AI might save your budget. But it could cost you your identity.

There’s a stink by the seaside. 

And for once, it doesn’t involve the seagulls. 

This summer, Scarborough turns 400. To celebrate, North Yorkshire County Council created new designs on a Giant Deckchair Trail. 

The issue?  

Bots made them – and opinion is split. 

Local artists are understandably furious. Some say AI is hitting them in the pocket, although according to one council official, the public apparently quite likes it. 

I’m not so sure about that. 

While public use of AI is surging, polling suggests the British public still has a firm red line when it comes to it being used to replace creatives. 

One recent YouGov poll found that we don’t mind AI recommending a decent film to watch. But AI replacing actors or scriptwriters? 

Not a chance. 

In fact, just 13 per cent of people would be happy to see a film with an AI-generated cast. 

We know it doesn’t look right, and it can’t move us like a human can. 

And that’s because we are already brilliant at spotting AI. 

Yes, ChatGPT has blurred those lines by upping its game. The days of six toes and shiny faces are well over. 

But we notice it immediately   – probably because it is, sadly, everywhere. 

Flyer for the village fete? Get Claude on the case. 

Lost your cat? Gemini can help. 

We are drowning in slop, and I get why; Budgets are tight, time even tighter, and if it can save both – then  why wouldn’t you? 

Well, there’s the environmental issue for one, but for businesses, the biggest risk is your reputation. 

Just take Coca-Cola. 

For years, clever marketing and an iconic advert made Coke as synonymous with Christmas as Santa. 

Then, last year, they turned to AI for their festive advert – and the backlash was seismic. 

Cheap and tacky, it was so bad it not only sparked calls to boycott Coke – but it tarnished the decades of work invested into turning it into a Christmas brand. 

The problem is, Coke turned to the technology that removes the very thing every brand increasingly needs – individuality. 

Now I’m not saying AI should be banished. Far from it. 

It is revolutionary and will transform the world. I use it like everyone else. 

But when it comes to your brand, reputation is everything. The way your brand is presented is your shop window. 

Trusting AI to dress it might save you a few quid, but it does so by removing one of the things that make it special. 

Ultimately, branding has never been about making things look nice – it is about standing out. 

AI wants to do anything but. The whole concept is based on taking millions of existing pieces of work and producing something that is essentially the statistical average of them all. 

But people notice. Other businesses notice.  

So please, think twice. 

Because when we stop valuing human creativity, we don’t just lose artists – we lose our identity. 

And then we all are in big trouble.