How do you use A.I. in your work?

At Illuminated Marketing, we recognize that AI has become a force in our world. While we appreciate streamlined processes and the tools that help us do our job more efficiently, we never want to lose touch with the parts of our work that are best accomplished through human connection. AI can help us streamline a process or clarify a problem, but we use it strategically in ways that amplify our creativity and thought processes. We truly value the human relationships that come from the work that we do. 

We understand that AI has an impact on not just workflows but the environment as well. Here are some ways that we utilize AI for our clients and the world around us.

Allie Jones  |  Founder, Creative Director

We use AI in intentional and effective ways, which means we're never just copying and pasting what it generates. With complex prompting and custom GPTs, I think of it as a collaborator, not another member on the Illuminated Marketing team. I want to be mindful about how to make sure the footprint and the environmental impact of using AI are minimal. I know I’ve hired the members on the Illuminated Marketing team for a purpose with distinct talents and capabilities. And I’m confident in their capability to complete quality work, without AI directing their path.

Kathryn Bartling |  Operations & Content Manager

As a writer, I like to avoid AI as much as possible, no matter how many writer’s blocks I experience. I believe that there’s power behind the words we choose to use, and I never want technology eliminating the creative process that goes into telling a personal story. While AI can be helpful in simplifying complex topics or summarizing key points prior to creating copy, I never want to use it to replace the human voice. At Illuminated Marketing, we’ve been hired as humans to help, and I never want to minimize that by relying on technology to tell the human story.

Melissa Blanford | Project Management & Marketing Coordinator 

When I'm using AI, it's mostly for social media, working to build out monthly social media calendars at a glance. I find that it can also be helpful for press releases. But I recognize that AI is a bit of a Pandora’s box that I want to utilize in a way that has set boundaries. I always want to make sure that my use of it isn’t going to have a negative impact on the world I live in or the generations that follow me, and establishing those boundaries is extremely important to me and the work I do at Illuminated Marketing.

Megan Phillips | Brand Development & Graphic Designer

I do all of my work, researching and creating without AI. While I know it’s prevalent for many in the marketing world, I want to ensure that what our clients are receiving in our design process is truly unique to them. A part of me is in each of the final designs that our clients receive, and that’s something AI can’t provide. In some ways, I’d like to run AI out of a job through my creativity and quality work.

There’s no question that generative AI has made dramatic changes this year to almost every industry, but especially marketing. As we start to see AI-generated content become increasingly prominent, it’s essential to have a grounded, thoughtful approach to using this technology strategically, while still centering and celebrating what makes us human and the elements of creative communication that AI can’t replace. While AI will continue to evolve in the coming years, this is our current approach to how and when we use AI.