Dirk Ziems discussed the dual nature of AI and its reception by professionals, balancing between utopian productivity and dystopian fears. He introduced the audience to professional uses of AI, drawing parallels between the transformational phases of AI acceptance and the narratives found in classic fairy tales. He described the professional journey with AI as evolving through stages of fascination, fear, inevitability, and finally, co-intelligence. Ziems highlighted the duality of AI, balancing between a utopian and dystopian view while illustrating this with examples from 25 professional interviews. These stages ranged from initial excitement and near-omnipotence to existential fears, and finally, to an acceptance of AI as an integral part of professionalism and professional differentiation.

Dirk Ziems and Dr. Steffen Schmidt discussed the application of morphological AI in psychological market research, highlighting the balance between superficial insights and in-depth understanding. Ziems and Dr. Schmidt presented an application of morphological AI in psychological market research to assessing and improving CO2 compensation products offered by airlines. They highlighted the potential of AI to provide fast and vast basic insights at very low cost, but also warned against the superficiality of such insights. However, with human input and corrections, ultimately very useful and diverse improvements were suggested. Their pilot projects demonstrate the need for human input to steer and correct AI outputs, ensuring a balance between depth and efficiency in market research.

Dr. Nitschke presented research on how members of the general public experience AI. The study, conducted by the eye square AIX-Lab, identified four modes of experience: turmoil, paralysis, hyperstrength, and integration. While the study revealed a mix of positive and negative emotions among users, the general trend is towards positive experiences. Nitschke's research underscored the complexity of human interaction with AI, highlighting the importance of understanding and integrating these emotional responses into AI development.

Svenja Lorenz explored the use of AI in social media journalism, particularly on Instagram. Lorenz tested AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E for creating content and emphasized the critical need for human supervision to maintain the authenticity and neutrality of journalism. Lorenz's experiments showed that while AI can support content creation effectively, it cannot replace the nuanced judgment and ethical considerations provided by human journalists.

Jan Kuhlen addressed the legal implications of AI in creative processes, questioning the ownership and IP rights of AI-generated content. He discussed the evolving role of AI in generating and evaluating creative ideas and examined ownership of AI-generated content – both as it relates to input and to output. Kuhlen emphasized the need for clear legal frameworks to protect the intellectual capital involved in AI-driven creativity, highlighting an ongoing shift from human to machine in the creative process.

Prof. Jana Müller-Herm examined the effectiveness of AI-generated marketing materials used as used e.g. by companies like Meta and Amazon. AI-driven personalization and creation shows promising results but also includes drawbacks and risks that need to be managed. Professor Müller-Herm discussed the capabilities of AI in personalizing and creating marketing materials, noting that AI-driven content often outperforms human-created content in terms of quality, creativity, and cost-efficiency. On the other hand, due to the plethora of options created, human judgment is necessary in ultimately choosing material that is seen as authentic.

Professor Fischer debated the role of human creativity in the age of AI, emphasizing the irreplaceable human spirit in the ideation process. Fischer emphasized, that while AI can generate ideas, it is the human spirit that realizes and values these ideas. She argued that the essence of creativity lies in the human ability to imbue ideas with meaning and value, a process that AI cannot replicate. Fischer's discussion highlighted the irreplaceable role of human consciousness in the economy of ideas.

Michael Schiessl called for a joint industry project to develop quality criteria for AI,

He suggested following the approaches of computer science, based on the test theory of empirical social research to do the same for the human side of the data. For the first time he presented data on the validity of predictive data in media attention, showing that AI has improved significantly in the last 5 years in predicting human gazes. eye square's “quality of perception scale quota” for AI content is currently at 5.6 on a scale of one to ten. Correlations with media behavior are significant, but still relatively low at 4% explained variance. The main challenges are difficulties in detecting human social cues, contrast, background and foreground. Schiessl also shared eye square's recent development of a digital experience sandbox (DES), which connects gaze data and “mindgraphs”, adding an additional layer of semantics and thus helping to understand the concept of meaningful attention.

Roman Lipski, Artist: Shared his journey of overcoming a creative crisis with the help of AI, which he used as a digital muse to inspire new artistic directions. He described how AI inspired him to new artistic directions and helped him break out of old routines. Lipski's collaboration with AI allowed him to reinvent his art, demonstrating the potential of AI to enhance human creativity through interdisciplinary cooperation.

Dr. Wieneke explored the potential of AI in spiritual and religious terms, emphasizing the importance of human dignity and ethical considerations. He discussed the ethical implications of AI, e.g. in connection with autonomous weapons and or predictive penal systems, calling for transparent and regulated AI practices. Citing the Holy Father Francis, who has spoken on AI several times – e.g. in June 2024 to the G7-Leaders – Dr. Wieneke emphasized the importance of human dignity and ethical considerations in the use of AI, arguing that while AI can assist in spiritual matters, it cannot replace the human element. The Pope calls for transparent and regulated AI practices to prevent the amplification of current trends and the dominance of pre-configured classifications. Citing Manfred Spitzer he emphasized the importance of ethical rules for AI, akin to Asimov's rules for robots, to safeguard human freedom and dignity. Dr. Wieneke's discussion highlighted the need for ethical guidelines to ensure that AI serves as a bridge rather than a barrier in religious communication.

Moderator Prof. Jürgen Schulz concluded the event by reflecting on the perpetual tension between illusion and reality in AI applications. He emphasized the importance of patience in realizing the potential benefits of AI, while also highlighting the critical need for ethical guidelines to navigate the future of AI in market communication. The event showcased a comprehensive exploration of AI's multifaceted impact, underscoring the significance of maintaining a human touch in an increasingly AI-driven world.

Overall the DWG-Effizientag at eye square provided an in-depth look at the diverse perspectives and discussions on the potential for confusion, contact, and alienation in AI-driven market communication, highlighting the importance of ethical considerations and the irreplaceable role of human creativity and judgment.