How AI Transformed DAMLA 23′ & Inspired New Possibilities

Steve Bevilacqua 

Primary Consultant, Cella by Randstad | Martech and AI Execution Strategist |

It’s all about AI at DAMLA

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It was my first time at Henry Stewart DAM West Coast, this time taking place in Hollywood. I found it an amazing space and conference (although perhaps a little too small for the number of attendees). The accommodations from the HS group were top notch and the speakers were interesting and fascinating.

And even though this was my first West Coast Henry Stewart, It was my 5th or 6th HS overall. What I have learned is that each year has a buzzword, a topic everyone is excited about and wants to discuss, and although it was bubbling up for some time — this year it was all about Artificial Intelligence

I’m always a little trepidatious when everyone is talking about something, as it so often is hype over substance, and it fades away into the next big thing by next year’s convention. I don’t, and never felt, that way about AI. This is the real deal and is not only here to stay it is a revolution that will be equal if not more life changing than the industrial revolution. I am not one for hyperbole, so I don’t say this lightly. Jobs will disappear and new jobs will be created. Those who feel “humans will still be needed” will be in the same unemployment line with those who said the same thing about horses during the rise of the automobile.

That is not to say all human jobs will be replaced. There will still need to be the human creativity to formulate, ask, and seed the AI in order to get the best results.  I did find it a little strange that it’s taken this long to come to the forefront. I first encountered AI, specifically in asset management, while working on a team with Adobe almost 6 years ago. (This would eventually evolve into sensei.)

I didn’t get to attend every talk on AI. But one thing I didn’t hear addressed (which I think is so important to those of us in the Digital Asset space ) is how important having a centralized system of curated and tagged assets is going to become. You need only look at the litigation already forming around copyright and fair use to see what is brewing. It is obvious to me that the only way to ensure you eliminate this risk is to leverage your own IP. Just as you wouldn’t ask your creatives to go out to google to find images for your next campaign, you shouldn’t treat the training of your AI any different.

I have heard, and love, the phase “Steal from yourself”. When you go to personalize your AI to use only your owned media, where will it find it? Well, from your controlled and perfectly curated DAM of course — with all the proper metadata to allow it to know what to prioritize for it’s learning.

I think the future is exciting and although it is going to alter the way we do business and even our roles, I for one welcome our AI partners.  Who, in the end, are only leveraging what we previously created to derive new assets and processes at a speed we could never imagine.

I like this part a lot Steve “I’m always a little trepidatious when everyone is talking about something […] I don’t, and never felt, that way about AI.” I also see this often in conferences, some big brand did something great (or stupid), or some government came up with a new rule, etc.

I do believe the media attention AI has today will go down, not because it’s going away, but because people will start seeing it more and more, and it will become ‘normal’.

Alex Monich VP of Technology Commercialization