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Contact UsSkepticism remains as agencies explore AI’s real-world value
21 OCTOBER 2025
Digital
Digital Transformation
Integrated and Full Service
AI is no longer just hype, but agency leaders are still weighing its real impact on operations, creativity, and client expectations. Insights from a recent Prolific North roundtable in Manchester, where Northern agency heads shared their experiences, highlight both the opportunities and the skepticism still surrounding AI in practice.
From Fear to Familiarity
The first challenge agencies face is internal adoption. Early fears around AI replacing jobs or creating steep learning curves are giving way to experimentation. Agencies like CTI Digital ran hackathons and workshops that pushed AI beyond curiosity – by mid-year, most staff were using it in some form.
Mando Group set department KPIs tied to AI exploration, while McCann Worldgroup found practical workshops helped staff see AI as a productivity tool rather than a threat. Cross-team collaboration was another key factor in making adoption stick. As David Avis from AND Digital noted, “We’ve seen the biggest wins where teams collaborate around a shared AI process rather than each team experimenting in isolation.”
Turning AI Into Value
Agency leaders are clear: AI can speed up processes and improve efficiency, but it isn’t a magic wand. Tangent’s Leigh Gammons observed that AI-assisted development teams worked 16% faster than teams without AI, yet broader business transformations remain limited.
Some of the clearest wins come from time-saving tools: automatic meeting transcription, streamlined workflows, that allow teams to focus on higher-value work. As Jonathan Healey (IDHL) put it, agencies are learning to “keep pace with AI” while understanding there is always a learning curve with new technology.
Creativity Can’t Be Automated
AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. Leaders emphasised that while automation can free up time, clients still value strategic thinking, nuanced tone of voice, and ideas that only humans can generate. Fully automated outputs, as McCann’s Criss Richards put it, are “garbage” without human guidance.
The roundtable highlighted that agencies must balance automation with the creativity that clients ultimately pay for. Lee Adams (Cantarus) offered a neat metaphor from 1950s sci-fi: those who ask the right questions will drive innovation, signalling that human insight remains the differentiator.
Shifting Client Expectations
Clients’ relationship with AI is evolving. For some, as Joe Lyon from Velstar put it, reassurance that agencies are embracing the technology responsibly is enough. For enterprise clients, however, AI is front and centre, particularly in regulated industries or large-scale marketing transformation projects.
Mark Walton of Byteminds also highlighted how AI efficiency could shift where clients invest their budgets, hinting that agency billing models might evolve from hourly rates toward value-based approaches.
Looking Ahead
The takeaway is clear: AI adoption is about culture, collaboration, and careful integration. Agencies that experiment responsibly, maintain oversight, and use AI to enhance rather than replace human work are best positioned to guide clients through the rapidly changing landscape. Careers and roles are already shifting, with generalists becoming more adept at blending creativity, strategy, and AI-driven processes.
The conversation may have started with skepticism, but the future for AI in agency work is being shaped by those willing to experiment thoughtfully and creatively.