Technology has crept into all aspects of our lives. We rely on our devices for just about everything, from sourcing information and goods to navigating place-to-place. And now, Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs are taking over tasks big and small, ranging from answering texts to writing emails to design projects—and everything in between.

AI can seemingly do it all. But do we want it to? 

AI and the Artist

Tatum Neill, creative director at Elevate and Neill is no stranger to disrupting the status quo.

“At Elevate, we feature images that are wild and different,” he says. “Some people hate it, and others feel it’s the only place to go. Either way, our content evokes a reaction.”

Source: Neill’s Fall/Winter 2023 Education Calendar (AI generated image)

When Tatum began exploring AI and how it can be used creatively, he knew immediately it was going to be controversial.

“There’s always a new medium that challenges what is art,” he says.

“First it was the camera, then digital, then Instagram, and now, with AI, there is an artistic side to it and a practical side that’s less artistic.”

Tatum recently had the opportunity to explore both the practical and creative sides of AI when he created Neill’s online education catalog.

Source: Neill’s Fall/Winter 2023 Education Calendar (AI generated image)

“I had some time and resource constraints that prevented me from doing a traditional photoshoot,” he says. “I used an AI program to create most of the images for the calendar, and it was an amazing creative endeavor for me.”

“Talking” to AI and getting the program to create the vision Tatum saw in his head was a far cry from a photoshoot with models, makeup artists and photographers, but creatively challenging in a new way.

“There are people out there creating entire worlds unbound by the confines of reality through AI,” he says. “We can stimulate others creatively with images we create on AI.”

So is this the end of editorial photoshoots as we know them? Is AI going to diminish the role of hairdressers, stylists, makeup artists and photographers?

Not necessarily. Neill says AI is a tool, just like Photoshop. In fact, generative AI is now a part of Photoshop.

“It allows you to start with a small photo and generate the rest,” he says. Want the Eiffel Tower in the background? Need a mansion next to your dog? AI can do it.

For the editorial stylist, AI can generate hair. Or, you can create your own hair and tell AI to create the clothing you envision.

“I used a program similar to ChatGPT where I used word prompts to tell AI exactly what I wanted for each model,” Neill says. “It was an exercise in patience and creativity.”

Like anything, using AI takes trial and error, research and practice. Tatum anticipates it will evolve just as other technology has, but it’s hard to predict how fast and how far it will reach into the creative world.

“I think AI will be used for catalog work eventually,” he says.

“But it can’t fill the job of a hairdresser and the relationships people have with their stylists.”

And for now, humans are still in control of creating and guiding future trends.

“AI is currently a regurgitation of the past,” Tatum says. ‘It cannot articulate the moment we’re in or tell you what’s next.”

AI and the Salon Owner

Steffan Bentley, owner of Apotheca Salon & Barbershop in Austin, Texas, has also been playing with AI to enhance images and push his creative boundaries, but he’s primarily using AI to build his business.

In February 2023, Bentley dove head first into online education, enrolling in a Google class on SEO and AI. After about a month of learning, he realized what a powerful tool AI could be for his business and immediately put it to work.

“The Google algorithm loves new content, so we started blogging on our website,” he says. “I tell AI to write the blogs with our salon’s keywords, then I edit it before publishing.”

For example, Bentley may tell AI to write a blog on ’90s bouncy blowouts being all the rage. To make sure Google is attracting the clients he wants, he also tells AI to use these five keywords in the geographic range of Austin: LGBTQ, haircut, hair color, highlights, and salon and barbershop.

Source: ApothecaATX.com

Along with ChatGPT, Bentley uses Bard, Google’s AI program, to create the blogs and analyze his SEO and social media.

“It allows me to see if the content I’m putting out there is capturing the audience I want,” he says. “I also work with Bing, which mines data from smaller outlets like Next Door and Yelp—the non-heavy-hitters.”

Between Bing and Bard, Bentley has a good sense of Apotheca’s online presence and where he needs to be working harder.

“To refine my blogs, I use Monica, a Chrome extension, to help me create content. I like the way Monica writes, but prefer how Bard searches the internet, so sometimes I take what Bard creates and have Monica rewrite it.

“Monica gives prompts for the type of content you want, more prompts to create tone and asks about length,” he adds. “It will even rewrite another article for you.”

Using these AI programs and investing in Google to maximize your online presence requires a learning curve, but it’s worth it.

In 2022, Apotheca saw an average of 85 new clients per month. In 2023, Bentley spent $500 per month on Google My Business and that average is now 165 new clients per month.

“In August, we saw 166 new clients, and had an average sales ticket of $129.29,” he says. “That equates to $21,462.14 in revenue each month for a $500 investment.”

But Bentley isn’t resting on his laurels. He’s creating content with AI, whether it’s a blog or a social media post, and maximizing it’s reach.

“I use AI to write my Instagram captions with prompts that include what I want,” he says. “For example, I might ask it to promote Botanical Repair treatment, use certain emojis, and tag ‘Austin salon.’ Bard can search what’s trending in hashtags for me so I can choose the most effective ones.”

Bentley says he also can use AI to select templates and trending audio to create a reel and call to action.

“Facetune even has an AI feature now,” he says. “You just upload your photo to Facetune and click the AI-enhanced button to get a professional-quality image.”

Bentley likens what he’s doing with Google and AI to the Aveda service wheel.

“People find us on Google, then they go to our website, and from there to our Instagram,” he says. “And on Instagram, we’ve created so much content featuring our salon and staff—in addition to our work—that people feel like they’ve been here before they set foot in the salon.”

Learn more about Bentley’s journey and success at Uplift, his financial gains class that ties personal and professional goals together.

AI and the Stylist

Bella Sarlay is a stylist at Apotheca, hair color educator with Neill and one of about a dozen members of the Neill Influencer Mastermind group.

“The Mastermind group meets on Zoom every month to analyze what we’ve been posting, what’s performing well, what isn’t working, and how we can make it work,” she says.

“I use AI (Bard) to help me with my captions or hooks when I’m posting,” she says. “It also tells me my top-performing posts and gives me suggestions for content.”

Source: ApothecaATX.com

Sarlay says AI has helped shape her strategies for content pillars, including creating tutorials, product knowledge and funny skits clients or other stylists relate to.

“If a post isn’t performing, I use AI to make it better,” she says.

“It has boosted my engagement, brought me followers and built up my clientele.”

Sarlay says using AI also saves her time—she no longer scrolls through posts and stats on Instagram.

“If I hit a roadblock, AI gives me examples of my top-performing posts and samples of what I can create to emulate those posts,” she says. “When I was in the middle of a move, life was busy and it was hard to stay on track with content creation. I got burnt out, so I used AI for suggestions.”

Sarlay’s followers have almost doubled as a result, going from 600 to 1,400 since she started using AI.

“I know some people fear AI and what it will do to their job or everyday life,” she says. “But when it comes to being a hairstylist, AI can’t take that away. Instead of being fearful, I’m utilizing AI in a way that will help my career.”

The surface of AI has barely been scratched and already, it’s a powerful tool changing the way we do business. Are you maximizing its potential in your business?