AI seen as a threat? Millennials say bring it on

Presenting to the Internet Association, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos describes the impact of artificial intelligence on society as an “amazing renaissance”. According to Bezos, artificial intelligence will “empower and improve every business, every government organisation, every philanthropy. Basically, there’s no institution in the world that cannot be improved with machine learning.”

While the phrase ‘artificial intelligence’ may prompt fear in some people’s minds – perhaps preconditioned by Hollywood and sci-fi dramatisations of malevolent robots – the real-life experience of artificial intelligence has been far different. Every day we are incrementally becoming more exposed to artificial intelligence in its varied forms, whether it be the apps on our phone, the virtual personal assistant in our living room, or the self-driving cars we’re increasingly seeing in the news and soon on our streets.

The reality is that artificial intelligence is not something to be fearful of. Without doubt, the technologies we see over the coming years and decades will fundamentally change how we live our lives. But those currently at the coalface of this transformation – the millennial generation – are following Mr Bezos in taking a positive view towards its impact.

The millennial take
Capturing the attention of millennials has long been the holy grail of brand marketers. Multi-screen and multi-channel by nature, this generation demands more from the brands in their lives. Blanket marketing messages and one-way broadcasts don’t cut it, and advertisers reliant on the interruption-based practices of the past increasingly find themselves lacking in engagement.

The millennial tag encompasses a vast pool of people. The arbitrary 25-35 demographic includes people distinct not only in age (think of the different life stages between a college student and someone approaching the mid-stage of their career), but in interests, behaviours, and emotional impulses.

Attempts to engage this audience en masse are therefore flawed, because no ‘message’ is going to resonate with everyone. What this generation does have in common, however, is their expectation to be spoken to in a personalised way.

Rocket Fuel says marketers should not be fearful of AI. Credit: iStock

Our recent consumer survey, Perceptions of AI, found that millennials are open-minded when it comes to brand advertising and engagement, provided it’s done in a relevant and personalised way. A clear majority of 25-35 year olds surveyed, 80%, said they are seeing the value of brands presenting them with personalised advertising and offers. What this shows us is that millennials are accepting of the data exchange that takes place – they hand over their data, which will be used in a safe way that complies with relevant regulations. And in turn they get content they enjoy, expect and anticipate.

Being able to engage with millennials in a personalised way is the next frontier as brands seek to maintain and increase relevancy in the digital age. So how can brands deliver this level of relevance at scale? Enter artificial intelligence.

AI in marketing
The volume and speed of data available to advertisers is only increasing. The human mind alone can’t handle this level of information, let alone turn it into actionable insight. Artificial intelligence enables trillions of data points to be scored and analysed in real-time to give companies better insight. It learns about customer behaviour and can then predict the next steps and patterns in a customer’s journey, predicting what an individual will want next – before they’re even aware of it themselves.

It’s only natural that sentiments towards artificial intelligence will reflect popular usage and exposure. Millennial males are typically the quickest adopters of new technology, so it follows that they’re the demographic most at ease with the concept of artificial intelligence. Our research has reinforced this notion. The survey showed millennial males are most likely to find artificial intelligence exciting (81%), least likely to be fearful of it (only 13%), and most likely to think that it will improve their job in the next five years (47%).

If brands want to capture the attention of younger generations, they must now be ready to communicate with them in the precise moment they are likely to engage. This means predicting the time of day, the device being used and the likelihood of converting them rather than their position on the traditional funnel.

Harnessing this data, artificial intelligence will continue to absorb data to understand and predict what consumers want and will be inspired to act upon at that very moment. What this offers is true personalisation. The messages and offers you receive are perfectly personalised to your needs, behaviours and interests at that very moment and stage in your journey. This creates a new paradigm in advertising that offers meaningful experiences in place of annoyance and irritation.

Finding the right message As with any generation, millennials’ life stages are comprised by predictable benchmarks and transitional moments that give brands crucial information about what’s important to consumers at different parts of their lives. Brands that segment millennials not by age but by these core lifecycles will find more success than those that don’t, because this means reaching the individual, not just a segment. In order to achieve this, brands must engage with their audiences in the moments that matter across the consumer journey. And the rewards for brands that get it right are vast.

Successful advertising that delivers relevant messaging is dependent on smart data and the right technology to help organise and utilise the information. With artificial intelligence, we can use owned data, not bought, to learn the behaviour of customers, then search near-infinite profiles of people who display the same characteristics online. In addition, we can identify the precise moments – based on their lifestyle, character traits and likely mood – to deliver advertising people are happy to receive. This level of personalisation is rewarded with higher levels of engagement, brand awareness and ROI along with a lower cost per acquisition.

David Gosen has over 20 years’ experience in senior sales, marketing and executive roles, He oversees Rocket Fuel’s international business and operational activities. He also leads the commercial functions, ensuring sales and product strategy delivers best-in-class client partnerships