Paul Yole’s Tuesday Cannes review – welcome to the machine

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Paul Yole Cannes 2017.jpgPaul Yole has written for Campaign Brief at the last eleven Cannes Lions. This year he is looking out  for what’s new and what’s recurring.

 

I managed to go 24 hours without hearing a two-letter acronym. And then I went to a Google presentation.

 

David Singelton, one of Google’s top engineers, shed some light on how ML (Machine Learning) is creating problem solving systems based on examples and experiences rather than laying down a set of rules.

 

I don’t expect this work to be able to crack that impossible brief the client gives you with two days to solve it, but it’s reassuring to know that ML is now being used to combat online harassment and create an environment in which conversations can flourish.

Jared Cohen, President of the Jigsaw division at Alphabet, explained the new Perspective API that can predict when online conversations can go toxic. Working with the New York Times they’ve found they can increase constructive conversations by between two- and four-fold.

 

Whilst this kind of research plays an important social role, it also has implications for the environment in which brands operate.

 

We also need to learn from the great analytics cock-ups that led to the unpredicted Brexit and Trump wins.

 

Chuck Porter, along with Sabrina Siddiqui from The Guardian and Stanford Professor Michal Kosinski, asked how brands can avoid falling victim to the same kind of research.

 

The problem with predictive models, of course, is that they are based on the past and usually cannot account for the unpredictable. Like the guy who couldn’t win becoming POTUS, for example.

 

The good news is that some very clever people are working on these problems.

 

Nevertheless, we all tend to live in an online bubble in which we surround ourselves with people who think just like us. So we are surprised when we hear there are millions who think the opposite.

 

It’s what some new research from Ketchum and Fast Company calls the Creative Echo Chamber.

 

According to the research, the echo chamber that is created when like-minded people self-segregate and embrace information and ideas that support their opinions and beliefs is not only solidifying polarized views in society, but also impeding creativity.

 

Understanding these dynamics can help brands better understand consumer sentiment, and create ideas that resonate.