Chasing AI at scale can just as easily create problems at scale. That’s why you need to focus on your content foundations first before putting AI to good use. 

There is pressure as AI raises expectations, but a clear gap remains: most content foundations were not built to scale. The good news is that this creates an opportunity. With the right foundation in place, AI can deliver on its promise. These topics were explored during a thought leadership spotlight at From Day One’s Silicon Valley marketing conference, in a conversation between Misti Vogt, SVP of engagement at Orange Logic, and Kathleen Cameron, senior digital asset operations manager in marketing operations at Google.

“Everyone is being pushed to adopt AI faster,” said Vogt. “From your perspective, what do marketing leaders need to understand before they invest further?”

Cameron highlighted that the importance of understanding the underlying architecture and making sure those foundations and governance are in place are key components. “You’re going to want to string all of that data together from all of your different tools and that's where you’re going to get a lot of that benefit from those AI tools to get either the analytics or understand how to make those quick changes to those assets to improve performance out in the market,” said Cameron. Without those foundations, you’re making things up as you go without the benefit of the data, Cameron says. 

As for the difference between an organization that experiments with AI and one that builds the foundation to benefit from it, Cameron says the two can exist in parallel. Experimentation is valuable, but organizations also need to account for regulatory compliance, which requires a more careful approach. You can experiment in a controlled environment and figure out where AI can benefit you. If you don’t have a strategy, look at what your information architecture is.

Meanwhile, there is a strong push to deploy AI widely while personnel budgets are being cut, but information security teams are urging caution, saying it is not ready for broad use yet, Vogt says. That leaves operators stuck in the middle. “So, this is where experimentation and creating those guardrails allows you to continue to move forward while you're making sure that the security team has all the information they need to feel comfortable,” said Vogt.

“I think we’re all feeling the friction of the tools evolving so quickly,” said Cameron. “I’ve had the experience of tools changing throughout my career, but not at this speed. And we want to embrace new tech, and I think we just need to do it more responsibly and thoughtfully,” she said. 

When people come to Vogt with questions about AI, she first asks what problem they are trying to solve. Once that is clear, the path forward becomes more focused and manageable.

How Content Is Created and Managed

As for what assumptions marketing teams should rethink, particularly around how they create and manage content, Cameron says the way content is produced is changing rapidly. It is important to examine every component, including copy, video, and photography.

She emphasized the need for caution, especially when it comes to existing agreements and rights holders, in order to protect the brand and its reputation. Teams also need to stay alert to new regulations as they emerge.

“Every piece of content that exists for your business should understand when it was created, why it was created, how much it cost to create, which teams engaged with it, how it went to market, and how it was recomposed,” agreed Vogt. 

“Throughout the entire content journey, there’s a lot of value there, regardless of the audience or channel,” said Vogt. “Localization is a big one. I think everyone in this room has some kind of localization effort underway, and many are working with third-party localization agencies, but the rules are pretty similar. As long as we track those rules and can dynamically compose the elements, it starts to streamline the process and allows creatives to do what they love to do, which is be creative.”

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner, Orange Logic, for sponsoring this thought leadership spotlight. 

Kristen Kwiatkowski is a professional freelance writer covering a wide array of industries, with a focus on food and beverage and business. Her work has been featured in the Bucks County Herald, Eater Philly, Edible Lehigh Valley, Cider Culture, and The Town Dish. 

(Photos by Josh Larson for From Day One)