Sasan Saeidi: I don't think there is a challenge big enough that creativity cannot solve

In the age of technology and artificial intelligence, creativity needs to have enablers, says Sasan Saeidi, IAA World President & Chairman and CEO of Wunderman Thompson New York. Sasan has a Masters degree in “Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in business” at University of Oxford and he is interested in learning more about how technology can help people work.

”I talk about data. I talk about technology. Virtual reality, augmented reality, AI. Those are enablers that will enhance your creativity to become more scalable, to become more connected, to create better experiences”, says Sasan. 

Sasan was a speaker at the Creativity4Better global conference, organised by IAA Romania. During a break at the conference, we talked with Sasan about AI, advertising and the new definitions of creativity. 

The rise of AI

First off, I think there is a lot of ambiguity right now around AI. Ambiguity meaning that there's a lot of unknowns. People are still trying to discover and understand the impact of AI, what you can do with AI. But what I can assure is that the impact on creativity and business, on a positive element, is a lot. You can do a lot of things with AI that you were not able to do before.

So, I think definitely the future of human beings and AI will be much more successful than human beings alone. And I say that because it's very, very important for us to make sure that it's about people and AI working together. It's not just artificial intelligence.

It's important for us to understand how you create artificial intelligence that works within a human framework. Human framework means things that you do, guidelines that you have, policies that you create, that are helping you do things with AI, that are helping and serving human beings.

The future is how you use AI to enhance creativity, to enhance your business, but making sure that you always do it in the guidelines of human centricity. If we can do that, we'll be very successful.

I think it's the future. It's already the future today. And I think it's going to be one of those things that will impact our business forever.

Similar to the way that media progressed, like television changed the world forever, right? Radio changed the world forever. This is also one of those media or innovations that come within media that will change us forever.

So, the more you know about it, the more you understand it, the better I think you can do your work and your marketing and your advertising for the future. So, that's why I wanted to learn more about it. 

What did you learn

That artificial intelligence will do wonders. And you can achieve a lot when it comes to doing things that a normal human being cannot do. So, the advantages are huge.

But the one thing I've learned is it can also be very dangerous if you don't have the right guidelines and human mindset to be able to create a framework that can serve that purpose. That can be very dangerous.

So, for me, it's all about putting a human filter in everything that we do when it comes to AI, whether it's operational AI or creative. Because also when you look at AI, AI and its basic implications are many, right? You use it for data, you use it for business, you use it for analytics, you use it for creativity. You can use it everywhere. But, again, making sure that you're working within the context of a framework is what I learned is the most important kind of implication for it.

It definitely has to be a combination of real wisdom when it comes to people and humanity and AI working together. That, for me, is the perfect combination versus just going on AI on its own.

New definition of creativity

Creativity, the essence of creativity will always be a human-centric, I would say. We're all creative. Creativity is very human. But I think creativity today needs to have enablers. And by enablers, I talk about data. I talk about technology. Technology can then be broken down into everything, virtual reality, augmented reality, AI, so many other things. 

Those are enablers that will enhance your creativity for it to become more scalable, for it to become more connected, for you to create better experiences. Experiences means that if I'm a brand, a water brand or a coke brand or whatever, I need to create the right experience for the consumer to be able to engage with my brand. Because the more I do that, the better they love my brand.

So AI and technology enhances that. You can do better things with it. And that for me helps creativity. But it's not creativity on its own if you use AI. I think it has to be an enabler to use and to enhance your work, which is the most important thing.

How do you perceive your role

We are working in the field of creativity. And in order for you to be successful in this role, you have to be passionate about what you do. You have to be really passionate about creativity, about marketing, about building brands. If you don't have that, you're not going to be successful. 

I think in today's world, you need to constantly be able to adapt yourself to learn new things. So if you want to be successful today, beyond the fact that you need to be passionate, my recommendation for everyone is read as much as you can, learn as much as you can. Because the more you learn, the more you read, the more you are exposed to culture and what culture is, the better you can do your work and the better consultant you can be for your clients.

When you're in advertising, you're surrounded by creativity. So you automatically look at everything from a creative lens, which is important. So that changes you. We live and breathe in the people's business. And when you're in the people's business, you need to be able to connect with people. You need to be able to reach out and say hi. You need to be much more sociable. You need to be able to engage. Even if I don't know you, after five minutes when we talk, we need to have a conversation.

I've been working now for, I would say, 20 something years, 25 years. If I were to choose again, I would still choose advertising. I would have never wanted to become a banker or economist or whatever. So I would definitely choose the same.

Are you prepared for Gen Z?

Nobody is prepared for the Gen Z consumer. I have a Gen Z. I have two boys. I have my own Gen Z.

I think the world that they're living in has become much more complicated. They are consumed with so much information. They are consumed with trends, with technology. And because they have so much information, they start developing opinions. And they become very cynical. :) They either hate you or they love you.

So, you need to be able to provide a utility for them. Utility means that if I'm a brand, I need to tell them what they get in return. They're very transactional.

They are very purposeful as well. They like brands that do good things. They like that. They like brands that do the right things, whether it's supporting causes, etc. And more importantly, because they have so much information, because they have so much knowledge, and they have everything around them, you cannot bullshit them. It's very important. You have to be very authentic. You need to be very real. Fakeness doesn't cut it with them.

This makes it very challenging for marketers to be able to connect with the Gen Z audience. What works in connecting with them? Authenticity works. Even if a brand makes a mistake, being real and saying, we made a mistake, but we're going to fix it. Not lying about things. 

The responsibility of the industry 

You need to be a human being yourself. You need to make sure that you have morals that you stick to. Have principles that you believe in. Principles of doing right, principles of being honest. The industry needs to also reflect and embody those attributes. Being honest, doing good, taking care of people.

What excites me is that we come up with stuff every day. We create new things every day. We create stories, we create products. Creativity excites me because of the fact that we're not duplicating the past. We're always creating the future. That's what excites me about the business.

I don't think there is a challenge big enough that creativity cannot solve. You can solve any challenge with creativity. And human beings are very versatile, and by nature they're very creative.

Creativity can definitely fight war. I remember two years ago in Cannes, the president of Ukraine addressed Cannes, when the war had started. And he addressed Cannes and the creative community to help talk about stories, help promote the right essence, to be able to, I don't know, maybe share a different perspective on the Russia and the Ukraine conflict. So definitely I think there is an opportunity for creativity to have an impact on war and peace.

I think creativity has a role to play when it comes to taking care of the environment. It has a role to play when it comes to taking care of poverty and hunger. It has a role to play when it comes to child trafficking and sustainability and so many other areas. It starts and ends with creativity. So definitely I think creativity has a role to play, not just by us telling a nice story about Christmas for Coke, but also other things that brands can play a big role in when it comes to serious stuff that is happening around us.