People and Prompts: Working Alongside AI

The Leadership Perspective

Ryan Gajewski is the Chief Strategy Officer at Truscott Rossman. He has a background in content creation and is a driving force behind our adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.

The following is a transcript of a recent interview with Ryan on the power of AI:

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What made you realize that we had to become AI-powered? 

RG: Let's back up. I brought up AI back when I interviewed to work here and basically said, ‘It's something that will change our industry, whether we like it or not.’ From what I've heard from the leadership team since then, having a perspective on AI was more than anyone else had.  

When I was brought on and began to push for those changes, I was impressed by the positive reception from our leadership team. It would be easy to assume that someone like John Truscott, with his career that is so deeply tied to his craft, would be against something like a full-throated adoption of AI. But he was as open-minded as possible. And that is a credit to our values at TR. 

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What about other staff? 

RG: People's concerns were well-founded. Ultimately, I think the business case justified itself, but I do remember a lot of good questions. People wanted to understand our perspective on it. There was open-mindedness, but trepidation too. 

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What is the business case for TR to become AI-powered? 

RG: Coming into Truscott Rossman, my push for AI adoption was truly about self-preservation for the company. There will come a point, if not this year then in the near future, where we'll have to ask hard questions about what is the best use of a human's time versus a computer's time. Machines can now do many things that humans traditionally spent time on just as well, if not better. 

For an agency that bills time, any technology that reduces the hours spent on tasks—whether that's by 10% or 50%, depending on the skill—creates real value for our customers. Being smaller has actually given us an advantage in this space. Anyone who has worked at larger agencies knows how difficult it can be to change direction or introduce new technology at scale. With a smaller, more nimble team like ours, we can leverage AI technology faster, which has been one of the most exciting aspects of this transformation. 

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How has AI specifically impacted our work in content creation?  

RG: The intersection of adopting AI and launching our content brand has been particularly powerful. As a recovering content creator myself, I've seen firsthand how AI tools can expedite work and enhance quality. More than any other area of our business, content creation has been revolutionized by these tools. 

Sure, you can use ChatGPT to write a press release, but the deeper capabilities, like tools that integrate into Adobe Suite, are where the real magic happens. With Say More in particular, we're meeting a moment where we can provide exceptional content at a pace that previously would have been impossible. We now have both increasingly accessible, professional-quality equipment and AI tools that help us maximize their potential. 

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What keeps you up at night regarding AI? 

RG: The pace of growth is staggering. When ChatGPT crossed that threshold, we entered a new world. Since then, we've seen enormous investment and exponential advancement, but society's understanding of what's plausible, possible, and likely hasn't kept pace. 

I see both sides of the coin. On the hopeful side, AlphaFold won recognition for healthcare breakthroughs where AI helped quickly discover proteins to cure diseases, and now the field has suddenly opened to save more lives. But then there's the darker potential, like AI-powered robocalls using a child's voice to manipulate parents. 

I'm bullish on AI as a business multiplier, but I'm apprehensive about what becomes of society if we don't take it seriously. That's why we created our AI Ethics Policy, though I believe it should evolve every year as the technology advances. 

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Any final thoughts on creativity in the age of AI? 

RG: I still hold being right-brained very personally. There's something admirable about the relationship an artist develops with their medium, like a sculptor with stone. But that traditional approach isn't sustainable in a world that values speed and efficiency. I believe being creative with code and technology is just another step in the artistic journey. If artists feel threatened by these tools, I encourage them to see what's possible with AI rather than focusing on what it might replace.

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Ready to see how an AI-powered approach can elevate your content strategy? Contact our team today to explore the possibilities.