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Don’t ask me why, but I’ve become hopelessly addicted to a TV show called Alone. True enough, it’s not the most original idea. There are at least a dozen other shows like it. Survivor. Outlast. Running Wild With Bear Grylls.

As these survival shows go, Alone feels more brutal. Raw. Real. You get the feeling that when that grizzly bear or mountain lion shows up in the middle of the night, a whole heapin’ helpin’ of hurt is about to shred that tent into a million weenie nylon filaments.

As it turns out, there are a whole lot of creative people right now that might soon be struggling to survive themselves, stalked by a digital predator that’s every bit as capable of taking them out as any grizzly or big cat.

The truth is that none of us really know right now just what kind of actual impact AI is going to have on creatives. Maybe it’ll turn out to be just another funky tool for us to work with, and that’ll be the end of it. Or maybe it’ll be something worse. And if that’s true, you’re going to want to prepare yourself. Soon.

When you find yourself suddenly in a hostile environment, the first thing you need to understand is you’ve got to move quickly. In the wilderness, storms can come racing in like a bullet train, and wild beasts can be on you in a nanosecond. But neither can move as fast as a surging technology like AI. Never has a technology grown this quickly.

How can you make AI work for you? If you’re going to survive, better to embrace AI. Better to redefine your role as a creative than stock shelves at Home Depot.”

Ask anyone who knows anything about survival skills, and their priorities are all going to be the same. Shelter. Water. Food. What I’ve come to learn is that there are a few specific skills creatives need, too, if they’re going to confront AI and come out the other side in one piece.

Adapt, Adapt, Adapt.

In Season 3 of Alone, Carleigh Fairchild gave a masterclass in adaptability. When she lost her fishing gear, she adjusted her strategy and successfully caught fish using a gill net made from paracord. Despite the isolation, she dealt with psychological challenges, remaining resilient and finding ways to stay motivated. Her ability to adapt to changing circumstances helped her endure and thrive.

Learn all you can. How can you make AI work for you? If you’re going to survive, better to embrace AI. Better to redefine your role as a creative than stock shelves at Home Depot.

Stay Psychologically Pliable.

Alone is one psychological challenge after another. Just when you think you’ve solved one problem, here come ten more getting up in your grill. At the speed AI is morphing, the psychological pressure is already making itself felt. Mental resilience is going to be one huge asset. Channel your inner willow tree.

To hear Tom Brady tell it, he lasted as long as he did because he worked at keeping his muscles pliable. “Pliability is the name Alex Guerrero and I gave to the training regimen he and I would do every day.” he says. “Using his hands and elbows, Alex performed targeted, deep-force muscle work to lengthen and soften every muscle of my body, as I rhythmically contracted and relaxed that muscle.”

Same thing here, only with your mind.

Anticipate Like There’s No Tomorrow.

Roland Welker had a talent for anticipation unparalleled by any other contestant in the history of Alone. A master of staying several steps ahead, Welker drew on his knowledge of the wilderness and previous experiences to foresee the migration patterns of caribou. He strategically positioned himself along their migration routes, allowing him to observe and hunt the animals.

While there are no guarantees, the odds of holding your own creatively are going to be far better if you can foresee where the technology is likely to go in the future and plan accordingly.”

Knowing that firewood was extremely rare in the remote Arctic, Welker started collecting firewood early on, instead of putting it off so he could focus on other things like fishing and hunting—though they were no less important.

He also knew surviving in subzero conditions was going to be hugely dependent on calorie-dense food sources. He targeted fatty fish like whitefish and pike, which provided him with essential nutrients and sustained his energy levels deep into the Arctic winter.

While there are no guarantees, the odds of holding your own creatively are going to be far better if you can foresee where the technology is likely to go in the future and plan accordingly.

What about you? What kind of preparations are you making to inoculate yourself, and your future as a creative, from AI? Do you think AI is much ado about nothing? Do you feel it’s going to severely erode society in ways we can’t even begin to imagine? ca

Ernie Schenck (ernieschenckcreative.prosite.com) is a freelance writer, a creative director and a regular contributor to CA’s Advertising column. An Emmy finalist, three-time Kelley nominee and a perennial award winner—the One Show, Clios, D&AD, Emmys and Cannes—Schenck worked on campaigns for some of the most prestigious brands in the world in his roles at Hill Holliday/Boston, Leonard Monahan Saabye and Pagano Schenck & Kay. He lives with his wife and daughter in Jamestown, Rhode Island.
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