Beyond the Hype
We’re not waiting for the future of AI—we’re building it.
WRITTEN BY John Brown, VP of Technology
Generative AI has become the great Rorschach test of our industry—depending on who you ask, it’s either the death of creativity or the dawn of a 10x future. But at Instrument, we don’t buy into the extremes. We’re not doomsday prophets or blind optimists—we’re builders.
We believe the reality lies in between. AI isn’t replacing us—it’s requiring us to evolve
The brands we build, the systems we design, the ways we work—they all need to shift to meet a new era of speed, scale, and intelligence. But this doesn’t mean sacrificing creativity or human connection. It means augmenting them.
Here’s how we’re doing it—with real, tangible initiatives that prove we’re not just talking about the future. We’re building it.
1. Generative AI as a New Creative Language
"Everyone is creative" isn’t just a motto at Instrument—it’s our operating system. But creativity doesn’t always translate easily across disciplines. Communicating abstract ideas between strategy, design, and development can be complex—even in the best conditions. Generative AI is helping us bridge that gap and accelerate cross-functional collaboration.
Take our recent Where Ideas Collide campaign. Senior Strategy Lead Brian Larson and his team had a concept that turned abstract thought into structured systems. Using an LLM, his team vibe coded prototypes that designers could immediately build on. That meant faster iteration, tighter collaboration, and ultimately, more original work.
This is what AI as a creative tool looks like in practice: rapid prototyping. It’s not about removing humans from the process, it’s using their ideas and taste and combining it with incredible speed . It’s about unlocking a new process by augmenting creativity and connection between them.
2. Automating the Repetitive, Preserving the Human
Too many patterns for a human? Perfect for AI. One of the most compelling use cases for generative AI is automating high-volume, low-context tasks. In our recent (yet-to-launch) AlphaSense relaunch, we migrated hundreds of pages of complex and often bespoke content from a legacy system to a new one. Instead of manually mapping content types between systems, we used agentic AI to:
- Ingest massive XML files
- Parse and sort metadata
- Generate accurate integration files for new components
But here’s the key: AI handled the lift, humans ensured the quality. We reviewed and refined the rules to preserve nuance and ensure the output aligned with user needs and brand standards. This hybrid approach saved time while safeguarding trust.
3. Harnessing AI to Drive Client Growth
Financial fluency is a superpower. Now we’ve automated it. To help our teams uncover growth opportunities for clients, we built a custom AI tool called Quarterback that ingests and analyzes earnings reports and financial statements. It goes beyond surface-level insights, transforming raw data into a clear, actionable narrative that allows strategists and account leads to:
- Spot key shifts in business performance
- Identify new whitespace opportunities
- Tailor outreach and recommendations to client priorities
This means we’re not just reacting to client needs—we’re anticipating them. And it has allowed us to move from vendor to partner, from agency to strategic growth engine.
4. AI-Powered Learning for Personalized Development
Empowering people is a design challenge. We built a smarter way to do it. Career growth shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all—so we created an AI-powered learning platform called Academy that aligns with our internal Career Framework. This tool builds personalized development paths for every employee based on their:
- Role-specific requirements
- Individual growth areas
- Preferred learning styles
The result? Self-directed, interactive learning journeys that accelerate skill development and promote equity in access to growth opportunities. This isn’t just about keeping up—it’s about building a culture of continuous, meaningful progress.
We’re Shaping What’s Next
Generative AI has changed the game—but the fundamentals haven’t. Brands still need clarity. Teams still need strategy. People still want meaning.
At Instrument, we’re building systems where humans and machines collaborate with integrity, intelligence, and imagination. We use AI where it’s strongest—speed, scale, pattern recognition—and apply human problem solving where precision and nuance matter most. That’s why much of our generative work lives in prototyping, content migration, and automation—not in persistent systems that demand reliability and accountability.
We treat AI like any creative tool: with intention, discipline, and respect for its limits.
We’re not just talking about the future—we’re actively prototyping it, systematizing it, and scaling it.
Want to see how we’re integrating AI across bespoke brand systems? Let’s talk and build something enduring together.
