Ian Juarez EDINBURG – From multibillion dollar companies such as Coca Cola, to locations in the Valley such as the City of Harlingen, AI usage has become more prevalent in the marketing space.
Kayla Cruz, Department of Marketing associate professor, said as A-I becomes more common, advertising will see more benefits.
“I think that A-I is going to help with the marketing teams, improve the customer relationship management,” Cruz said. “And, pretty much you can kind of forecast in advance what’s going to happen with your customer base. And of course, you can do it at a small, local businesses area or even in corporate, public or private sector.”
Clarissa Martinez UTRGV School of Art Design lecturer I, said she personally saw an increase of generative AI at the Brownsville Farmers Market for small businesses, stating how several of the business’s signs “all look the same.”
Martinez added there are many reasons for the increase of A-I usage.
“Things are very expensive, and it’s kind of a fast-paced world of owning your own business,” said Martinez. “People who are trying to keep their small business alive may not know, or they do know, but they can’t afford to hire someone to create the look of their business.”
Martinez said free programs such as Canva are available to create graphics and designs for those who may not have the funds to hire a designer or artist.
As AI becomes more integrated into daily life and available to the public, Martinez added it poses a threat to creative works.
“Unfortunately, that accessibility does harm the designers and artists of our community,” Martinez said. “A lot of people, students ask about it constantly. They’re worried about it too. And, but it’s also starting to be rolled back. It depends on the industry that you’re looking at”
Alberto Paz Jr., UTRGV graphic design alumni and current freelance designer, said although AI has not affected his personal work, it is evolving at a rapid pace.
“I would say it’s here to stay for the time being,” Paz said. “I try to remain optimistic about it and hopefully I can find work and my own people can find work as well.”
Cantu said she believes AI has not yet reached a level where it is going to be “100 percent harmful” when it comes to taking over job opportunities.
“I think that right now it’s super early to be able to determine, to say whether it’s going to take over 100% right now,” Cantu said. “I know there’s a lot of workshops available when it comes to AI and the different software, right? So just to try to be involved, try to stay educated and try just to learn.”
