AI can make the big players weaker and the small ones powerful: Shubhranshu Singh

The keynote address at The Marketing Pulse Summit by Social Samosa featured Shubhranshu Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, CVBU at Tata Motors, taking the audience on an odyssey showcasing the evolution of artificial intelligence. 

At the beginning, Singh mentioned that the presentation was about clarifying the role of artificial intelligence from a marketer's perspective. The focus is on how management time and action are increasingly directed toward decisions related to AI and its impact on our daily lives. “AI influences everything we do, from managing our digital identities and reading emails to making e-commerce purchases. Our world is dominated by digital environments that are rapidly evolving,” he said. 

Singh emphasised that AI isn't new. While it feels like a massive change, AI has been around for a long time. The real shift is in how AI affects the digital universe. “For the first 200,000 years of human existence, life was relatively unchanging. Our evolutionary hardwiring makes us averse to change, viewing it as a threat rather than an opportunity,” he noted.

“Historically, human beings have learned from their environment in predictable ways. For example, if someone ate a green fruit and survived, others would follow. This approach to change has been ingrained in us for millennia. However, in the digital world, ignoring change is no longer possible,” Singh highlighted. 

Singh went on to say, “Humans are social and hierarchical animals. Our interactions and the information we consume are heavily influenced by algorithms. Whether it's the messages we receive on social media or the recommendations we get on platforms like Netflix, these are all algorithmically controlled. AI has been part of our lives for decades, from predictive text in word processors to sorting emails and managing smart appliances.”

The CMO of CVBU at Tata Motors observed that despite technological advancements, human nature remains unchanged. “Our primal instincts, social behaviours, and values persist. However, the rapid pace of technological change accelerates these dynamics in ways we cannot fully comprehend. Many people mistakenly view AI as an extension of software, not realising its potential to learn and adapt autonomously,” he remarked. 

Singh highlighted that as of 2023, global advertising spending reached $1 trillion, with $700 billion in digital advertising. He said that this ecosystem, dominated by companies like Google and Meta, knows more about individuals than their closest acquaintances. 

“The digital world personalises experiences based on extensive data, creating a feedback loop that reinforces user behaviour,” he said. 

Taking the presentation ahead, Singh said that the shift from chronological social media feeds to algorithmically-driven ones illustrates how digital platforms prioritise engagement and profitability. “This personalization can lead to a homogenization of content, stifling creativity and diversity. Users consume more of the same, driven by dopamine-seeking behaviours and algorithmic anxiety,” he commented. 

Singh mentioned that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) amplifies this effect, as it learns and adapts at an unprecedented pace. “The integration of AI into our daily lives means that our interactions, preferences, and identities are increasingly mediated by algorithms. This transformation poses challenges and opportunities for marketers and society as a whole,” the CMO remarked. 

Singh said that before 2000, content was infrequent, big, and on large screens. Today, everything is frequent, small, and social, constantly surrounding us. This shift affects search as well. 

Pointing to the conversationality in search brought in by AI, Singh said, “Recently, I studied an AI-native search tool called Perplexity AI. Unlike Google, which provides links, Perplexity AI offers a conversational summary about the person, including their achievements and skills. This conversational approach represents a significant change.”

“Google made $175 billion last year selling advertising through keywords. If a new model offers chewed-up, digested summaries without links, there will be no place for ads, shrinking revenue. This could lead to new players in the digital ecosystem becoming highly valuable overnight,” Singh elaborated. 

Sharing his views on AI tools’ impacting efficiency, Singh said that in marketing, a brand logo used to be sacred. Today, tools generate logos in real-time, changing the ecosystem. 

Singh highlighted that the model of agencies being held on a retainer could change. 

“Clients will soon buy output instead of time, leading to the end of iterative output. Social media is still growing, with 2.5 hours spent per day per person, leading to commodification. Data will compress this commodification to the extreme,” he said.

Singh said that there are limitations to social media, and people are taking corrective measures. Artisan work, for example, remains valuable because of the human touch. He added that with AI, deep fakes can make it hard to tell what’s real. People might withdraw to more secure environments.

“AI in social media will create more locked-in, proofed environments. AI can take creative storytelling to new levels, allowing for more personalised and interactive experiences,” he observed. 

Singh further stated, “The era of the 25-year-old media planner is ending. AI enables real-time corrections that no human can match. This doesn’t mean job loss; instead, new applications and tools will emerge. AI can make the big players weaker and the small ones powerful.”

Concluding the session with advice, Singh remarked, “For young people, embracing technology is crucial. It’s like plunging into cold water—initially daunting, but it normalises over time. You must make mistakes, read more, and learn actively to understand it. Hopefully, you’ll all become proficient with AI as it becomes an integral part of our lives.”