Greetings earthlings,

Welcome back to Spark Intelligence! Emma at your service today. We’re looking at the AI tools and workflows that will how work and how you do business this year. Whether you’re in the first forays of exploring AI or you are deep in refining your AI strategy, we’re here with practical insights and updates for creative and marketing. Here’s what you’ll find in this edition:

1. AI by default is here and is transforming how we spend our time at work

2. January’s ‘What’s New in Creative AI’ podcast

3. AI agents made simple - where to start

4. Your biggest AI headaches right now

5. AI as an imagination partner

6. Upcoming events to plan for

Let’s get started.

1. AI by default is transforming how we work

The last couple of weeks has seen AI become embedded as standard in platforms like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. This means tools like AI email polishers and slide deck generators are part of everyday work as standard, nudging everbodys’s behaviour whether they like it or not. I (👋 Emma here) have worked in the ‘future of work’ space for a longer time than I like to remember (think offices to hot desking, to hybrid working, to remote teams) and my perspective is - we thought hybrid working was a big shift? The cultural, societal and economic changes hybrid brought about was just a pimple on the side of how AI will shake things up:

Four crucial takeaways for business leaders:

1. AI is no longer optional; it’s right in our software right now. And it’s redefining workflows, tasks, and time allocation whether we are aware of it or not.

2. Leaders need to proactively upskill teams, consider how job descriptions may nudge over time and take this as an opportunity for innovation.

3. Think hard about how your business adopts AI in a way that it enables and reinforces your business strategy, so you don’t risk these things pulling in different directions.

4. Balance speed of deployment with responsibility, as reckless implementation risks undermining trust with clients, team members and stakeholders.

We set up the AI Accelerator Programme to help you navigate each of these points and come out on top through the AI transition - get in touch if you'd like to learn more. Just hit reply.

2. What’s New in Creative AI: January edition

Our latest podcast landed last week and in 30 minutes of conversation we cover everything you need to know this month in AI. People have said we are like the Richard and Judy of AI - we are not sure how to take that! We touch on some of the content in this newsletter plus some other things too.

• Lean more about AI by default

• How we are using AI assistants like ChatGPT Tasks, Google Deep Research

• Ethical AI and transparency - we discuss addressing client concerns around originality, data privacy, and responsible AI adoption.

• And of course, all the chat of the last couple of weeks - the UK’s AI push with it’s action plan to drive our global AI leadership.

🎧 Listen or watch to the full podcast 👇

3. Simplifying AI Agents

We talked lots about AI agents in our last newsletter, but there have been so many things happening in this space in the last 2 weeks that we need to give you another update already! Essentially these tools browses the web to fetch you the information you need (are the days of 100s of open tabs gone? Probably not for my ‘leave a tab open to remind me to do it system’ yet!), and some of them now even complete tasks for you too. Let’s break down four tools that have dropped just in the last 2 weeks, and how they can help:

Tools that search the web for you and report back:

Google Deep Research

• Best for: In-depth secondary market analysis and structured reporting.

• Use case: Analyse your or your clients competitor's positioning, pricing trends and industry shifts using this tool, saving hours of manual research. Receive customised reports featuring visualisations and case studies.

P.S.: This is a bit annoying - it’s not available on Google Workspace right now! I signed into it from my personal account, it’s also available on enterprise. I’m sure it won’t be long until its on workspace though! Do persevere and try it - it’s impressive. Check out our podcast where we show you a case study live.

ChatGPT Tasks

• Best for: Automating recurring workflows and adapting over time.

• Use case: I'm setting up daily briefings that summarise AI news relevant to marketing and creative industries. 

Tools that search the web for you and complete the task for you too:

Perplexity Assistant 

• Best for: Handling multi-step tasks with integration across apps (only available on Android right now).

• Use case: Perplexity says you can ask it to book dinner, find and play a forgotten song or a video, call a taxi, get directions, draft an email, set reminders, and more. We haven't had chance to properly test it yet - but we'll give you our review soon.

ChatGPT Operator 

• Best for: Managing digital assets and automating structured data workflows.

• Use case: Similar to Perplexity Assistant, the use cases being touted by OpenAI are about personal productivity, booking flights, ordering your Sainsburys shop. But for us the research use cases are more more interesting. We haven't had time to test it yet - so more soon. 

Getting started with agents. Our tips:

1. Choose one tool that aligns with a current very simple pain point.

2. Make sure the task you choose is something where you know what a good outcome looks like. Something you are super familiar with.

3. Set the tool off to do it’s thing. If you’re not sure which one to try first - try ChatGPT Tasks as it’s so intuitive to use - just select it in the drop down menu at the top of the ChatGPT interface where you choose the model you are using (see below) then write a prompt describing what you would like it to go off and do, and how often you want it to do it. Start simple e.g. “scan for all the news articles about X business and send them to me at 10am daily”.

4. Evaluate outcomes, refine (make the prompt much more specific!), improve and iterate before scaling up.

4. What’s your biggest AI headache right now?

Let us know what your main AI challenges are right now and we’ll do our best to focus on these areas in upcoming newsletters. 😇

5. AI is a tool for the imagination

Last week we collaborated with artist, creative director and AI in creativity academic Matthew Maxwell, to run a workshop exploring AI as a creative partner. If you missed it and you are a creative, catch up here. It’s a must watch.

This quote from Matthew really sums up why you should spend an hour catching up:

Give it a watch:

Matthew showed us how generative AI tools can be an amplifier of imagination and ingenuity. If you don’t have time to watch - here’s a very quick summary (of why you should!):

• Shakespeare Meets AI: Matthew reimagined Shakespearean characters, blending historical depth with cutting-edge generative AI.

• Embracing the Unexpected: He encouraged treating AI like a creative collaborator, allowing it to challenge traditional ideas.

• Overcoming Bias: Strategies to push AI beyond default aesthetics for richer outputs.

Featured Tools: MidJourney, Runway.

6. Upcoming events to plan for

AI Workshop in London with Jules & Emma

• When and where: 6 February 2005 at citizenM Bankside (London)

• Details: Emma and Jules are hosting a full day ‘AI for Creative Businesses’ workshop in London with lunch, networking and time for 1:1s. Designed to ignite your AI plans for 2025.

• Instructor: Led by our very own Jules Love, who is a guest lecturer on Oxford University’s AI in Business Diploma.

• 👉 Hit reply to email us for a Spark Intelligence subscriber discount code.

We are headlining The Robots Are Coming!

• When and where: 18 March 2025, British Library

• Details: This event is run by the awesome Agency Hackers. Join us at the British Library in London alongside other AI and creative industry leaders to explore AI’s impact on creative agencies. We will be presenting our research on how agencies are using AI.

• 👉 Get your tickets 

That’s a wrap for this edition. We’d love to hear what resonated most with you or topics you’d like us to explore further. Hit reply!

Until next time,

Emma (& Jules!)
Co-Founders of Spark