WHY
The BASF Brand and Artificial Intelligence
in Communication
Artificial Intelligence* – great potential for value creation at BASF
AI is a key measure of the strategic lever "Accelerate" in the BASF strategy and the use of AI in our professional lives is now a matter of course. AI allows us an easier and more efficient way of working, in the best case enhancing our communication. However, there is the danger of AI tools being misused with the goal of manipulating the public and causing harm. Thus, the “what” and “how” need to be clarified and continuously adapted to currently fast-moving developments. To maximize the benefits of AI, mitigate risks and prevent potential disadvantages, legal, ethical and branding aspects must be considered.
* Artificial Intelligence = AI
WHAT
1. Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence Tools at BASF
A variety of AI tools are continuously being tested and evaluated. The goal is to provide the community with a recommendation of AI tools. Specialized teams are involved – see the links and contact lists below.
Important: Always familiarize yourself with the terms and use and data protection of third-party applications before sharing any (internal) information. As a rule of thumb, don’t share any internal information or higher with external providers unless there is an existing agreement between the provider and BASF.
2. Evaluation of Using Artificial Intelligence in Communication
The Three Pillar Concept
Next to the tools, we must have a closer look to content being created by and/or with the support of AI. For the safe and compliant use of AI tools and its content creation, we developed a guiding framework based on three pillars. Legal, ethical and branding aspects must be taken into account when using AI to generate texts, visuals, audio and videos.
1. Pillar - Legal Aspects
BASF needs to be legally compliant with communication generated by and/or with the support of AI. The necessity to label AI-generated content derives from the EU AI Act of June 13, 2024 (article 50). As the EU AI Act changes constantly, please inform yourself proactively on a regular basis.
The binding document "AI in Communication Contexts" outlines labeling requirements for the creation, provision and usage of AI-generated or manipulated content, assets, and services within the BASF Group. Among other things, it highlights the necessity of labeling such content in cases of a) deep fakes** or 2) text published with the purpose of informing the public on matters of public interest and provides guidance on how this should be done.
It also introduces the general rule of providing AI-generated content with a standardized identifier in the file name, which must follow the standard "_aga-YY-MM-DD-HH"
** Deepfake = AI-generated or manipulated image, audio or video content that resembles existing persons, objects, places, entities or events and would falsely appear to a person to be authentic or truthful.
2. Pillar - Ethical Aspects
Ethical considerations are part of current laws such as the EU AI Act and local legislation. BASF must ensure compliance with them. In case of uncertainty to what extent these laws must be complied with, the respective legal officer should be contacted. In particular, the following aspects must be fulfilled:
- The use of AI tools shall not harm human beings and must preserve human autonomy.
- The use of AI must be fair, transparent and explainable.
3. Pillar - Branding Aspects
Last but not least, the product/asset/content owner must make sure that communication assets such as text, visuals, audio and videos are compliant with the branding guidelines representing its DNA.
Note: Due to the heterogeneity of the legal and ethicallandscape it is not possible to provide globally valid advice. The legal and ethical recommendations below are applicable to the European Union (EU) only. For countries outside the EU, please contact your local legal counsellor. The BASF branding guidelines remain unaffected and must be applied globally.
HOW
How to design AI-generated assets to strengthen the BASF brand
Having analyzed the constantly changing AI environment and the untransparent, complex legal situation, there is a potential risk of harm to the BASF Brand. In In particular, two topics need to be evaluated regularly:
1. As intellectual property is ignored, there are an increasing number of legal cases where AI providers are sued (e.g., OpenAI).
2. Communication material generated by AI can’t be copyrighted at the moment, offering third parties the possibility of using it without consequences.
Due to the above mentioned cases, we recommend evaluating the use cases and generated assets carefully. The lowest risk is using visual content generated by AI for internal purposes only. When embedding an AI-generated asset, its origin does not currently have to be indicated (e.g., in the case of a Gen-AI generated photo on a website). An exception to this is if communication is published with the purpose of informing the public about matters of public interest or about deepfakes (see Pillar One – Legal Aspects above).
The obligation to adapt the file name in accordance with the conventions outlined in the Related Document remains unaffected.
Assets generated with/by AI must contain a label in the file name according to the following standard: _aga-YY-MM-DD-HH (“aga” stands for “artificially generated asset”).
Below you will find the main use cases showing legal disclaimers, ethical and branding requirements. They were collected within BASF and currently reflect the majority of use cases. With this list, we hope toto offer initial guidance when generating communication material generated with or by AI.
Use cases for communication generated by/with AI
Note: The legal obligation to label AI communication material is currently only for published text of public interest, internally and externally, and deepfakes (see above).
In a nutshell
Whenever you create communication assets, please consider the three pillars
This means in particular:
- Inform yourself regularly about the current legal framework in your region
- Include your legal counsel within your region
- Include your respective brand consultant
In case you have strategic questions concerning the concept, please contact the respective colleagues mentioned below.
In case you need to present this content to your stakeholders, please visit our Connected through Branding Sharepoint to download the ppt file: Sharepoint documents - AI in Brandmanagement