In the last year, we’ve seen a powerful shift in how advertisers think about AI. Where once it was confined to backend automation – targeting, bidding, measurement, etc. – today, it’s becoming something far more exciting: a creative partner.
We’re entering a new era of AI creativity where artificial intelligence doesn’t just optimise campaigns, but helps inspire, shape, and deliver them. Advertisers are highly optimistic about AI, seen across the industry from Coke’s snow globe AI billboards, to ITV’s new GenAI production tools, advertisers are evidently in an exciting phase of experimentation.
This evolution isn’t just technical, it’s conceptual. It requires a mind shift on how creative ideas are generated, how campaigns are crafted, and how brands connect meaningfully with audiences. But in a time where consumer trust in AI is sceptical, transparency will be integral to its long-term future within the creative role.
From Optimisation to Imagination
For years, AI in advertising has been synonymous with workload efficiency. The philosophy was that it could help brands deliver more ads, to more people, and at a lower cost. But AI’s evolution is rapidly pushing beyond that now, and we are now seeing AI becoming a tool of imagination and innovation.
Brands need to channel personalisation when implementing new AI strategies – from generating headlines to imagery to calls-to-action – real time live signals from the user should soon be an industry norm This means that what a user sees isn’t just relevant to their context; it’s specifically tailored to their interests, behaviours, and preferences.
This is a game-changer for the industry, blurring the lines between the old efficiency philosophy and this new creativity that AI can offer. With it at the helm, creativity can now be fluid, data-driven, and emotionally resonant – without compromising scale or consistency.
Data can unlock creative
Powering this new era is data – but not in the way we traditionally think of it. Rather than just informing targeting or retargeting tactics, first-party data is now becoming creative fuel.
The key is building a personalised creative that maximises relevance. This goes beyond demographic buckets. It’s about understanding what a user values, where they are in their journey, and what kind of message is most likely to resonate.
Through AI, data becomes the basis for adaptive storytelling – creativity that shifts dynamically depending on the viewer, the device, the time of day, or the platform they’re on. In a fragmented media landscape, this agility is not only immensely powerful, it’s essential.
Creativity with trust and transparency
Of course, personalisation is only powerful if it’s built on trust. And as AI becomes more embedded in creative processes, transparency must go hand-in-hand.
Last year, our Yahoo and Publicis Media study revealed that while 86% of advertisers are already using AI in their work, just 38% of consumers view AI in advertising positively. Importantly, 61% of consumers already suspect AI is used in ads, but they’re unsure how to identify where or why.
However, when brands clearly disclose their use of AI – especially in sensitive sectors like finance and healthcare – the results are dramatic: a 148% lift in trust for finance ads and 132% in healthcare.
Transparency isn’t a barrier to creativity. It’s a catalyst for it. When consumers understand how AI is being used to improve their experience, they become more receptive, more engaged, and more trusting of the brands behind the message.
AI as a Creative Partner
One of the most exciting – and often misunderstood – aspects of AI creativity is its role alongside human talent. This isn’t about replacing copywriters or designers. It’s about helping them.
AI takes on the heavy lifting: generating variations, analysing performance in real time, suggesting optimisations based on huge data sets. This frees up creative teams to focus on strategy, storytelling, and brand-building. We’ve seen firsthand how AI can act as a creative collaborator – offering insights, generating imagery, offering advanced toolsets to edit creative , and helping teams build smarter campaigns, faster.
Research shows that consumers are already using AI creatively in their own lives: 35% use it to write content, 33% use it to generate ideas. That same dynamic is playing out in agencies and in-house teams. AI is no longer just the engine behind the scenes – it’s part of our day-to-day.
So what does the future hold?
AI creativity is not a passing phase. It is the future of advertising. It allows us to do more than target better. It allows us to tell smarter stories, build more human experiences, and connect in ways that feel personal, authentic, and relevant.
The brands that win in the years ahead won’t just be the most data-driven. They’ll be the ones who use that data creatively, transparently, and thoughtfully.
Has AI creativity given us the tools to be faster? Yes – but more importantly, it gives us the opportunity to be better: more intuitive, more inclusive, more responsive to culture, context, and individual needs? Yes. As the lines blur between media, technology, and storytelling, the creative process itself must evolve.
Those who embrace AI not just as a utility, but as a partner in imagination, will define the next chapter of our industry. Creativity has always been about unlocking what’s possible on your canvas, from online, to Cinema, to the street corner. With AI, that canvas just got a whole lot bigger.
