Highlights from the Cannes Lions, Algospeak and the Most Meaningless Stories in America

Now You Can Automate Your Automation With Prompt Generators

Anyone who has used AI actively over the past few years knows that the only way to get what you truly want out of an AI content generational tool is to write extremely detailed prompts. It's the equivalent of learning a machine language. The more input you give in the right format, the better the result. The problem is that this skill takes time to develop. Unsurprisingly, there is now an AI tool to help solve an AI centric problem: the AI prompt generator. All you need to do is enter what you really want and the prompt generator will revise it to be in the style that can be used with any AI tool. You can even have it customized based on the AI tool you're using for optimal results. Many frequent AI users are already publishing their notes on which tools are best for which tasks. Built into these is the assumption that each of us will have the right knowledge and skill to prompt each tool with the right syntax, depth and language for it to perform best. That's rarely the case. So despite the inherent oddity of turning to automation to help automate another automation (did I lose you?) ... these prompt generation tools are not only inevitable, they might actually be useful too.

The Indianis Dentris and Other Big Winners from Cannes

There's a new flower discovery that has been shifting perspectives in India. Well, actually, it's not really a new flower but rather a closeup of a "flowering" toothbrush which is badly in need of replacement. This clever campaign to use the metaphor of "India's newest flower species" was a public awareness campaign from Colgate India that reached millions of people in a way they couldn't unsee to remind them to replace their toothbrushes for better oral health. Watch the full ad below:

This is just one of the memorable campaigns coming out of the Cannes Lions winner announcements happening right now. There are more announcements to come this week, so for anyone fascinated by some of the world's best advertising creativity, this week should offer you plenty of good creative talent to watch.

The Most Meaningless Stories In America Are About Lawsuits

Seeing information visualized is one of my favorite types of media. In the past I've also recommended the Information Is Beautiful site as one to add to your reading list. They do beautiful work. This week, I did come across a recent visual which showed the limitations of their craft. The chart, which focused on the question of who is suing whom in AI includes lots of arrows pointing between companies. The problem is that this question has become one of the most meaningless in America for several reasons. First of all, anyone can sue anyone regardless of merit. This leads to lots of lawsuits that have no resemblance to the actual reality of a situation. Sadly, much of this meritless litigation ends with some sort of settlement as one party decides that the truth is too much trouble to fight for, and it's easier to just pay for the issue to disappear. This is the second problem because it obscures the issue and detaches the truth from the victor. It's a system that routinely allows the bad guys to win. Finally, tracking the lawsuits themselves can effectively bury the real story that deserves more attention through the gag orders and NDAs that prevent the truth from ever emerging. If you have a solution for this, I'd love to hear it. Until then, I'll probably retain my skepticism for any stories that emerge about lawsuits in the future too.