Artificial intelligence or AI is well on the way to becoming embedded both in our personal lives and professional environments. The question is no longer whether we should use AI but rather how we should use it, ethically, effectively and inclusively. This is where cultural intelligence becomes essential.

Liquid consultant and Global EDI Lead Sarah Black has researched the importance of cultural intelligence and its applications to AI, and we’re here to tell you all about it.

What is Cultural Intelligence?

Cultural intelligence or CQ is the ability to work and communicate effectively across cultures. In the context of cultural intelligence, culture does not just refer to the cultures and cultural practices of different countries but also organisational cultures, local and regional norms, generational differences, gender identity, and other aspects of human diversity.

At its core, cultural intelligence involves self-awareness, being able to recognise your own cultural practices while remaining open and adaptable to others. In an increasingly AI-driven world, cultivating this awareness is key to ensuring that technology is applied in ways that are both socially sensitive and globally relevant.

We have already seen agencies successfully using CQ to inform their campaigns. One such example was Cadbury’s #NotJustACadburyAd. Ogilvy and Wavemaker, in partnership with Cadbury, helped promote local businesses in India during Diwali after the Covid-19 pandemic. By using AI technology, they were able to take footage from famous Indian actor and Cadbury Brand Ambassador, Shah Rukh Khan, and manipulate it to make him advertise local businesses across India. They then shared the technology to allow people to create their own ads that feature the actor saying the name of their business. This campaign from Ogilvy, Wavemaker, and Cadbury demonstrates their use of cultural intelligence in recognising the emotional and cultural significance of religious celebrations and Hindi Cinema.

The Four Capabilities of Cultural Intelligence for Agencies

Cultural intelligence has four capabilities which can all be applied to the use of AI within agencies:

• Drive/Motivational CQ
• Knowledge/Cognitive CQ
• Strategy/Meta Cognitive AI
• Action/Behavioural CQ

These four capabilities encompass both the ethical and personal aspects of using AI within a business.

Drive/Motivational Cultural Intelligence

Drive or Motivational CQ in the context of AI refers to how motivated an individual or a business is to embrace and use AI. However, not everyone is always on the same page. A company might be embracing AI tools and strategies to its fullest, while some employees might be hesitant or even completely against it. Research conducted by Salesforce found that a person’s reaction to AI falls into five categories which vary from complete acceptance and integration to complete rejection and resistance.

This resistance often reflects real concerns. Some employees worry about losing their jobs when headlines include Microsoft laying off 9,000 people as part of their AI investment strategy. Others question the ethical implications of using AI, particularly in big decisions like making government policy.

On the flip side, being overly enthusiastic about AI without truly understanding it can prove to be ineffective and risky.

Knowledge/Cognitive Cultural Intelligence

For any business or agency to successfully incorporate AI into its strategy, it’s not just about having the tech but about making sure everyone on the team feels confident and comfortable using it. This is where Knowledge or Cognitive CQ comes into play. Cognitive CQ is more than just knowing a few facts about another culture or following a checklist on what to do. It is really about acknowledging the complexity and range of differences between you and the culture you are interacting with by understanding that they view the world in a different way.

This is particularly significant when it comes to using AI. Agencies must consider how their audience might react to AI-generated content. They especially need to consider the ethical side of this as well, as AI learns from the data it’s given, and that data can carry all sorts of subconscious biases.

Take gender bias, for example. The organisation, UN Women, has done some informative research displaying how AI not only reflects gender stereotypes but can actually re-enforce them.

This potential for bias requires an agency to consider whose voices are not being represented or heard in AI generated content. If certain groups are not using AI, then their perspective will not be present at all. That’s why it’s so important to ask AI the right kinds of questions—ones that are culturally aware and inclusive.

Cognitive CQ is also relevant when using AI for content displayed in other countries than your own, as it is important for businesses to be aware of different legal restrictions surrounding the use of AI across the globe.

Strategy/Meta Cultural Intelligence

The third capability of Cultural Intelligence is Strategy/Meta Cognitive CQ. It may sound complex, but at its core it is about being self-aware and enhancing our own critical thinking. Knowing how we think and using AI as a tool to build on our own ideas, not replace them.

This kind of self-awareness and critical thinking is crucial because AI is constantly evolving and learning. What works one day may not work tomorrow, so agencies must keep checking in, not just on AI but on their own use of it as well.

Action/Behavioural Cultural Intelligence

This leads us to the last capability of Cultural Intelligence, Action/Behavioural CQ. Behavioural CQ is how agencies put their understanding into practice, as businesses only truly lead across cultures by being flexible and willing to adapt.

When it comes to AI, we should question if we are sticking to our own values and those of the company, and if we are adapting when things shift to make sure we stay inclusive.

AI can be an asset to agencies and businesses. It can be used to increase efficiency and as seen above can create effective and innovative campaigns. However, it is important to know when to use AI and when not to – this requires cultural intelligence.

At the end of the day, businesses that want to thrive on a global scale need to think globally. As quoted from Mangla and Singh, ‘Global leadership demands leaders to have a global mind-set.’

At Liquid we get that. As a global agency with a roster of clients worldwide, we’ve seen first-hand how important cultural intelligence is. It is how we stay connected, stay creative and stay ahead.

Get in touch with the Liquid team at info@weareliquid.com to find out how we combine cultural intelligence with cutting edge technology to create campaigns that connect across borders.