In the face of increasingly stiff competition, marketers have begun to see artificial intelligence (AI) as a road to success. Johannes Sahlin, PhD student, studying informatics at the University of Skövde, has taken a major step towards creating a human-centred AI tool that can improve the world of marketing.
In today’s digital era, marketing is more than simply reaching out to customers. It requires engaging with and adapting to customers and their individual behaviours and preferences. Recently, it has become apparent that AI has the potential to improve advertising campaigns by analysing and learning from consumer behaviours. This is where Johannes Sahlin and his research come into the picture.
Sahlin’s aim with his research is to develop a marketing optimisation system with a human-centred AI. With the aid of, for instance, architectural models, technological rules and design principles, he has developed a design theory of the concerned information system. A design theory is a tool for making generally better information systems. Among other things, a design theory explains the structure, behaviour and function of a particular type of information system. Sahlin’s theory of his system can guide both researchers and marketers in creating their own variants of the information system, with the aim of improving their marketing efforts.
From research to practice
Sahlin employed the Action Design Research method to build and study the system. This is a method based on a number of design cycles, including development, intervention and evaluation. The research has resulted in several articles presenting the design theory in various forms, such as models, technological rules and design principles.
Sahlin has developed not only a theoretical framework, but also a practical system that uses AI to optimise digital advertisements.
“By combining theory and practice, I’ve created a tool that marketers can use to improve their advertising campaigns and to adapt them to consumer behaviours. The principles are adaptable and can be tailored to different contexts and scenarios. In other words, it isn’t a strict set of rules to follow, but rather a creative platform that others can use to develop their own unique solutions and to adapt the theory to their particular needs.”
Future research
Sahlin concludes his thesis with recommendations for future research. With a focus on the relevance, novelty, usefulness, design and transparency of the product or campaign being produced, the research demonstrates how AI can be used to optimise marketing and how human-centred design can prove key to success.
“The wonderful thing about design research is that you are able to explore and shape the world. And this research offers every opportunity to further shape, test and identify favourable system solutions,” says Sahlin.
Sahlin’s work has the potential to influence how businesses and consumers interact in the digital world, leading to more personalised and engaging advertising experiences.
Johannes Sahlin will defend his thesis, “Designing Advertisement Systems with Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence”, at the University of Skövde on Wednesday, 1 November.