AI won’t replace creativity - it’ll supercharge It

As AI reshapes marketing and advertising, Annalise Deakin, Industry Head of CPG, Auto and QSR at Meta, says the future of creativity lies in collaboration between human ingenuity and intelligent technology.

Every major shift in creative technology has come with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. The printing press, photography, digital design - all were breakthroughs that initially raised eyebrows before becoming essential tools for storytellers.

Today AI is in that position. It’s being talked about in boardrooms and brainstorms, at conferences and cafés. But while some conversations focus on what might be lost, the far more compelling story is what’s being gained.

Because at its core AI isn’t here to replace creativity - it’s here to amplify it. And what we’re seeing is a shift with enormous potential for marketers, agencies and brands alike.

The new creative partner

Let’s be clear: creativity has never been about technology. It’s about insight, emotion and connection. But better tools make it easier to bring these great ideas to life and can add to the creative output.

That’s exactly what AI is doing for marketers today - allowing them to spend less time on repetitive production tasks and more time crafting big ideas. It’s opening up new ways to personalise content at scale, test concepts faster and bring campaigns to market in days rather than weeks.

AI is becoming a powerful enabler in creative workflows, helping agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi Australia and platforms like Springboards.ai work more efficiently and collaboratively. At Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, they are using AI to streamline certain processes, such as surfacing insights or generating early visual references, so that creative teams can focus more energy on the strategic thinking, storytelling, and original ideas that truly move audiences. It's not about replacing creativity - it's about removing friction so we can deliver faster, smarter, and more impactful work.

And far from removing the human element, these tools are helping creatives focus more on the high-value work: the storytelling, the emotional hooks, the brand voice. The things that tech can’t replicate.

Tailoring every touchpoint with AI

One of the most exciting shifts AI brings is its ability to help marketers do more with less and helping people unlock personalisation at scale.

In an age where both attention and audiences are fragmenting, AI helps brands build campaigns that feel relevant - not just in content, but in context. It can analyse patterns in real-time and adjust creative based on what people are actually responding to, making the customer experience feel more intuitive and connected.

And when you combine these capabilities with other formats, you begin to see how creativity and performance can align more closely than ever before.

A catalyst, not a crutch

It’s true that questions around originality, authenticity and the role of the human voice are still emerging. These are concerns every industry goes through when technology takes a leap forward.

But here’s the reality: the best creative work today is being built on a foundation of collaboration with humans and technology. AI is not removing the spark of inspiration - it’s removing the friction. It’s helping teams move from insight to idea to execution faster, and in doing so, creating more space for innovation.

We’re already seeing brands experiment more, such as Coca-Cola’s recent Christmas campaign which used AI to help consumers have a real-time conversation with Santa to generate a customised snow globe to share on social media. According to the case study, the campaign was launched in over 26 languages, with over one million users interacting with Santa across 43 markets in just three weeks.

They are also taking more creative risks and launching work they wouldn’t have been able to scale before. We’re seeing agencies use AI to stretch their creative budgets further. We’re even seeing small teams produce big ideas, thanks to new capabilities that level the playing field.

The future is a co-creation

This is just the beginning. As the technology matures, so too will the ways in which we use it. We’ll move beyond experimentation and into a phase of true creative reinvention - one where AI becomes a seamless collaborator across every stage of the process, from concepting and ideation to delivery and iteration.

AI may help ease the way, but it’s still people - designers, writers, strategists, technologists - who shape the story, define the tone and bring meaning to the message. Creativity will always need a human touch. That’s why the future won’t be about machines replacing people but about machines working with people to unlock bigger, bolder creative possibilities.

Because in the end, this isn’t just a story about machines. It’s a story about imagination - and the growing creative freedom that comes when technology and human ingenuity work together. With AI as a collaborator, the boundaries of time, resources or even format can be overcome more easily than before.

We can explore more ideas, iterate more freely and push creative boundaries in ways that once felt out of reach. Whether you’re a solo creator, an emerging brand or a global agency, the tools are now in your hands to unlock entirely new forms of expression - from interactive narratives and generative visuals to hyper-relevant, real-time storytelling.

All of us now have the ability to expand the boundaries of what’s possible. This is the age of amplified imagination. And the most exciting part? It’s only just getting started.