How do you as experts classify the importance of artificial intelligence related to content in Austria in international comparison?
Anja and Julie Teßmann: Austria has left the first “hype phase” behind, which was all about trying out ChatGPT & Co. with the first quick wins. We are observing that domestic companies are now taking a very reflective approach. In international comparison – especially compared to the USA – people in Austria (and Europe) are more cautious when it comes to data protection and brand consistency. But this is not necessarily a disadvantage, but rather an opportunity: While the global market is flooded with AI monotony, the focus in Austria is increasingly on quality and legal security. We may not be the fastest at “bumping out” AI tools, but we are at the forefront when it comes to integrating AI into existing marketing or communication processes in a strategically sensible and GDPR-compliant manner.
What developments and trends do you particularly notice as experts?
Anja and Julie Teßmann: It’s clear: the trend is moving away from pure text automation towards “hyper-personalization while maintaining strong brand protection”. In addition, the following three trends: 1. Human-in-the-loop: AI is no longer seen as a replacement for creative people, but as a co-pilot. People curate and dictate the “soul” of the brand. Expertise is strengthened, but not replaced. 2. Niche AIs: Instead of just relying on the big players like OpenAI, the focus is on specialized, European tools (like the AI text manufacturer Newsrooms.ai or COCO, the “Midjourney for Inclusion”) that are much better at mastering brand-compliant language or depicting diversity and putting it into the European context. 3. Authenticity as a countermovement: The more AI-generated content floods the feeds, the more valuable the “real” becomes. We call this the fight against “AI uniformity”. Companies and brands must learn to use AI in a way that cannot be seen or heard, so that the brand’s identity remains at the forefront and is not diluted.
Which local company do you consider to be a model for using AI around content?
Anja and Julie Teßmann: There are some exciting players, but what is particularly noteworthy is how Austrian media companies and agencies are starting to use AI to scale regional content without losing journalistic or creative care. A really great example of the use of specialized technology is the Viennese startup Newsrooms.ai, which proves that AI doesn’t have to sound like AI by enabling companies to produce texts with the highest performance and quality in their very own style.
Which international company has caught your attention in the past few months when it comes to AI & content?
Anja and Julie Teßmann: Definitely Google. After they were often laughed at at the beginning, they finally delivered with Gemini. The chatbot, but also the integration into the workspace, is now really good. But what particularly impressed us as experts was the image generation using the model known as “Nano Banana”. This solves a huge problem for us: character consistency. You can finally create a character and send them believably through different settings without them looking different every time. With a little practice, this moves the content away from an “AI random product” towards real, plannable brand communication.
What tip can you recommend that can be implemented quickly?
Anja and Julie Teßmann: Created an “AI brand manual”. Most teams use AI with very generic prompts, which leads to the aforementioned monotony. Our tip: Define your brand voice (tone of voice), your values and your no-go words in a document and use this as an integral part (“system prompt”) for every AI tool. Only if the AI knows who you are can it help you remain authentic. AI is a tool, not a strategy – the strategy must always come from the brand.
This interview is part of an interview series with members of the MCÖ Digital Marketing Experts Pool in cooperation with the Internet World Austria editorial team. Stephan Kreissler, founder of the digital agencies AdsThatWork and Digitalisten, is the initiator and head of the pool of digital marketing experts. He is supported by Harald Rametsteiner, course director for the MBA General Management at the BFI Vienna.
