Speaking GenAI Creativity at SJSU’s LinkdUp Speaker Series

I recently joined San José State University’s LinkdUp Speaker Series to share a practical look at how Generative AI is being adopted across advertising and marketing today, and where creative production is heading next. The session covered foundations, the current toolset, real adoption patterns, and the operational changes that help teams ship faster while staying on-brand and ethical.

Highlights from the talk

• Foundations and scope: What AI and GenAI are, how they work, and why they matter to creative work now.

• Today’s toolbox: Chatbots, image generators, and video models, with examples like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Runway, Veo, Sora, Kling, and more.

• Impact on marketing: Faster prototyping and production, cost reduction, and scalable personalization that improves campaign performance.

• Industry examples: Studios and brands exploring GenAI for previsualization, VFX, recommendations, and dynamic content, alongside documented gains in speed and satisfaction.

• Challenges to manage: Ethics, rights, data sourcing, and the current legal gray areas, plus the integration work needed for reliability.

• What is next: Agentic AI, the rise of lean micro agencies, and new roles in curation, model steering, and AI governance. 

My thanks to Aaron Freitas and the SJSU team for the warm welcome and a highly engaged audience. The future of storytelling is being built right now, and it is exciting to see students and young creatives get ahead of the curve. A short recap is also available on LinkedIn.

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