Yes, generative AI can automate general workflow tasks, speak to clients and customers intelligibly, and churn out content at lightning speed. On the latter task, the resulting product tends to be boilerplate-style copy devoid of any personality or voice—in other words, functional but hardly creative. New research from visual communication platform Canva doesn’t counter that claim necessarily, but 3 in 4 of more than 4,000 marketing and creative leaders surveyed say that the wunderkind tech is making them more creative.
The firm’s new findings on creative pros’ attitudes towards generative AI, with research partner Morning Consult, determine that AI is unlocking productivity and elevating creativity—most marketing and creative pros (80 percent) agree that AI-powered tools reduce the minutia of repetitive tasks, freeing them up to focus on the more creative and meaningful parts of their role. Sixty-nine percent say generative AI tools are enhancing their team’s creativity and saving them at least 2-3 hours per week, with more than a third (36 percent) of teams saying they save between 4-5 hours per week on creative projects.
Of the minority (17 percent) who feel generative AI tools are limiting their team’s creativity, the most common objection (48 percent) was preventing the development of original ideas.
Top findings include:
Generative AI is fast becoming a fixture in the modern workplace
Ninety-seven percent of marketing and creative leaders are comfortable with the rise of generative AI, with three-fourths (75 percent) already considering it an essential part of their creative toolkit.
The AI ecosystem is fragmented and complex
More than two-thirds (69 percent) believe there are already too many generative AI tools, with 65 percent overwhelmed by the learning curve. While most are excited about the opportunities to elevate creativity, 54 percent feel pressured to use it to keep pace with change, and 47 percent say they don’t know how to get the most value out of the technology.
Generative AI is transforming the content creation process
With marketers and creatives tasked with creating huge volumes of content, many are turning to AI for assistance. The majority (83 percent) have used generative AI to create written content, generate unique images (82 percent) or edit images and videos (82 percent). Looking 5 years ahead, approximately half (49 percent) believe generative AI tools will be better than humans at creating visual images.
Concerns about data privacy persist
The ability of generative AI tools to process data and generate sensitive information has raised some concerns. The majority ranked customer data (76 percent), company data (75 percent), and personal data (74 percent) risks as their top concerns, over job loss, plagiarism, and bias. Organizations are addressing these risks, with more than half (55 percent) saying their company has established strict guidelines for the use of generative AI.
“Tighter budgets, increased content demands, and non-stop deadlines have led marketers to embrace generative AI tools to scale their output,” said Natalie Schwartz, global head of brand marketing at Canva, in a news release. “Our findings reinforce the fact that AI-powered tools are breathing new life into creativity and productivity for marketers, a profound impact we see firsthand as a visual communication platform.”
Read more about the findings here.
Canva commissioned Morning Consult to survey 4,050 business leaders in marketing and creative roles. These individuals are decision-makers for purchasing software in their department or company. Specifically, Canva surveyed 505 business leaders in the United States, 500 in the United Kingdom, 513 in Spain, 503 in Germany, 497 in France, 524 in Brazil, 315 in Mexico, 377 in India, and 316 in Australia.
