Generative AI isn't going anywhere anytime soon, and for good reason. It is one of those moments in the evolution of technology that we might only truly appreciate when it is fully developed. It's not hard to appreciate that it is a game changer in the tech space.
However, it is also not hard to acknowledge that and still be able to tell when the integration of generative AI is starting to get excessive. Companies advertising on TikTok will be able to use generative AI to create social media campaigns and I think that's a move that won't benefit consumers.
Why Bother Coming Up With A Social Media Campaign When You Can Just Leave It To AI?
It doesn't matter whether you're trying to sell a service or a product; it's important to be able to create a marketing campaign that connects with the target audience. This is why we've always had humans behind ads and marketing, looking for ways to get a product to speak to you enough that you decide to spend your money on it.
At the 2024 TikTok World Product Summit, the company announced some changes to its advertisement policies, one of the biggest money-makers for the platform. Now, a recent addition finds a way to stuff generative AI into the mix. I'm sure that advertisers are going to love it because it means less work on their side, but I feel it's going to promote a disconnect between the product and the consumer if it is noticeable that the campaign was constructed with lines of code.
The tools for creating these campaigns are part of a suite of features called TikTok Symphony. Now, ad creators won't need to write their own scripts or bother about certain elements of video production. This means advertisers can get new campaigns out much quicker. For brands looking to boost initial traction, some even choose to buy TikTok views to complement their organic strategy and speed up engagement.
I recognize that generative AI is very capable in many ways, but I personally believe this new addition to TikTok will only promote quantity over quality. I'm always open to being proved wrong though, so let's see what things look like once these artificial campaigns start to hit our screens.
TikTok Is Still Embroiled In A Whole Battle With The US Government
Of course, this major announcement came amidst TikTok's whole big thing with the US government. In case you're not up to speed, the summary is that the US government doesn't trust what ByteDance, the parent company of the major social media platform, might be doing with the user data of US citizens, and as a result, has given the company an ultimatum to sell TikTok to an American company, or risk a complete ban in the United States.
The company is going to fight back against this decision, unsurprisingly, especially considering how large a money-making market the United States is, but they have stated that they would rather opt for a ban in the US rather than selling TikTok. That also isn't surprising, considering how large a cash cow TikTok must be for ByteDance.
