Unpacking the influence of AI on marketing with anthropologist Bob Morais
Our usual guests talk about journeys that they chose to embark on: starting a company, solving a problem, creating opportunities, or navigating life and career. In our current series, we’re probing into a trip that none of us opted into but we’re all aboard anyway…and that is artificial intelligence. AI influences what we see, hear, buy, and think, how we navigate the world, and how we navigate daily life.
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Bob Morais, an anthropologist and expert in human behavior, particularly in the realm of marketing. He is a Lecturer at Colubia Business School and had a 35+ year career in advertising and market research. Morais was a Principal/Co-owner of a market research firm and spent years with advertising agencies rising to the role of Chief Strategic Officer. He has worked with Coca Cola, Danone, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Post Foods, Proctor & Gamble, Safeway, WD-40, Fairmont, Raffles, and Swissôtel, and many others. His books include Advertising and Anthropology; Ethics in the Anthropology of Business; and The Language of Branding. His articles have appeared in Forbes, Advertising Age, Huffington Post, American Anthropologist, Human Organization, Culture and Organization, and Medium.
In this episode of What I Wish I Knew with Mike Irwin & Simon Daw, Bob talks about the role of AI currently, AI risks, and the importance of AI savvy for all. He also covers AI “hallucinations”, how it can stretch our thinking on research, and why its most effectively used as a collaboration tool rather than a replacement for human thought.
On a prior episode, Dr. Morais discussed techniques to understand human behavior, how culture continually evolves, what cancel culture really means, big data versus thick data, and what may be the Covid pandemic’s lasting impact on modern culture.
Connect with Dr. Morais on LinkedIn.
What I Wish I Knew with Mike Irwin & Simon Daw...
Life and career rarely go to plan. Breakthroughs happen on the ragged edge when things aren't quite going as expected. What I Wish I Knew podcast hosts Mike Irwin and Simon Daw explore lessons learned by leading academics, athletes, creators, entrepreneurs, leaders, and difference makers. They all have three things in common: none are perfect, all are humble, and they've learned a few things along the way. In What I Wish I Knew, they share their lessons with you.