployment at Dentsu has proven, yeah, we’ve received a ready record of 1000’s. We are able to’t get these instruments in individuals’s fingers quick sufficient.
MOLLY WOOD: What was that preparation like? As a result of I do suppose the artistic realm is form of an area the place the straightforward reply is, we’ll get all this effectivity and that may permit us extra time to be artistic. However discuss a little bit bit extra concerning the evolution, like as you began to find, oh, this works within the strategy of being artistic as properly.
JAMES THOMAS: I feel everyone seems to be utilizing it in several methods. What we have now finished rather well, because of Dominic Shine, our CIO, and Brian Klochkoff, who’s enabling all these companies at Dentsu in a scaled means, we have now actually nice workplace hour conferences, city halls, the place the entire customers are coming collectively, sharing their very own suggestions and methods they’ve discovered. Um, so we’ve actually put lots of work into serving to individuals know how one can use it.
MOLLY WOOD: What do you think about as you go ahead and ultimately all people has this, and these efficiencies begin to pile on high of one another? What do you think about that may permit?
JAMES THOMAS: Effectively, that’s an ideal query. I feel significantly, and I can solely actually communicate for artistic, however what we’ve been battling towards for fairly just a few years is that want from CMOs for nearly limitless content material—simply continuous content material, new variations, new iterations for brand new channels and all the pieces else. Due to that, and since lots of the workflows have been guide, you would automate some issues, however what it meant was creatives have been actually up towards it, overloaded, proper? And so they have been simply churning out numerous totally different iterations and never having the time to spend on the upfront artistic thought. The concept of with the ability to use AI and know-how to generate content material, generate copy, generate pictures, it frees up the time that creatives must be artistic. Creativity isn’t a quick course of, often. You want time, you want area to suppose via these concepts. But when you recognize, oh, I’ve received to create a thousand variations of this concept, I don’t have too lengthy to consider the thought in itself. I’ve to get on and make all these variations. But when I do know I can provide you with a very nice thought, marketing campaign, set of belongings that I can take loads longer to do, after which use generative AI and different know-how to assist scale that, infinitely virtually, then that’s an ideal place to be. And that’s what everybody needs. Everybody needs the very best thought.
MOLLY WOOD: Discuss a little bit bit extra concerning the help within the artistic course of. You recognize, I’ve spoken to people who find themselves utilizing ChatGPT, for instance, to brainstorm concepts or, you recognize, please problem me on this, or to sort of bat round ideas. I’m wondering how a lot of that’s occurring with you, that precise interplay within the artistic course of and iterating and perhaps utilizing these instruments to proceed to generate or enhance in your concepts.
JAMES THOMAS: Nobody likes to start out with a clean web page. You recognize, it turns into very fast and straightforward to only throw down just a few concepts, get them scaled out into, you recognize, from one line right into a paragraph, from a paragraph right into a proposal. However then it additionally permits you to—as a result of you may get extra concepts out, it means you may hopefully get to a greater thought faster. Once more, all this stuff permit for extra creativity, and it helps while you’re promoting the thought to individuals since you will be like, look, that is the message, however look, right here’s how we inform it to your 10 totally different audiences.
MOLLY WOOD: You’ve been utilizing this for some time and it, you recognize, form of sounds prefer it’s sunk in for you, however was there a second when it blew your thoughts?
JAMES THOMAS: Yeah, I imply, a few issues that preserve wowing me each time is, you recognize, I spend my life in conferences, on Groups principally, and the observe taking, the transcribing, and the motion steps—and likewise, should you be a part of a gathering late then simply sort of recapping what’s occurred thus far. The accuracy is unbelievable and I’m again to again in conferences, so sadly, very often I’m a little bit bit late for the subsequent one. I can hit recap assembly and I’ll be up to the mark immediately. It’s far more correct than the assembly notes I take or anybody else I do know takes. So that’s at all times an enormous one for me. And likewise, I journey loads and I get lots of emails. So catching up on emails is at all times a fairly daunting activity whereas on the transfer or getting back from vacation. And now simply with the ability to summarize lengthy e mail chains in Outlook with Copilot is nice. I don’t want to take a seat via these 30 emails on this one topic. I can get a two-paragraph abstract on what’s occurred and who’s doing what.
