Ben Reed

At its core, marketing uses a powerful tool – storytelling. But what invigorates me is the use of storytelling to achieve business outcomes. This is what I like to call strategic storytelling. There are many ways to do digital storytelling, and it's the endless amount of creativity and possibilities that make me passionate about being a digital storyteller the most.

Sanctuary AI is on a mission to create the world's first general-purpose human-like intelligence robots that will help make work safer, more efficient, and more sustainable. The world is experiencing declining birth rates and labor shortages. In the United States alone, there are 9.9 million job openings, but only 5.8 million unemployed workers. These shortages pose a real threat to the way we live, and Sanctuary AI's technology offers a solution. Powered by our pioneering AI control system Carbon™, Sanctuary AI’s Phoenix™ general-purpose robots can perform tasks in the same way people can. Unlike special-purpose robots, Sanctuary AI technology can drop into any environment and start working. Carbon and Phoenix mark the beginning of a new era of work and prosperity. As Sanctuary AI's Chief Marketing Officer and member of the executive leadership team, I am responsible for leading the company's marketing and communications initiatives across all owned, earned, and paid channels. My responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the planning, development, and execution of activities across advertising, public relations, industry analyst relations, web, mobile, and social media.

Above all, I value honesty in any marketing and communications project, collateral, or asset. Through my years of experience leading and pioneering the creation of several profoundly new technology product categories, I've learned that trust is gained in drops, but lost in buckets. New and emerging industries can fall into the trap of overhype and being unable to deliver or meet expectations. Any digital design that is compelling and remains true to its marketing is one that I would consider a great design. You can learn more about how our work at Sanctuary AI upholds this gold standard throughout our communications efforts: https://sanctuary.ai/resources/news/honesty-in-technology-communications-marketing-and-storytelling/

Trust, I've learned, isn't built overnight. It's earned in tiny, hard-won droplets, but lost in gushing buckets. My experience pioneering new technology categories has shown me that overhyping and under-delivering is a quick way for emerging industries to lose credibility. That's why I champion honesty in every marketing project, collateral, and asset. For me, a truly great digital design combines compelling creativity with unwavering truthfulness to the marketing message. And if you want to see what that looks like in action, check out how we do it at Sanctuary AI.

Honesty isn't just a nice-to-have in communications for me; it's the bedrock. From launching groundbreaking tech products to navigating new industries, I've witnessed trust evaporate with a single misstep. Hype can get you so far, but delivery is the ultimate currency. That's why I judge design excellence based on whether it captivates while staying faithful to its promises. At Sanctuary AI, we've woven this principle into every thread of our communications, and you can see it shining through in our work.

My career has been defined by pioneering new tech categories, and in that journey, I've witnessed firsthand how trust is painstakingly built, yet can be shattered in an instant. Overhyped promises and undelivered expectations are a quicksand for emerging industries. That's why, for me, the ultimate measure of a great design is its unwavering commitment to honesty – a quality that shines through every pixel, every sentence, every story.

For me, inspiration comes from the specific outcome I'm looking to achieve. I start by asking who the audience is and why they should care. Empathy is one of the most important and often overlooked elements. I ask: what do I want the audience to think, say, feel, or do?

Sanctuary AI is bringing the incredible power of human-like, or general artificial intelligence to the physical world through its incarnation of Phoenix general-purpose robots. Unveiled in May 2023, this technology will help address labor challenges that are beginning to impact the success of organizations around the world. Many organizations have already become our paying customers to future-proof their operations and ensure their future sustainability against a shrinking workforce. Sanctuary AI is leading an innovation revolution that will change everything in an industry that will eclipse not only the automotive industry but the entire labor industry as a whole. We are creating a future where everyone can work more safely, efficiently, and sustainably. The use of human-like artificial intelligence in general-purpose robots will create the opportunity for people to take back one of the most precious things–time–by performing work that is unsafe or simply undesirable to people.

As with any project, there will always be challenges, and this project was no exception. The biggest challenge was making sure that we were true to our values of honesty in technology communications, marketing, and storytelling. Balancing what looks good against what produces truth is something that all practitioners must deal with in their work. I think we ended up with something that both looks good, while it's 100% true product.

With the explosion of generative AI tools over the past year, it's hard to predict, but I'm excited about the possibilities. Communicators, marketers, and storytellers of all kinds are likely to have an ever-increasing set of AI-powered tools to be more productive, creative, and impactful. What an exciting time to be alive!

One of my former mentors used to say quite regularly: "Don't mistake activity for achievement." The key for me is prioritization. There is always more to do than there is time in the day to do it. By prioritizing the most important and urgent things, I can ensure that what I'm working on is of the highest value.