The Past, Present and Future of AI in Marketing

"If a machine can think, it might think more intelligently than we do, and then where should we be? Even if we could keep the machines in a subservient position, for instance by turning off the power at strategic moments, we should, as a species, feel greatly humbled." IBM's artificial intelligence (AI) platform, Watson, is loquacious; it can tell jokes, answer questions and write songs. Google's AI can now read lips better than a professional and can master video games within hours. MIT's AI can predict action on video two seconds before it begins. All seem to propel us closer to Turing's world of machines with more intelligence than humans. If Turing's words now ring true, should we feel humbled or anxious? For many marketers, the anxiety and existential fear has given way to hope and excitement for a new tomorrow. Dome, who works as a marketing consultant and adjunct professor at University of Chicago's Graham School, grows excited as he talks about the possibility of AI: the time it could save marketers, how it can bring companies closer to consumers and its potential to catch customers in stride, saving effort on the business and consumer side.