IQADS MAGAZINE INTERVIEW about Creativity and Technology
Enjoy the full original Romanian Version of the interview here.
Alexandru Cernatescu – CEO & Co-Founder – STEFANINI INFINIT: I don’t think a MACHINE (computer) will be able to create anything out of nothing just because it “felt” and had “inspiration”.
Even in an imaginary world of robots, when AI will take care of everything, Alex Cernătescu, CEO, Co-Founder & Global Head of Strategy @ Stefanini Infinit, is sure that he will find his place in it and would work side by side with machines & computers.
Beyond the probable scenarios about the future, in the real world of 2022, Alexandru and his team work side by side with technology and has great confidence that it can help creativity. The evolution of AI does not scare him in any way: he sees every day how artificial intelligence makes work easier for everybody.
Technology is at the heart of the creative process. The shortest way to the consumer is through digital channels and in the context we were talking about, the need for agility, the need to reduce the reaction speed of brands, the speed with which the consumer decides or changes the brand and so on, technology is the central canvas for almost any creative initiative.
Alexandru believes that in the coming years the impact of AI will increase in many areas from hyper-automation to predictive analytics or data processing, but he does not feel that we are in a Hollywood-type area where it will “take over humanity”.
In the editorial series [Creativity & Technology], we ( IQAds Magazine) celebrate the openness of creatives to embrace technology and to find in it new resources for evolution.
Artificial intelligence is here, infiltrating all areas. And we have the privilege of discovering new territories with it. In advertising, design, music, photography, film, all forms of creation.
We do not know what will follow, what symbioses of artificial creativity will occur. But we are here to tell the stories that form on the border between technology, creativity and humanity. We want to talk about Creativity & Technology, not Creativity VS Technology. We know that AI and technology will join creativity, not compete.
What is it like to work in a creative field in 2022 in Romania and all over the world?
It is beautiful! Creativity in ALL its forms is the most beautiful thing and I think one of the elements that defines human nature.
The beauty of Stefanini Infinit and the Stefanini Group in general is that we work both in Romania but also in the United States or Latin America or Brazil, so we can see all the angles of this wonderful field and implicitly all the forms of manifestation.
The most beautiful part (still)
I wouldn’t say STILL. 🙂
I think that part of the performance in a creative field is the ability to invent and reinvent yourself as a company – to put it short, to constantly adapt to the needs of the market and to bring value regardless of the context.
Moreover, I think that in the last 2 years it has become even more beautiful!
More beautiful than ever because the realm of creativity has transcended any limitation or boundary – now creativity is about technology, digital, services, the consumer, concepts, ideas and back.
Creativity is about business model, new processes in new businesses, authenticity, humanity but also artificial intelligence or other changes or trends.
It’s about everything. Is gorgeous. The best times are yet to come.
And the hardest
As easy as it is to work with forward thinking clients or colleagues, the harder it is to fight the fear of change in some people.
It is difficult to transform the reaction to change from FEAR into OPPORTUNITY and JOY – creativity means experimentation, it means novelty, so it implicitly requires COURAGE and the ability to function in “new places”.
How the creative process has changed
The importance of the technology component is the biggest change – you must consider this component as central…. Separate – time. The discussion around time is an eternal one in the creative field, but in the last 2-3 years the need for agility of companies has manifested itself through shorter deadlines and greater pressure.
How technology came about
It is central. Technology is at the heart of the creative process. The shortest way to the consumer is through digital channels and in the context we were talking about, the need for agility, the need to reduce the reaction speed of brands, the speed with which the consumer decides or changes the brand and so on, technology is the central canvas for almost any creative initiative.
The biggest change that has influenced your field
Accelerating the digital transformation – forced or not – in 100% of the customers and brands but also to consumers – new categories that have entered the digital area for example.
Digital transformation requires a lot of effort from brands – from coherent strategies, change management programs, new tools, new technologies, bringing new functions and positions to the customer, new work processes, internal communication, adoption programs and much more. other things that brands and companies struggle with and we are close to them and we help them.
