Watch: Initiative’s Lauren Ogúndèkó urges calm over AI ‘panic’
The Year Ahead 2024
Lauren Ogúndèkó is on a mission to “debunk” myths about AI in media this year.
Speaking to The Media Leader at The Year Ahead 2024, Ogúndèkó, the UK and international chief digital officer at Initiative, insisted that AI is “not as scary” as many in the industry, including advertiser clients, may think.
“There are several versions of AI and we are probably dealing with one of the lesser versions, which is generative AI, and all it’s going to do is enhance how we work,” she said. “For me, it’s impossible for it to replace us as individuals; it’s just going to make our work a lot more impactful and it will enhance the quality.
“I want to really get that across the clients, so the panic just dissipates. It’s just not at the level that it’s going to be able to replace jobs.”
Meanwhile, Ogúndèkó expressed hope that, if she could wave a magic wand, the industry is “never ever talking about” diversity and inclusion, implying that D&I discussions are a symptom of substandard progress.
The Year Ahead, hosted by The Media Leader and Adwanted Events, is an annual get-together for UK media and advertising’s most influential people.
