Andrew and Gracie Foxwell’s Statement on AI
Beliefs and Values Regarding AI
AI should help, not cause harm.
As many of us have already experienced, AI is a powerful tool for streamlining time-consuming tasks, replicating workflows, and synthesizing complex information within our teams, among many other features. It’s important to remember, however, that tools are only as helpful or harmful as the individuals who wield them. As such, when sharing AI resources, we’ll focus our recommendations on constructive solutions to aid in everyday work and help achieve goals–not to replace human reasoning or creativity all in pursuit of a bottom line.
We strongly encourage transparency.
We encourage holding each other accountable and transparently noting when AI is used and when it isn’t–whether it be project deliverables, written copy, presentations, or communication with a client. Honestly stating when and where we’ve all used AI should be considered industry standard; usage and adoption shouldn’t be shrouded in secrecy or shame.
Specifically in regards to AI-generated ad creative, AI can be incredibly helpful for ideation and inspiration, but it should not be considered an equal substitute for the final asset, unless a client has explicitly signed off on AI-generated output as the deliverable. Again, transparency is key in citing when AI has been used and when it hasn’t been–in all work stages.
Our approach is grounded in curiosity, with an inclusion of diverse voices.
Working with hundreds of brands, agencies, and marketers over the past decade, we’ve learned that sharing useful information from industry experts is critical to everyone’s growth. Empowering business agility through new tactics is critical for big and small organizations alike. As a result, we strive to regularly bring a diverse array of voices, opinions, and experiences to the table and AI is not an exception.
There’s more than one way to do good work, just as there are important lessons for us all to learn in running our businesses, whether those come from the most well-known media buyer in the industry or a freelancer who isn’t globally recognized. Both have merit and we can respectfully listen and learn, even if we disagree.
We thoughtfully consider which tools, topics, and practices to highlight and we never intend to push the scale in favor of one opinion over another. We’ll keep bringing new ideas to the forefront and our community members, blog readers, and clients can decide what is best for them and their businesses, without judgment or criticism.
Moving Forward
To put these aforementioned beliefs and values into practice, the Foxwell Digital/Foxwell Founders team is committed to:
Sharing this statement on our blog and within community onboarding materials.
Pairing AI-forward sessions with additional context on cost, complexity, etc so community members can determine what’s best for their businesses.
Continuing to encourage constructive dialogue among community members who have differing opinions and/or varying experiences with AI.
Leading on transparency when we use/don’t use AI in our work and emboldening others to do the same.
Staying true to our number one professional tenet of being helpful.
AI’s lasting impact is still being determined; there’s still a great deal we don’t know or fully understand. Agencies, in-house marketing teams, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, governments, and individuals are all striving to get ahead on AI. In truth though, there’s no getting “ahead” – there’s simply being in this present moment, trying to do the best we can with the information we have. We’ll keep learning, revising, studying, and growing along with everyone else.
Thank you and please share with us your honest feedback; that’s exactly the type of conversation we’re always encouraging.
Andrew and Gracie Foxwell on behalf of the Foxwell Digital team and Foxwell Founders community
