AI Didn’t Ruin Creativity. A Lack of Creativity Did.

Letamp8217s start thereBecause long before ChatGPT started writing headlines or Midjourney started conjuring ad visuals out of digital ether we had a problem in our industry It wasnamp8217t a technology problem It wasnamp8217t even a talent problem It was a standards problem A taste problem A rigor problemYouamp8217ve seen the numbers According to WARC and Kantar more than half of all advertising is not remembered or even noticed by consumers Kantaramp8217s database which evaluates over 230000 ads shows that the majority of ads score as quotforgettablequot And letamp8217s not even start on the yawning gap between marketers and consumers when it comes to whatamp8217s perceived as amp8220goodamp8221That wasnamp8217t AI That was usThe False Narrative amp8220AI Kills Creativityamp8221Letamp8217s talk about the narrative thatamp8217s taken hold that generative AI is some sort of existential threat to creative expressionThis fear is not baseless but it is misplacedWhat AI threatens is lazy creative Redundant creative Derivative templated safe creative And if weamp8217re honest much of what has flooded the ecosystem in the past decade has been exactly thatAI is not undermining creative excellence itamp8217s challenging the creative process to up its game And frankly that challenge is long overdueWhen used thoughtfully AI isnamp8217t a replacement for creativity itamp8217s a mirror It reflects what we put into it It learns from the materials with which we train it And it exposes sometimes brutally the commoditization of what we once considered a sacred craftCreativity is Not a CommodityOne of the biggest risks in this moment is confusing output for originalityJust because AI can generate 100 tagline options in 15 seconds does not mean any of them are meaningful And yet some marketers are treating that volume as valueBut what truly elevates creative work isnamp8217t the quantity of possibilities itamp8217s the judgment to choose the one that will spark an emotional response shift perception or drive behaviorAI doesnamp8217t possess judgment Or instinct Or cultural context You do The human brain amp8211 fed by intuition experience empathy and yes data amp8211 is still the greatest creative engine weamp8217ve ever known AI is a tool An accelerant Not an oracleThe problem isnamp8217t that AI is creating amp8220bad adsamp8221 The problem is that weamp8217ve allowed mediocre inputs to define the standard of what passes as acceptable When the briefing is shallow when the insight is absent when the brand strategy is incoherentamp8230 AI simply magnifies those flawsLet me put it plainly bad creative is not the fault of the machine Itamp8217s the fault of the marketer who didnamp8217t demand moreA New Golden Age If We Choose ItThereamp8217s a bright side to all this and itamp8217s one I wish weamp8217d talk about more we may be standing on the brink of a creative renaissanceamp8230 if weamp8217re willing to lead itWe now have access to tools that can visualize the impossible prototype in seconds and explore creative directions once constrained by budget or time Used properly these tools can unlock more creativity not lessThink of what this means for brands with smaller teams tighter timelines or fewer resources Think of what it means for concept testing for earlystage ideation for democratizing creative development across diverse perspectivesBut again the caveat AI will only expand what we allow it to learn Garbage in garbage out Brilliant strategy in brilliant stimulus out And so our mandate as marketers and brand stewards is not to resist this new set of tools but to curate the inputs and elevate the visionReinstating Creative StandardsIf thereamp8217s a villain in the room itamp8217s not technology itamp8217s complacency The soft decline in what weamp8217re willing to accept as amp8220creative workamp8221Weamp8217ve built workflows that optimize for speed over story for performance over persuasion and for impressions over impact The age of quotgood enoughquot has become well good enoughTo embrace AI in a way that protects and even elevates creativity we need to return to some fundamental truthsCreative still winsAs Peter Field and James Hurman have repeatedly shown in their amp8220The Effectiveness Codeamp8221 the most creatively awarded campaigns are significantly more effective at driving longterm business resultsIdeas still matterThe big idea is not dead It just got buried under dashboards sprints and ad units Unearth itBriefs still matterA bad brief is not made better by generative AI If your brief doesnamp8217t tell the story neither will the output amp8211 whether human or machine ANA members confirm that briefing is still one of the most broken parts of the processSo What Should We DoHereamp8217s how marketers can use AI without ruining creativeTrain the tool amp8211 donamp8217t let the tool train youUse your best creative best briefs and best brand truths to shape what AI seesDefine what amp8220goodamp8221 looks likeDevelop a clear internal standard for creative excellence and teach your teams to judge against itPut humans in the loopLet AI generate but let humans refine select and inspireInvest in creative leadershipWe need more CMOs and brand leaders who protect the sanctity of creative craft The AI era requires stronger human judgment not lessChampion original thinkingIf everyone is using the same tools trained on the same inputs differentiation becomes a human responsibility Stand for originalityAI Is Not the End Itamp8217s the TestArtificial intelligence is not the death of creativity Itamp8217s the biggest test creativity has faced in a generationIf all we do is automate mediocrity then yes creativity as we know it could be diminished But if we use AI to amplify brilliance challenge assumptions and augment our humanity We have the opportunity to usher in an era of faster bolder more imaginative brand storytelling than ever beforeSo letamp8217s not blame the toolsLetamp8217s demand better creative Letamp8217s demand better thinking Letamp8217s lead with higher standardsBecause in the end itamp8217s not artificial intelligence that will ruin creativityItamp8217s whether or not weamp8217re willing to insist on the real thingPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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AI Didn’t Ruin Creativity. A Lack of Creativity Did.

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Stephanie Fierman

The Ad Council, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation and Amazon Announce “The Mind Set” to Support Mental Health - Ad Council InSites

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AI Didn’t Ruin Creativity. A Lack of Creativity Did.

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