The world of marketing is shaped by tools and trends, so it’s no surprise that AI has consumed content creation for social media in particular. In just a short amount of time, 88 per cent of marketers now use it every day for work, writes Darragh Heard, founder and director of Heard.
AI has drastically elevated the notion of efficiency. And In many ways, it’s the most transformative technology we’ve ever had. Industry research suggests the AI marketing industry is booming at an explosive rate, growing from $12.05 billion in 2020 to $47.32 billion in 2025.
It’s got its shortcomings though. It poses some risks and threats to industry, but AI can never replace the human spark that can only be imparted by gut instinct and empathy. It can’t reproduce authentic humour, entertainment and creative connection.
The brands that will evolve with AI and market-dominate in future, are those who strike a balance between an AI production framework, which is powered by Human Intelligence (HI).
Lazy AI-ers
We’re already seeing the first signs of AI integration and application in branding, and Gen Z and Gen Alpha are not impressed. Any marketing that confuses efficiency for strategy and creativity is in danger.
Market analysis shows that though younger generations are reliant on AI for shopping and research, 44 per cent of 18-24 year-olds can clearly distinguish creative work driven by bot, verse human, and they feel humans do a better job of it.
For many brands AI has become a shortcut to content creation and a significant savings on human labour. But consumers evolve alongside tech. Digital Native Gen Z’s are already sceptical of “fake” content and it will inevitably impact engagement and brand reputation. In one survey 50 per cent of consumers could correctly identify content that was AI-generated. They know when they’re being spoken to and when they’re being spoken at. And they know the difference between content that is churned out by machines mimicking the tone of brand language, as opposed to a campaign crafted by a specialist brand ambassador.
Trust is an essential marketing value. Authenticity is now hot at its heels. Another survey has shown 77 per cent of Gen Z and 72 per cent of millennials actually believe that they should be informed when they’re served AI-generated content, just as the early adopters of search drove the transparency of ad display. AI fatigue is real, and its driving the appetite for raw, unscripted and authentic content. People don’t seem to have issue with AI, because so many of them use and benefit from it themselves, but they expect responsible application and transparency.
Marketers need to understand that AI isn’t cost-effective if it kills the soul of the brand.
Creative Agencies Are Indispensable
Ironically as AI levels the playing field for brands big and small, the value of a truly creative agency is more apparent than ever. When every competitor can use the same tools, the key difference is in the why and how it’s used. People who know how to work with it best, will be the new definition of success.
Unlike humans, AI will never be able to read a room or use humour in context. AI still can’t understand irony or sense cultural or social boundaries. Idolising AI undermines the human intellectual advantage that defines great branding, marketing and advertising. Things like emotional nuance, creativity and the relational business of stakeholder navigation.
We know why cultural moments are special and how to leverage them in a way that resonates. And only humans are capable of reading a client’s tone to make a gut call that can change the outcome of a strategy.
Our human communication capabilities help us build a strong foundation of brand longevity and help us distinguish ourselves from the perfect sameness generated by AI.
The magic is in getting AI to do the heavy lifting in research, and to extrapolate data insights, so that our time can be focused on the creative idea. There’s also great efficiency and value for both agency and client in utilising AI for application and rollout.
The Youth Marketing Test
We also must consider our ethical responsibilities, particularly when targeting younger audiences. AI-generated human models are already featured in many campaigns, concerningly without disclosure.
Cost and time efficient? Yes. Providing an incredibly controlled outcome. But when brands use perfected or fabricated faces to sell products to living and impressionable consumers who can’t relate—they risk losing trust, and arguably more importantly they feed into the digital warp that’s chipping away at our youth’s psyche. Soon we will have voice clones, general intelligence AI and risks like identity theft escalate.
The speed at which it has been adopted and continues to evolve, especially as the bot “learns”: regulation, transparency and ethics need to govern AI marketing. Consumers have a right to know how and when AI is used, but also let’s not undermine the art that goes into a humane-curated marketing communication. The connection that evokes with the consumer is what drives brand engagement and action.
Globally, 29 per cent of consumers trust organisations to use AI ethically with 58 per cent fearing that AI interactions will prevent them from connecting with a human.
We may be entering the most exciting chapter of marketing with AI, but as agencies, marketers, and brand leaders, our challenge is to drive the responsible application of it to not undermine the foundation of our industry and human connection and wellbeing altogether.
