The Rise of Generative AI and How it’s Impacting Events

In just a few short years, generative AI tools have gone from experimental side projects to essential business utilities. And with the arrival of multimodal AI - which can understand and generate both text and images - the gap between concept and execution has shrunk dramatically.

This shift is not just about speed, but about strategic agility. AI can now summarise 25,000-word reports, generate code from scratch, translate content instantly, or brainstorm creative themes on command.

Understanding this technology and its limitations is critical for professionals in marketing, communications, and event planning.

In the event world, where content demands are high and turnaround times are tight, generative AI software is already transforming workflows. Tasks like writing copy, generating event scripts, creating sponsor assets, or captioning social media posts can now be completed in minutes instead of hours.

Tools like Jasper and Synthesia allow event marketers to generate branded video content and social posts at scale. ChatGPT and Claude can script host intros, draft press releases, or create personalised attendee messages.

And the applications go well beyond writing. Midjourney and Adobe Firefly are already being used to generate concept visuals, design social graphics, and prototype booth designs, all from simple text prompts.

GPT-4’s multimodal functionality enables it to process both text and images, vastly expanding how generative AI platforms can be used. It can read graphs, interpret infographics, summarise screenshots, and even generate recipes from photos.

In events, this means AI can help digest speaker presentations, suggest layout improvements from venue floor plans, or turn a scribbled agenda into a polished show guide.

And with AI-powered summarisation, teams can automatically condense feedback surveys, meeting notes, or post-event reports, making it easier to distill insights and iterate faster.

Despite rapid improvements, current AI models aren't perfect. GPT-4, Claude, and similar tools still struggle with “hallucinations” (confident but incorrect answers) and can sometimes reflect biases from their training data. These tools also lack true reasoning or emotional understanding, which is why human oversight remains critical.

As Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic continue to update their models, ethical use and accuracy will be central to ongoing development. For now, AI remains a creative co-pilot, not a fully autonomous driver. 

There’s been plenty of speculation about AI replacing creative professionals. But the more realistic, and more exciting, outcome is transformation. Generative AI software will not eliminate jobs, but it will eliminate tedious work.

Instead of writing 20 versions of an email subject line, marketers can test ideas with AI in seconds. Instead of waiting on design iterations, event producers can visualise ideas instantly with tools like Midjourney or DALL·E 3. The time saved means more space for strategy, creativity, and innovation.

• Generative AI tools are enabling a leap in productivity, creativity, and speed for event professionals. 
• The rise of generative AI is not a trend - it's a transformation, already reshaping how we plan, promote, and personalise experiences.
• With multimodal tools like GPT-4, event marketers can write, design, analyse, and automate more than ever before.
• Limitations like hallucinations and bias still exist, but with the right human input, AI becomes a powerful creative ally.
•  Professionals should embrace generative AI software not as a threat, but as a way to free up time for high-value, strategic work.

We’re now living through the rapid system rise of generative AI phase, where the adoption of tools is not only widespread but accelerating. Gartner has labelled this moment the “Peak of Inflated Expectations,” a point in the technology lifecycle when the excitement often outpaces practical application.

In the events world, the impact is just beginning. Planning, promotion, guest communication, and even scheduling can be enhanced or automated with Generative AI tools. The time savings are significant. Instead of spending hours writing a post-event email or creating social captions, marketers can simply prompt a tool like ChatGPT or Jasper.

In the background, these tools are supported by powerful Machine Learning algorithms that improve based on user interaction. The result? Faster ideation, richer creativity, and more compelling experiences for attendees.

• The rapid system rise generative ai is revolutionising how we work.
• AI tools are already integrated into marketing, streaming, and shopping.
• Events professionals are leveraging AI for planning and communication.

As we continue to explore the impact of the rise of generative AI, it’s essential to get hands-on with the tools shaping the future of work. Here are 13 standout options:

Synthesia turns your text into video, using AI avatars that speak over 120 languages and dialects. With more than 60 customizable templates and the ability to brand content with your colours and logo, it’s a powerful way to make professional event videos fast. It’s especially helpful for creating event previews, speaker introductions, sponsor messages, or internal training content, reducing the need for costly video shoots and editing.

This is the most well-known generative AI tool. It assists with everything from drafting social media posts and blog articles to translating documents and answering customer questions. With the latest GPT-4.5 and the upcoming GPT-5 models, ChatGPT offers even stronger multimodal capabilities, handling both images and text inputs. Its conversational style makes it perfect for generating content, scripting, brainstorming ideas, and providing real-time attendee support.  

