'Can't you just make it with AI?'
It's an exciting question that's popping up in meetings everywhere now. And honestly, it should be exciting. AI is opening doors to creative work and many other things that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago.
The coolest thing about AI in advertising right now? Nobody has it all figured out yet. We're all discovering what works, what doesn't, and what might be possible tomorrow. It's like being a kid in the world's most advanced creative playground.
But here's what we're learning: making great AI content isn't as simple as typing a few words and hitting enter. The really impressive stuff, the campaigns that make people stop scrolling, the images that stick in your mind, that takes real skill and time to create.
AI IS NOT A SHORTCUT, IT IS THE WHOLE MAP
Think of AI like a really talented musician who needs a great conductor. The technology can do amazing things, but it needs someone who knows how to bring out its best performance. The people who are creating the most impressive AI work right now? They've spent months learning how to "talk" to these tools, how to guide them toward something truly special.
Every great AI creation goes through dozens of versions. Every piece of AI copy gets refined and tweaked. It's creative work, it just uses different tools than we're used to.
The professional AI tools that create the best results cost money, just like professional cameras or editing software always have. The people who know how to use them well have spent time learning these new skills. And creating something really good still takes time, even with AI helping.
When clients understand this, something wonderful happens. Instead of asking for quick AI fixes, they start asking for AI excellence. Instead of treating it like a shortcut, they treat it like what it really is: a powerful new way to make better creative work.
‘THIS LOOKS LIKE IT WAS MADE WITH AI’ WILL SOON BE A CRITIQUE, NOT A COMPLIMENT
The best AI projects happen when everyone's on the same page. When clients and agencies say, "We want to use AI to create something amazing, and we know that takes expertise and resources," that's when agencies can really show what's possible. Truly involved partnerships are already creating campaigns that feel completely fresh, images that couldn't exist any other way, and ideas that push whole industries forward.
AI 2.0 moves the lens from cheap, quick and dirty to the realm of possibilities. My dream? Creating something with AI that makes news for itself, not just because it has been made with AI. Maybe even because nobody could figure out it is! Because AI is not about replacing human creativity. It's about supercharging it. We can try more ideas, explore wilder concepts, and bring visions to life that used to live only in our imaginations.
And we're just getting started. The clients and agencies who get this, who understand that great AI work requires great people and proper resources, they're the ones getting work that makes their competitors wonder, 'How did they do that?'
AI isn't changing advertising to make it cheaper or easier. It's changing advertising to make it more creative, more surprising, and more human than ever before. And that's worth getting excited about.
The future of advertising isn't just about using AI. It's about using it brilliantly.
(The views expressed are personal)