I also put here a film that touches on the relationship between technology and creativity in the relationship with one of our dear customers – with one of the best retail marketing professionals we had the honor of working with – Mia Deaconu – which is Fashion House Outlet Center – in which we discuss exactly and precisely how we combined technology and creativity in the relationship Stefanini Infinit / Stefanini Group with them, more chosen as a retail business:
Benefits and side effects
Greater efficiency – I think we can replace, and we have already replaced many things and activities that we were doing in a certain way with new tools, new technologies and so on.
On the other hand, it has become very tiring to filter the content that comes to you, to avoid an overload of information that comes on all channels.
We must also be careful not to become addicted to technology – we must not forget that technology must be a TOOL, a help to us – by no means a driver – but an enabler.
The pressure to keep up
I think we all feel pressure in this regard – FOMO. 🙂
I try to define and be clear with what is good to keep up with what is not and then to focus.
There are a lot of things that happen every day in the world and it’s very easy for them to appear in your feed or read about them – it’s very important to focus and understand what matters and what doesn’t and to be able to estimate what will remain and what will disappear. how it appeared quickly.
The pressure also comes from the fact that you have to make these decisions correctly so that the work in the organization is focused correctly and efficiently.
A good symbiosis
We are a group of over 30,000 people in over 40 countries, a group that is about NERDS and CREATIVES as we like to say.
Of course at Stefanini Infinit we try (and succeed) to use as much of the group’s skills as possible, but vice versa – we use a lot of creativity in technology. CX / UX / UI, content, creation, internal communication. Technology and creation work incredibly beautifully together.
I learned very important lessons about creativity from my technical colleagues – approaches, solutions, architectures, but they also learned from us.
We have many projects in the United States, Romania, Germany, Spain, Holland and many European countries where we have multidisciplinary teams that work in turn with such teams from the client and together, we build projects that combine creativity with technology.
I leave here 2 relevant videos – the first is a discussion on this topic that we had a while ago and it is very strong because we have a very interesting participation of amazing professionals on the topic: Does Technology Really Kill Creativity?
The second is a NERDS AND CREATIVES discussion in which we approach the mix of technology, automation but also creativity in the context of the holidays – also with some of the smartest people I know and work with every day:
AI & creativity
It does not scare me. Currently AI does this in an assisted manner and learns from people. I strongly believe and see daily in my daily activity that AI already helps us work and makes us stronger.
I think that in the coming years the impact of AI will increase in many areas from hyper-automation, to predictive analytics or data processing and many other use cases but I still don’t feel that we are in a Hollywood type area where it will “takes over the humanity”
Can creativity be replicated by robots?
Here is the key and here will be the great STOP. 🙂 Creativity is about seeing things where simple logic or math doesn’t show them to you…. When the robots see this, I don’t think anyone can predict the effects.
What AI can never replace
Do something out of NOTHING. If the machines are working on interpreting data, someone has to enter that data…
I don’t think a machine (computer) will be able to create anything out of nothing just because it “felt” and had “inspiration” to do so.
AI contribution in your field
It already brings something beneficial in many areas of our field from campaign optimizations to predictive analytics or many other places where it is already the order of the day.
I think that this benefit will only be accelerated, and I think that there will be more and more areas in which it will make our life easier for us and our clients and our clients.
The relationship between creators & technology
I think that just like in any field, fear is what dictates the speed of this symbiosis.
I think that as creators understand more and more the power of technology to accentuate and accelerate their inspiration and ideas, this symbiosis will be more natural and organic.
How to maintain a healthy balance in this relationship
Humanity. Don’t use technology to get something in a way you wouldn’t want to get from you. Technology is all the better used when you don’t feel its presence – then you and the brand and the consumer win.
Would you leave your work in the hands of robots? 🙂
I don’t think I could sit idle and do nothing. I tried – I cannot do that more than 3 days even on vacation. So, I can work side by side with robots yes, but to sit and not do what I feel, not to innovate, not to create – I would never see myself like that.
I really like music, I like motorcycles and motor sports, I really like helping in general and coaching or raising young professionals or helping companies at the beginning of the road or helping big companies to reinvent themselves, I like to cook (specialization on the grill) – so I am sure I can find something to do even if the robots come and take over everything.
