We threw up a Jump Ball on the OpenAI 4o Image Generation tool, since there was so much buzz, and, of course, controversy. You responded in droves—thanks for joining the convo—and we’re sharing what the Indie Agency News community said about the technology.
You’re experimenting
Most who responded have tried the OpenAI 4o tool, to mixed results, though mostly positive. Some called it a “game changer” and “amazed at how much better it’s getting so quickly.” Others said that it was difficult to control the output, while James Wood, founder and chief creative officer at Beers With Friend Put it bluntly: “It’s a vast improvement in terms of accuracy and overall quality, but it’s still not quite ready for prime time.”
As far as its practicality for agencies, Brian Kessman, founder and principal consultant, Lodestar Agency Consulting, stated that GPT-4o image generation “collapses the space between idea and output. That alone will change how clients perceive progress—and how they evaluate what’s worth paying for.”
It’s not a crisis
While there’s still plenty of fear regarding AI, it’s better to be open-minded but wary, and see it as one tool in the shed, but one that can change the game. It’s not creating a crisis level yet, however.
David Berkowitz, founder, AI Marketers Guild, said that it’s a bigger crisis for stock photo libraries, Fiverr illustrators, and other creators.
“If you’re used to doing big-budget shoots to show a can of beer from a thousand different angles, AI could already save you the trouble. It’s no more or less a crisis for creatives than what we’ve been seeing evolving for the past couple of years. And there’s an even bigger crisis of perception of creative as a value-add, not the core value-driver,” said Berkowitz.
Kristin Dober, senior producer at Big Com, called it an evolution.
“Keep a growth mindset and opt to learn as much as you can about AI and you will discover that you still have a great deal of autonomy. Remember that no one is requiring you to use this tool. If there is something about it you aren’t comfortable with for any reason—legal, moral or otherwise—you don’t need to make it part of your process,” said Dober.
Kessman added that, while it’s not a creative crisis, and 4o won’t replace creativity, it’s the clearest signal yet that the traditional agency model can’t keep up.
“This is disruptive. It will kill some functions over time, but at a somewhat speedy, not snail, pace,” added Michael Duda, managing partner, Bullish.
Others see it as a bit more dire.
“This tech is going to replace people, period. And it’s going to drive down the cost for what we can charge for our services…some will thrive with the new tools. But the industry is going to need fewer people as a result. And those that are left are going to make less,” said John Kovacevich, founder and creative director, Agency SOS.
“Mid-level design agencies are f*cked. On the high creative level, no big deal, the big idea wins always,” said Sander Verhof of Agency Engines in Amsterdam.
You’re discussing AI with your clients
Most who responded have discussed using AI with clients, and those clients ask about costs associated with the technology and how it will change the speed of delivery and quality.
Chris Perkins, president of Model B, said they are having client discussions particularly around the ways LLMs can help do consumer research, persona development, segmentation, message testing, and insight development.
“Until now, most clients relied on agencies to crack these elements, and now they can participate much more effectively, helping provide solid briefs—quality in = quality out,” said Perkins.
Overall, AI, is still developing, so not everyone is sounding the alarm.
Rich Uhalde, partner growth, technology at IKPN, said that the challenge is to shift from “fearing AI to understanding its capacity to simplify daily life.”
Many have been using AI for years for budgeting, planning, transcribing and ideating, and 4o is just a new development.
“Like any new cycle of innovation, it’s not what the tools can do, but what we humans can do with the tools,” noted Perkins.
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Kyle O’Brien is managing editor of Indie Agency News.