MOLLY WOOD: So let’s discuss recommendation to enterprise leaders by way of adopting this and integrating it into a corporation, particularly within the artistic trade, as a result of such as you stated, there may be— [interruption] What occurred?
JAMES THOMAS: In order that’s my automated cat timer. And it’s my voice telling my cat it’s time for dinner. Fairly embarrassing.
MOLLY WOOD: That’s unbelievable. You actually have all of it. You might have all of the toys.
JAMES THOMAS: Yeah, I didn’t know that might get picked up.
MOLLY WOOD: There’s a timer that tells your cat that it’s time for dinner in your personal voice? Oh my god.
JAMES THOMAS: Yeah.
MOLLY WOOD: Okay, so that you’ve given us some actually tactical examples thus far on how Dentsu leaders are incorporating Copilot into their workflows. What could be your recommendation for different enterprise leaders who haven’t gotten their fingers on it but? What ought to they be protecting in thoughts as they get began?
JAMES THOMAS: We’re an enormous holding group. So, you recognize, there’s equal worth in artistic as there may be within the finance workforce, as there may be within the HR workforce. Everybody’s utilizing it differently, and I feel serving to to carry individuals collectively. Assist them to share their findings and their perception on how they’ve been utilizing it, and likewise promote it to them within the use instances they perceive. When you’re speaking to a artistic a part of your online business, discuss to them concerning the artistic use instances. You recognize, they won’t be so all in favour of what you are able to do in an Excel doc, however they’ll be very all in favour of a number of the different use instances which might be way more particular to their world. So I feel perhaps tailoring it on your viewers will assist drive the adoption.
MOLLY WOOD: As you will have described it thus far, it form of appears like these are instruments that may can help you sustain with and succeed within the media world that we reside in now, proper? The place there are, such as you stated, totally different fashions and totally different distribution shops and alternative ways to get consideration. As soon as you are feeling caught up, are you able to think about how this could additionally enable you to create new enterprise fashions and companies?
JAMES THOMAS: Yeah, completely. And I feel the know-how with Microsoft and OpenAI, and what we will do with ChatGPT and DALL-E and the way through APIs we will begin to plug this stuff collectively and construct out instruments. One factor we launched this yr, actually to sort of meet this problem, is what we’re calling the Technical Supply Heart of Excellence. It’s a mixture of expertise from our India, Brazil, and Poland groups, innovation and generative AI consultants and specialists. And we’re actually scaling these groups with the intention to meet the demand of what’s coming. And what’s coming is lots of customized experiences, lots of customized platforms and instruments. You recognize, we’re already doing award-winning work. We had two awards at Cannes this yr, the highest two awards, the Grand Prix awards—one for Scrolling Remedy and one for The Inflation Cookbook, each AI-powered instruments. There are such a lot of totally different merchandise. Additionally, constructing customized fashions and customized algorithms, you recognize, that’s the place lots of the IP and lots of the differentiators will come. This know-how goes to be accessible to everybody—manufacturers, companies. Everybody’s going to have the ability to come up with it, nevertheless it’s the way you piece it collectively, how good you might be at constructing a customized mannequin. They are saying you can provide anybody a guitar, however not everybody can play it the identical, or play it properly, proper? Simply because you will have instruments or have entry to these things doesn’t imply you’re going to be efficient with it. So yeah, I feel there are such a lot of alternatives if these applied sciences and experiences can allow extra consideration and extra engagement and finally extra gross sales, more often than not, then that’s a superb factor for everybody.
MOLLY WOOD: You’re thus far forward of all people else, proper, in adopting these instruments and having this early entry. And so, I’m wondering, what do you say to AI skeptics, or people who find themselves reluctant to combine generative AI into their lives?
