It’s no secret AI tensions continue to rise in the UK creative industry as 2025 moves into Q4. Every week new research, stats or comments appear either praising or vilifying AI and for agencies, trying to keep abreast of the situation around a full week of client work and the usual agency demands (award ceremonies, TikTok reels and sharing memes), it can feel like an almost impossible task.
Then, if you can manage to keep on top of both sides of the AI argument, you’re then burdened with a big decision to make. What’s your agency going to do about AI? Embrace it, shirk it, test it, try it, ignore it…panic? If you want my opinion, I’d take a lesson from Mark Ritson and try “bothism”: blend the speed and scalability of AI with the innovation, creative and emotional insight of your creatives. Here’s why…
AI adoption is increasing and results are incoming
On the one hand we’re seeing widespread adoption of AI among creatives with It’s Nice That reporting an overwhelming 83% have already embraced machine learning tools. SQ Magazine reports AI usage in the UK workplace has risen from 32% in 2024 to 49% in 2025 and 76% of UK marketers report a positive ROI from AI as reported by TechRadar.
O2 & VCCP’s “Daisy VS Scammers” campaign featuring, you guessed it, Daisy, an AI-powered granny who engages scammers in time-wasting conversations to prevent them targeting real victims was an impressively innovative use of AI to deliver an engaging and socially responsible campaign.
Battling deepfakes, job fears and creativity under threat
Meanwhile though, Sony Music’s been busy battling against AI deepfakes. According to Far Out Magazine Sony Music reportedly removed over 75,000 AI-generated deepfake recordings featuring popular artists. This highlights the threat posed by AI in creating convincing but fake materials, infringing artists’ rights and affecting industry integrity.
Not only that, but job security fears are also still high among many creatives. In the fashion industry Vogue Business reports on the rise of cybersecurity and operational risks associated with the adoption of AI, with almost 75% of organisations reporting an AI-related security breach in 2024. Meanwhile, and perhaps most worrisome of all, a study by Oxford University Press, and reported on by The Guardian here, warns that the next generation of potential creatives already fear AI is eroding their ability to learn and limiting their creativity.
So, taking all of that into consideration, agencies working in the creative industries are essentially damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.
The tech arms race is already on!
For those that have decided to “do”, the tech arms race is on. As WPP & Google sign a five-year deal to embed Google’s AI tools into agency workflows, it’s clear these major players at least, are doubling down on AI and tech. And let’s be real, they won’t be the last. In fact, are they even the first?!
Business Insider reports AI stocks are taking off, TikTok has launched Smart+ and Symphony to auto-generate entire ad campaigns, IBM became the first major open-source AI model developer to earn the ISO 42001 certification (the international standard that ensures ethical and responsible development of AI systems) and Unilever is scaling its AI content studio across no less than 18 markets.
If your agency isn’t embracing new technologies and ways of working, including using AI platforms and tools, it’s not a case of if you get left behind, it’s a case of when. I saw a LinkedIn post just recently that boldly exclaimed “the agency world has 16 months left”.
But it’s not a risk-free AI arms race! And I am not panicking about the agency world ending just yet. While it’s true, AI can increase productivity, efficiency and speed, in the creative industry that very focus on speed and scale over meaning or brand identity can create massive problems. So much so, that some big brands like Heineken are openly supporting the growing “anti-AI” trend with playful, brand-led creative that’s really resonating with users.
The risks: oversaturation and the death of innovation
The problem with the speed and scalability AI offers in the creative industry comes down to just a few simple but significant things. It devalues craftmanship. With images, music, blogs, videos, even designs, all capable of being AI generated in a matter of minutes, it’s tempting for clients and employers to prioritise that speed and scale over human creativity. The impact? Creative jobs are perceived as replaceable and human nuance is lost.
And speaking of scale, because AI can generate far more material than any human workforce can, markets can easily become oversaturated with AI generated work, making it hard for individual creatives to stand out and earn their pay (remember Sony’s problem with deepfakes, this is it). The impact? It drives down prices and impressions for human creatives.
And what happens with human nuance is lost and markets are oversaturated, as well as questions about ethics and ownership we’ll save for another blog another time, true innovation dies. AI is trained on existing creative work; it reproduces patterns from what already exists. Its data driven and formulaic. AI does not itself innovative. The impact? Creativity is flattened. There’s less diversity in creative output. Fewer voices, perspectives, cultures and ideas are represented.
Industry leaders agree: creativity and innovation need humanity
I’m far from being the only that believes the human touch is critical in the age of AI. Here’s what some heavyweights in the industry are saying:
Sir John Hegarty (Co-Founder & Creative Director, The Business of Creativity) said in a LinkedIn post: “Creativity is an expression of self. And AI doesn’t have a ‘self’. An AI has never had its heart broken. Never watched a sunrise. Or swam in the sea. … Without this last thing, there is no ‘art’. Just ‘output’.”
David Droga (Founder, Droga5) was reported by Little Black Book Online as saying: “When things are generic, AI can do a better job … What AI cannot replace is the human ability to think strategically, to empathise with consumers, and to create something truly original.”
And last but by no means least, Karen Martin (CEO BBH London & IPA President) was reported by Creative Salon as saying: “When everyone is doing the same thing, when everyone has access to the same tools - and they will – difference still brings the edge. … Creativity, taste, craft and the ability to connect the dots between culture, brand, business and technology – will still be the differentiators.”
The anti-AI movement is gaining ground and consumer support (for now)
And for those brands that have decided on “don’t” when it comes to AI, consumers and audiences seem to share the same sentiment. People are getting better at detecting inauthentic content, and getting turned off when they do. In fact, according to new research from KPMG, while 69% of people in the UK use AI for work, study or personally, only 42% say they’re willing to trust AI. And on the topic of trust, in the same study 72% say they’re unsure online content in general can be trusted as it may be AI generated and 78% are concerned about negative outcomes from AI.
But agency clients are less convinced! Not a day goes by now where one client or another doesn’t mention AI, and for lots of different reasons. Some want to leverage that speed and scale to deliver results faster. Others want to be at the bleeding edge of their industry and innovate ahead of their competitors and some just want to save time and gain the cost efficiency.
So, agencies, what do you do? Join the tech arms race or pivot from prompts and embrace creativity? The answer, I think, is to employ bothism.
The agencies that will thrive as we continue through 2026 will learn to blend the latest tech (AI included) with human insight and creativity. Where AI can drive the quantity, people will provide the quality. For example, if AI generates multiple ad headlines, humans will review, refine and select the most emotionally resonant ones. If humans craft the social media content, considering tone, timing and targeting, AI can automate the scheduling.
This strategic takeaway is this: agencies that only chase speed, scale and AI dominance will out-produce the rest of us, but they will fail to resonate with audiences. Bothism allows agencies to scale and stand out.
How can agencies put bothism into practice when it comes to AI?
For agency teams this means keeping your creative thinkers and supporting them with AI specialists. We need creative briefs and AI prompts but above all else, we need empathy, storytelling and brand insight. We need a human touch.
- Now’s the time to audit your AI tools and where they’re used.
- Identify where you need the human touch. What are your quality control points?
- Train, encourage and promote collaborating with AI, not relying on AI.
- Measure campaigns for both scale, efficiency and resonance.
AI is powerful, but human creativity is impactful. The question not “could AI do this” but is “should AI do this”.
Will your agency embrace bothism to stay ahead in 2026?