Generative AI and the Future of Brand Storytelling

Episode Overview:

In this episode of the Service Impact Podcast, we sit down with Matthew Hughes, Business Affairs Manager at Birdie Management, to explore a question that is reshaping creative industries everywhere: What happens when AI doesn’t just help you research — it starts making ads, brand content, even films for you?

Key Takeaways:

Traditional AI, like search‑assistants or tools that help with research, acts like an advanced helper: valuable, but ultimately supplemental.
Generative AI goes beyond assistance: it can create images, music, ads, even entire video assets for you, offering creative and cost efficiencies that were unthinkable just a few years ago.
There are two major points of tension around generative AI:
1. Legal/ethical concerns. Many engines are trained on existing creative work without explicit permission, raising copyright and trademark risks.
2. Public perception and brand risk. Even if technically legal, AI‑generated ads can feel uncanny or off‑brand, leading to public or consumer backlash.
Content created by many generative‑AI engines is currently not copyrightable under many jurisdictions, meaning companies lose control over how their brand assets are used once they enter the AI system.
Using generative AI in professional production isn’t just about cost‑savings — it’s also forcing a shift in who does creative work, how agencies hire, and how brand identity is managed in a world of disposable, malleable output.
For brands and creatives considering generative‑AI use: make sure you understand the engine’s licensing and terms; know whether you truly own what it produces; consider long-term reputation risk; and treat AI output as part of a broader creative strategy, not a magic bullet.

The difference between generative and “traditional” AI

Matthew explains how what many people call “traditional AI” — tools that enhance research or provide assistance — is fundamentally different from generative AI, which can actively produce creative work: images, music, video, and copy.

For businesses and brands, that level of generation promises enormous benefits. Imagine cutting costs, accelerating production, and churning out social‑media‑ready content at a fraction of traditional production budgets. For many marketing executives, that’s the dream.

The risks that accompany the rewards

But with those benefits come serious risks, both legal and reputational. One looming problem stems from how generative engines are trained: often using massive libraries of existing creative work, many times without explicit permission from original creators. That raises thorny copyright and trademark questions.

As Matthew points out, lawsuits have already been filed by photo‑stock companies and authors claiming use of their works in training AI. For brands and agencies using generative AI, that means what looks like a shortcut could become a liability.

Uploading your brand’s content to AI has risks, too

There’s another worry: control — or rather, the loss of it. Many generative outputs aren’t considered copyrightable. That means once a brand pours their logo, corporate color palette, or trademarked asset into an AI engine, they may lose exclusive ownership. The result is anyone with the right prompts could potentially re‑use or re‑mix what once was brand‑owned material. And for brand custodians, that’s a scary thought.

The perception problem

Even when there’s no lawsuit or legal challenge, there’s the matter of public perception. As generative output becomes more widespread — from holiday ads to social‑media content — there’s a risk that audiences start to react negatively. The uncanny‑valley effect, odd visual inconsistencies, and linguistic “tells” might cheapen a brand’s image or turn consumers off.

The bottom line: use generative AI as part of a broader creative strategy

Matthew, who works at the intersection of creative production and legal/operational oversight, urges a balanced approach. Generative AI isn’t inherently bad — and yes, it can be “freaking fun,” especially for creative experimentation. But if you’re considering it for your brand, treat it as you would any powerful tool: read the terms, understand licensing, log your usage, and have someone experienced vet the risks. Use it as part of a broader strategy, not as a shortcut for everything.

He also warns that generative AI is still early-stage, more akin to the beta days of the early internet than a mature, stable ecosystem. Just as dot‑com-era excesses didn’t kill the internet — they reshaped it — the generative AI wave is likely to settle into new norms. Expect industry shifts: roles redefined, budgets reallocated, and a new balance between human creativity and machine-generated convenience.

In the end, generative AI is here to stay. But whether it becomes a tool that elevates creativity and brand storytelling — or a source of legal, ethical, and reputation headaches — depends on how thoughtfully we use it.