PI is an emotionally intelligent chatbot designed to provide thoughtful, human-like responses. It’s ideal for acting as a virtual assistant or event concierge, offering attendees helpful information before, during, and after an event. PI’s natural conversational abilities make it great for personalising attendee experiences and handling complex queries without sounding robotic.

Otter is perfect for meetings, interviews, and webinars, transcribing audio in real-time with high accuracy. You can connect it to Zoom calls or other platforms to automatically generate transcripts, making it invaluable for event recaps, session summaries, or creating searchable archives of speaker content. Otter’s live captioning also enhances accessibility for hearing-impaired attendees.

VEED offers a suite of AI-powered video editing and image generation tools. Its simple interface makes it easy to create promotional event clips, social media content, and branded videos without needing expert editing skills.

You will often need to refine your prompts until you achieve your desired art style. But once you have an AI-generated image, you can download it in three different resolution sizes. From adding subtitles and effects to generating visuals from text prompts, VEED helps marketers produce eye-catching content quickly.

AudioPen converts spoken words into clean, structured written content. It’s great for professionals who prefer to dictate ideas, jot down notes, or draft blog posts on the move. AudioPen’s ability to capture long voice notes and output polished text saves time and keeps creative momentum flowing, especially for busy event planners and marketers.

Opus Clip automatically processes long-form videos and extracts short, social media-ready clips optimized for platforms like Instagram Reels, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts. It identifies the most engaging moments, saving hours of manual editing. This tool is perfect for repurposing conference talks, interviews, or keynote sessions to maximize post-event engagement.

Claude is a chatbot focused on ethical and transparent communication. It excels in generating clear, thoughtful responses while adhering to high safety standards, making it ideal for attendee support and content validation. Event teams use Claude to ensure messaging aligns with brand values and to moderate communications in real time.

Formerly Bard, Gemini integrates powerful AI with Google’s suite of tools for enhanced research, summarising, and productivity. It supports event planners by providing data-driven insights, helping to organise complex schedules, or sourcing information quickly. Its Google integrations also streamline workflows by connecting emails, calendars, and documents.

Midjourney is a leading AI image generator known for creating artistic and imaginative visuals. Event marketers use it to design posters, venue mockups, social media graphics, or concept art. Its ability to generate high-quality creative assets accelerates branding efforts and helps bring event themes to life with unique imagery.

OpenAI Codex transforms natural language instructions into working code. Developers can quickly build event registration portals, chatbots, or microsites without extensive coding. This tool bridges the gap between concept and implementation, empowering event teams to prototype and launch digital features faster.

DALL-E 3 generates hyper-realistic images from simple text prompts. It’s perfect for creating custom event visuals, marketing materials, or conceptual art. This tool allows designers and marketers to experiment with ideas, generate unique assets on demand, and visually communicate brand stories without relying on stock photos.

Integrated into Adobe Creative Cloud, Firefly uses AI to generate backgrounds, text effects, and artwork. It’s a designer’s ally for creating eye-catching event posters, social graphics, and branding elements with ease. Firefly accelerates creative workflows and supports dynamic visual storytelling for event promotion.

• Choose tools based on content type and workflow needs.
• Combine tools (e.g. ChatGPT + Opus Clip) for full event content suites.
• Each tool helps automate a part of the event planner’s content process.

AI communications will become more personalised, timely and effective as Generative AI tools improve. For event planners, that means:

• Dynamic emails that adjust based on attendee behaviour.
• Social media captions tailored for each platform.
• FAQ bots that can answer event queries in real-time.

Tools like Jasper and ChatGPT can already write dozens of variations of an email subject line. Tools like Claude and PI can act as chat agents, delivering helpful responses to attendees before, during, and after events.

Moreover, accessibility is improving too. AI captioning and real-time translations can make your event content inclusive. Even creating explainer videos or highlight reels is easier than ever.

• AI communications allow hyper-personalised outreach.
• Events benefit from bots, transcripts, and multilingual content.
• Accessibility is improved with captions and summaries.

We are witnessing the full impact of the rise of generative AI, with tools that dramatically improve how events are marketed, managed and experienced. From captioning to scripting, summarising to designing, AI is already a co-pilot in most digital tasks.

While the most popular generative AI tools are impressive, their value increases when used with intention, creativity and responsibility. Whether you’re drafting an agenda or repurposing a keynote video, AI can handle the heavy lifting, leaving you to focus on strategy.

• Try one or two of the tools in your next event cycle.
• Set clear goals: faster turnaround, better engagement, or broader reach.
• Stay updated—new tools are launching monthly.

• Embrace the creative and time-saving power of generative ai tools.
• Use AI to complement, not replace, your expertise.
• The future of events is AI-enhanced, not AI-only.