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The Digital Edge S2 E.5 | How to Outperform with AI as a Creative Partner with Tom Williams
In this episode of The Digital Edge, host Mark Reed-Edwards talks with Tom Williams, Global Creative Director at Incubeta, to explore the evolution of creative in the age of AI. Moving beyond the "prompt engineering" hype, Tom explains why traditional art direction and storytelling remain the essential anchors for high-quality brand creative. From leveraging tools like Veo 3 and Seedance 2 to maintaining brand governance through custom AI frameworks, this conversation explores how to use technology as a creative partner to scale imagination without sacrificing the "human-centric" narrative that drives true consumer trust.
FAQs:
Q: How does creative work differently in the AI age, and how do you set yourself up to have a digital edge? A: Creative has shifted from being limited by budget and time to being limited only by imagination. We’ve moved from taking weeks to visualize a concept to doing it in hours. The "digital edge" comes from treating AI as a creative partner that handles scale and speed, while humans provide the art direction, craft, and storytelling that machines can’t replicate.
Q: Do you find yourself part creative director, part prompt engineer when engaging with these platforms? A: "Prompt engineer" is just a new label for Art Direction. I approach a prompt the same way I would brief a photographer or cinematographer—using technical language about composition, lighting, and mood. You get out what you put in; if you provide a hazy brief to an AI, you’ll get hazy results. Technical skill matters, but the ability to concisely communicate a vision is the real driver.
Q: How do you balance output and performance while keeping the human touch with AI so omnipresent? A: We have to remember that AI is the tool, not the product. Audiences don't like being lied to, and they lose trust the moment a brand uses AI to cut corners or pull the wool over their eyes. We maintain the human touch by using AI to tell "truthful" stories that adhere to physics and realism, ensuring the consumer remains at the heart of the narrative.
Q: If you could share one piece of hard-earned wisdom you’ve learned, what would it be? A: Skills, tools, and technologies can all be learned, but dedication and the drive to push yourself are much harder to teach. Raw talent isn't enough to get ahead in this industry—you have to be humble enough to know when you need to improve and flexible enough to adapt when the world changes. If you work hard and help those around you, you’ll win more than you lose.
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By IncubetaIn this episode of The Digital Edge, host Mark Reed-Edwards talks with Tom Williams, Global Creative Director at Incubeta, to explore the evolution of creative in the age of AI. Moving beyond the "prompt engineering" hype, Tom explains why traditional art direction and storytelling remain the essential anchors for high-quality brand creative. From leveraging tools like Veo 3 and Seedance 2 to maintaining brand governance through custom AI frameworks, this conversation explores how to use technology as a creative partner to scale imagination without sacrificing the "human-centric" narrative that drives true consumer trust.
FAQs:
Q: How does creative work differently in the AI age, and how do you set yourself up to have a digital edge? A: Creative has shifted from being limited by budget and time to being limited only by imagination. We’ve moved from taking weeks to visualize a concept to doing it in hours. The "digital edge" comes from treating AI as a creative partner that handles scale and speed, while humans provide the art direction, craft, and storytelling that machines can’t replicate.
Q: Do you find yourself part creative director, part prompt engineer when engaging with these platforms? A: "Prompt engineer" is just a new label for Art Direction. I approach a prompt the same way I would brief a photographer or cinematographer—using technical language about composition, lighting, and mood. You get out what you put in; if you provide a hazy brief to an AI, you’ll get hazy results. Technical skill matters, but the ability to concisely communicate a vision is the real driver.
Q: How do you balance output and performance while keeping the human touch with AI so omnipresent? A: We have to remember that AI is the tool, not the product. Audiences don't like being lied to, and they lose trust the moment a brand uses AI to cut corners or pull the wool over their eyes. We maintain the human touch by using AI to tell "truthful" stories that adhere to physics and realism, ensuring the consumer remains at the heart of the narrative.
Q: If you could share one piece of hard-earned wisdom you’ve learned, what would it be? A: Skills, tools, and technologies can all be learned, but dedication and the drive to push yourself are much harder to teach. Raw talent isn't enough to get ahead in this industry—you have to be humble enough to know when you need to improve and flexible enough to adapt when the world changes. If you work hard and help those around you, you’ll win more than you lose.