That power may be more evident, but many in the industry remain fearful and suspicious of AI, particularly of how it could take people’s jobs or erode creativity. That is why Publicis’ campaign also comes with a note of caution.
“Now that [AI] is in the hands of creators, we have to create safe and private places for it and partner with the right companies and people, to make sure we’re evolving AI properly but doing so in a responsible way,” Serrano said. “We’re celebrating AI, but with caution.”
Converting the skeptics
Half a decade ago, one of the company’s own leaders–Publicis Groupe France chief creative officer Marco Venturelli–was one of the doubters.
Since then, he’s come around. He told Adweek that while using an AI tool to develop the Marcel campaign, he was “surprised” by both the images’ quality and speed of production, which gave him “more time for conception.”
“Things are improving fast,” he said. “[For creatives] there’s a mental shift required to see [AI] as a tool, not a competition.”
After a delayed launch, with a U.K. pilot in 2019 followed by a U.S. debut in 2020, Marcel has become an important part of Publicis’ business, according to company leaders. Especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, as staff shifted to remote work, the platform “was a godsend” by facilitating easier organization and communication internally, said chief talent officer Emmanuel André.
Other recent Marcel developments include PublicisGPT, the company’s own generative AI tool, and the Work Your World experience, which supports hybrid working by allowing employees to relocate to any office in the world for up to six weeks.
Besides celebrating the lofty potential of AI, Publicis may have another motivation for advertising Marcel’s anniversary in Cannes Lions, which is famously a place for deal-making and client scouting. Serrano told Adweek that an undisclosed client recently hired Publicis to build a Marcel duplicate for their business.