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Brian Michael West

Hat Trick
Jun 1, 2018
93
80
Awards
5
First Name
Brian
Hey car dealer fam, AI fatigue is getting real… and it’s happening fast.


Let me ask you something...


If a digital marketing agency or website provider offered a clear promise like “Written by Skilled Human Writers” or “Designed by Talented Human Artists,” would you pay for that?


Do you think there will eventually be backlash against companies that replace experienced employees with cheap AI tools?


I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I’m trying to figure out if I’m alone on this, or if others are starting to feel the same shift.


Supporting American workers.
Supporting skilled artists.
Supporting real creative talent.


Where do you stand?
 
I personally expected to see alot more of this, but over the past 12 months the adoption of AI has just been unmeasurable, which really has a strong impact on this. If those in my circle that can barely operate a TV are already using ChatGPT to write their wedding speeches and pick movies to watch and research topics... it's much more difficult to paint AI with a negative brush when they've seen it work.

On the business side of this, it really doesn't make sense to me anymore. Once you've seen the efficiencies of AI, you really can't go back to not using it. I would love to say that "written by human" or "designed by a human" were traits that mattered, but when you see what Notebook and NanoBanana and OpenClaw can do.. I don't see this human thing winning in the free market.

I am a huge believer in human + AI (not pure AI) on the business side, but that removes the ability to claim it is crafted by a human.
 
Those of us on DealerRefresh ride the absolute tip of the spear. We have been playing with AI for a long time. Others are mostly only seeing funny stuff on Facebook (Bigfoot was hilarious), but haven't ventured into the depths we are. They are not creating with it and don't recognize when they're consuming AI content.

The number of people who converse with an AI bot on a dealer website blows my mind. It is so obvious to me, but people roll with it. It is better than what used to answer those chats.

I created an AI avatar of myself and fed it a script earlier today. Showed it to my wife, who was like, "What is this boring video about negative equity you recorded of yourself?" And then I told her I'm not in that video. Her mouth dropped. She then said, "I didn't realize AI had gotten this good."

Prior to AI, good movie effects cost $1,000,000 per minute. With AI, those same visuals now cost $5,000 per minute.

I'm like @craigh in the mixing of tech and human to create better efficiencies and creativity is the way to go. I don't want to work with an agency that hasn't embraced AI.
 
Hey car dealer fam, AI fatigue is getting real… and it’s happening fast.


Let me ask you something...


If a digital marketing agency or website provider offered a clear promise like “Written by Skilled Human Writers” or “Designed by Talented Human Artists,” would you pay for that?


Do you think there will eventually be backlash against companies that replace experienced employees with cheap AI tools?


I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I’m trying to figure out if I’m alone on this, or if others are starting to feel the same shift.


Supporting American workers.
Supporting skilled artists.
Supporting real creative talent.


Where do you stand?
It's a good callout @Brian Michael West . Basically the reality is AI is and will permeate everything faster that human only content and work can counter it. But to your point Human + AI, well done and refined will win the day on it's quality and merits. AI slop is everywhere. Boomers are building AI replicas and their kids and grand kids are getting the cringe. The magic is tasteful and elegant human collaboration with AI to deliver immersive multimedia experiences at scale. I dropped a 3 part series on our insights blog that tackles the paradoxical decision dealers are faced with right now and predictions on the outcomes of that decision - Here's part one... Hope it hits home and provides some grounded perspective - The Automation Crossroads: What NADA Quietly Revealed About the Future of Dealership AI | Hrizn Insights
 
Those of us on DealerRefresh ride the absolute tip of the spear. We have been playing with AI for a long time. Others are mostly only seeing funny stuff on Facebook (Bigfoot was hilarious), but haven't ventured into the depths we are. They are not creating with it and don't recognize when they're consuming AI content.

The number of people who converse with an AI bot on a dealer website blows my mind. It is so obvious to me, but people roll with it. It is better than what used to answer those chats.

I created an AI avatar of myself and fed it a script earlier today. Showed it to my wife, who was like, "What is this boring video about negative equity you recorded of yourself?" And then I told her I'm not in that video. Her mouth dropped. She then said, "I didn't realize AI had gotten this good."

Prior to AI, good movie effects cost $1,000,000 per minute. With AI, those same visuals now cost $5,000 per minute.

I'm like @craigh in the mixing of tech and human to create better efficiencies and creativity is the way to go. I don't want to work with an agency that hasn't embraced AI.
Agreed. AI is a step in the right direction. In this day and age... if you aren't using AI you're behind. @MattCopley you said it best. Human with AI touch is going to be the best it will get.
 
Human with AI touch is going to be the best it will get.

Even this statement alone I think will age quickly. The AI being quicker, better and "smarter" than the human is only going to get better - we will eventually get to the point where the human input is the weakest link. If you look at people replacing human roles with OpenClaw, it's clear to see that some of these AI bots are able to work, communicate, produce and measure better than the human they replaced at a fraction of the cost.

Anyone who wants to overwhelm themselves with the possibilities should be following this channel:
 
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If slop results works, we will all buy slop. Everyone says they want the best, but few are actually willing to pay a premium for it. So my assessment we will see far more slop than curated content till the AI get so good that quality becomes a commodity.
 
As a CTO at a startup generating hundreds of thousands of images and videos every day, we are seeing a divide in the audience.

There are generally two types of people:
  1. Those who already have defined workflows. For them, AI is a utility. It helps with execution, reduces cost, and improves scale - amazing.
  2. Those who don’t have clarity on what they’re trying to create and they expect AI to solve that for them.
I think AI won't replace direction or taste. It can help with strategy though. If you know what you’re building, it’s a force multiplier. If you don’t or have no understand what strategy makes sense, it can distract you even more I guess.

Also, no, I don't support HUMAN-MADE label. At the end of the day, someone is behind the AI.
 
If a digital marketing agency or website provider offered a clear promise like “Written by Skilled Human Writers” or “Designed by Talented Human Artists,” would you pay for that?
Dealers care about results. If AI can generate the same or better outcomes at a fraction of the cost, it’s just a smart business decision to use it.

That sales pitch might resonate with a segment of people who are resistant to change or still judging AI based on what it could do in 2023 instead of what it can do in 2026.

I didn’t buy into the hype around blockchain, the metaverse, NFTs, or any of the other “next big things.” But AI is different. It’s already materially changed how I work and how much I’m able to get done, and it keeps getting better at a pace that’s hard to overstate.

If you’re not using it every day, it’s easy to brush off. But AI is going to meaningfully change how we live and how we do business.