AI in Action: Collaborator, Tool or Engine? Unlocking its Full Potential

By Allen Bosworth ’81, Chair of Hussman Board of Advisers and President of EP+Co

“What is AI?”

It seems like a pretty straightforward question, but is it? To fully grasp how to use AI, we should take a few minutes to consider what it really is.

Some people have described AI as a tool. A tool is something used to perform a specific kind of work. But that description feels a bit limiting when it comes to AI. Is AI meant to be used for just a “particular type of work”? It seems to have far broader implications, expanding across industries, disciplines and functions. Others have compared AI to “the smartest intern at your company.” That’s an interesting analogy. It implies AI is willing and helpful but occasionally naïve, sometimes getting things wrong yet always eager to assist. While not a bad description, it doesn’t quite capture the full essence of AI either.

How about thinking of AI as an engine? That’s a solid metaphor. Like an engine, AI can drive things forward, but it needs fuel — data and prompts — to operate. It doesn’t run on its own; it requires input to produce results.

One of the more intriguing descriptions is that of AI as a collaborator. AI can do many things, but it has to work with you. You ask it questions, and it responds. When prompted effectively, it can become a powerful partner, offering starting points and refining your work. In this dynamic, AI can engage in a dialogue with you, making the final product better than what either of you could achieve alone.

Whether you’re considering AI for your company — in my case, an advertising agency — or in an academic setting such as UNC Hussman, you must think about how you want to use it. Whether you view AI as a collaborator, intern, tool, engine or something else, we’re all building new and exciting partnerships with technology. The key is to make it work in the best way for you, aligning it with your goals and what you’re trying to accomplish.

When I think about how I want to use AI, I simplify it with a familiar recitation: A-E-I-O-U (and sometimes Y). Here’s how I apply this to AI:

A is for Augment:

How can I use AI to add to what I’ve already done? Are there ways to create new ideas using my base concepts as a starting point? I see augmenting as “adding to” existing work, using AI to build upon a foundation.

E is for Enhance:

How can AI help me improve what I’ve created? Are there ways to elevate the quality or impact of something I’ve already produced? I think of enhancing as making something better, refining and improving with the help of AI.

I is for Inspire:

How can AI inspire me to get started or think in new ways? AI can offer fresh perspectives on both old and new problems. I view inspiration as a “firestarter,” something that ignites creativity.

O is for Outsource:

How can I use AI to take on the more mundane tasks so I can focus on more critical, creative work? AI can act as a fantastic assistant, helping with repetitive tasks or large-scale data processing, giving me more time for strategy and innovation.

U is for Unneeded:

What tasks am I doing that I don’t need to do at all? This is where AI helps me reflect on inefficiencies. It provides an opportunity to reconsider what actually needs to be done. I view this step as “freeing,” giving me the mental space to focus on what really matters.

But the most important question in AI usage is Y — Why? Why am I using AI for this task?

Artificial intelligence is undeniably useful, but it’s not appropriate for every situation or use case. It’s also essential to be mindful of potential intellectual property issues. In industries like advertising, agencies are cautious about using AI outputs. Legal departments and compliance officers are actively wrestling with how to use AI legally and ethically. Much of the AI-generated content isn’t directly client-facing at this stage.  

As mentioned earlier, AI can be a tremendous source of inspiration. You can also use it to speed up background research or analyze internal data, like scopes of work or hours spent on various jobs. AI can help make presentations more compelling and even generate speculative work that sparks the imagination. 

“AI can do many things, but it has to work with you. You ask it questions, and it responds. When prompted effectively, it can become a powerful partner, offering starting points and refining your work. In this dynamic, AI can engage in a dialogue with you, making the final product better than what either of you could achieve alone.” 

In the advertising industry, several AI programs are particularly useful:  

• Image Generation: Tools like DALL-E, Adobe Firefly, ImageFX and Midjourney create custom images from text descriptions, enabling creatives to visualize concepts quickly.  
• Presentation and Design: Canva.com offers design templates and AI-assisted features to enhance the look and feel of presentations and visual assets.  
• Motion Graphics and Animation: Programs such as Runway ML and Adobe After Effects, augmented with Sensei AI, help generate dynamic visual effects and animations that would take significantly longer using traditional methods.  

In addition to these, the broader AI landscape is dominated by the “big six” generative AI tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, Perplexity AI and Meta AI. Each of these has unique strengths, from conversational AI to code generation and more.  

As we explore the possibilities of AI, it’s important to recognize that its role is continually evolving. From generating images and animations to automating tasks and inspiring creativity, AI is a versatile tool that can augment human efforts in powerful ways. However, its real strength lies in how we choose to interact with it. Like any collaborator, AI performs best when given clear direction and used with a defined purpose. Whether you’re augmenting, enhancing, inspiring or simply outsourcing, AI is a tool that’s shaping the future of industries, including advertising.  

But the ultimate question remains: Why? Why are you using AI? The answer to that will determine whether it serves as a helpful assistant or an indispensable partner in your work. When used thoughtfully and ethically, AI opens up new realms of possibility, helping us accomplish more than we ever could on our own. It’s not just about what AI can do, but about what we can achieve together with it.