JAMES THOMAS: The most important false impression is that it’s simply going to take all people’s jobs. I imply, clearly AI has been round for a very long time, however generative AI particularly, clearly hit the massive time as a result of I assume it’s a bit extra horny. It’s a bit extra enjoyable. You possibly can go browsing and switch your self into Drake and make a track. You recognize, there are such a lot of enjoyable issues that anybody can do. For individuals to have the ability to go on and simply create content material, it’s nice. And as a artistic, I’m at all times in this type of slight battle with myself: I’m a artistic first, then a technologist. Something that may make individuals artistic is an efficient factor, proper? You recognize, if I can go browsing, and I won’t be the most effective video editor or picture retoucher ever, but when I can create one thing and go browsing and AI can help me in bringing it to a a lot increased stage, then that’s nice. I feel everybody ought to be capable to be artistic and create the issues they’ve of their thoughts with out know-how or ability, to a level, changing into a blocker. I make the most of that on a regular basis. As I talked about earlier than, it’s simply discovering methods for individuals to be extra artistic and increase their workflows and make higher content material, or sooner content material. However you’re at all times going to want people. You’re at all times going to want the human really feel and human contact over this work. And it opens up new alternatives for careers and ability units and skills as we see individuals stepping into immediate engineering.
MOLLY WOOD: What’s, aside from feeding your cat, the newest factor that AI has helped you with at work and never at work?
JAMES THOMAS: At work, it’s helped me to ship unbelievable work to shoppers, work that we’d by no means been in a position to do with out this know-how. Personally, it’s enabled me, as I used to be speaking earlier, to create my very own content material higher. I even have a music profession I’ve had for a very long time, and that makes me should launch different content material on a private observe. And yeah, the instruments to get that content material higher, edit it faster, sooner, enhance it’s nice.
MOLLY WOOD: What sort of music do you make?
JAMES THOMAS: All types, I work with lots of massive hip-hop artists within the US to movie scores to manufacturers. I’ve finished loads. We used to do it full time for a very long time as properly.
MOLLY WOOD: What do you do with any additional time that AI creates for you?
JAMES THOMAS: Study concerning the subsequent factor that’s coming with AI, often. [Laughs] You recognize, everybody’s enthusiastic about generative AI and the place we’re proper now. My job, and my workforce’s job, is at all times to be one step forward.
MOLLY WOOD: Quick forwarding three to 5 years, what do you suppose would be the most profound change in the best way we work?
JAMES THOMAS: Uh, wow, that’s a giant query. It’s really actually exhausting to consider the place issues are going to go. You recognize, a yr in the past, we weren’t even fascinated by generative AI, actually, you recognize, on essentially the most half, and look the place we at the moment are. So, it’s exhausting to say, however I feel virtually all people in virtually something they do career-wise, you recognize, professionally, and as a shopper, might be leveraging AI of their day-to-day work, whether or not it’s Copilot, whether or not it’s specialist instruments. I feel everyone seems to be about to get much more environment friendly, hopefully loads happier, taking a number of the legwork out of a number of the mundane duties, however I can’t see a world now the place individuals aren’t going to be leveraging AI to boost the best way they work and the best way they reside.
MOLLY WOOD: James Thomas is international head of know-how at Dentsu Inventive. Thanks a lot for the time.
JAMES THOMAS: Thanks a lot for the chance.
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MOLLY WOOD: Thanks once more to James Thomas. And that’s it for this episode of WorkLab. Please subscribe and examine again for the subsequent episode, the place I’ll be speaking to Microsoft Chief Scientific Officer Eric Horvitz about how leaders can leverage the super potential of AI to finest serve humanity. When you’ve received a query or a remark, drop us an e mail at worklab@microsoft.com, and take a look at Microsoft’s Work Pattern Indexes and the WorkLab digital publication. There you’ll discover all of our episodes together with considerate tales that discover how enterprise leaders are thriving in immediately’s new world of labor. You’ll find all of that at microsoft.com/worklab. As for this podcast, please charge us, assessment, and comply with us wherever you pay attention. It helps us out a ton. The WorkLab podcast is a spot for consultants to share their insights and opinions. As college students of the way forward for work, Microsoft values inputs from a various set of voices. That stated, the opinions and findings of our company are their very own and so they could not essentially replicate Microsoft’s personal analysis or positions. WorkLab is produced by Microsoft with Godfrey Dadich Companions and Cheap Quantity. I’m your host, Molly Wooden. Sharon Kallander and Matthew Duncan produced this podcast. Jessica Voelker is the WorkLab editor.
