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To answer your question I think there’s only a couple of industries that won’t be threatened by AI. Mainly being B2B sales based industries like commercial real estate, financial industries, and the trades.
On the other hand, don’t give up on advertising quite yet.
I’m a bit of an optimist and this is definitely going to sound a bit cliche, I wouldn’t consider advertising to be “a dying industry.”
Rather, advertising as we currently know it is dying.
While I see the arguments that everyone is making about AI replacing everyone’s jobs. I really don’t think that will happen for 2 reasons.
1. The US is a consumer economy. Nearly 70% of US GDP comes from spending. If everyone gets laid off because of AI, there’s no money to go around and the global economy collapses
2. The human element, the key to killer campaigns. AI creative is cold and heartless, and Gen-Z can smell it from a mile away. I can really only speak anecdotally to this, but the sentiment I see among my friends and myself is that we don’t resonate with AI generated advertising and can pretty easily tell what’s AI and what’s not.
I think we are sitting on one of the greatest opportunities (from a business stand point that is) in the history of the industry. The opportunity to redefine the agency model is there. An agency that puts employees and human touch first, while using AI to punch above its weight and deliver efficient creative.
I may be a bit naive and this might be the “ideal state” for the industry but I really think that, if done right, we could see an industry boom like back in the 60s and 70s.
Well put.
Recently retired and having been in Advertising since the late 70’s advertising isn’t dying, it died a good 15-20 years ago.
Creative work today is mediocre and mundane at best. No great campaigns. Creatives are inexperienced, over paid, over promoted, and haven’t been mentored properly, if at all. The industry has built a house of cards. And upper management knows it.
Ai, reduced client budgets and some incredible programs are a tornado heading its way.
If you think AI is just going to poop out the next generation of design all by itself, you’re missing the point entirely. Too many people already treat it like an autopilot switch—push a button, take whatever comes out, and call it a day. That’s lazy, and honestly, kind of pathetic.
The real brilliance of AI is in how it can take your ideas and rocket them into extraordinary territory. It’s not about doing less work—it’s about doing better work. As more people settle for mediocrity, an ocean of sameness will rise, and the ones who actually push AI with imagination and effort will stand out as the true innovators.
I have worked on and off in this business for 35 years. This is not a time to work in advertising. Find another career path.
I think you all are missing his question. It’s not how AI will make advertising better or worse. The people that couldn’t do it well before still won’t do it well moving forward. They’ll just do it a whole lot faster like the headline on that great Apple ad from years ago “ if you’re a hack, you’ll still be a hack you’ll just do it a whole lot faster.” The question is what are the industries that are truly creative authentic and original? And I’m wondering the same thing. I think it’s maybe not industries per se but more companies. Google is still doing human type storytelling because they don’t really have to sell anything. Pixar has gotten creativity and storytelling down to a science. I’m drawing a blank on others. But you all are kidding yourself if you think AI it’s not going to enable a large swath of clients who just want mediocre work to bid people lower and lower to turn it out faster, and faster.
Or, put another way, what industry today offers the security, status, income, and outlet for big ideas and ambition that advertising once did?
Copy needs tightening
Uninspired
There’s a recent study that quantifies how companies that have leaned heavily into AI transformation have seen little meaningful return on the shift. Old habits die hard.
AI is like a gun. It’s a weapon. But someone still has to use that weapon.
The industry won’t die because companies will always need to to advertise and they’ll always need an agency to fire when things don’t go their way or a new CMO comes in and want to make a mark.
I appreciate all your thoughts. Advertising, of course, will never go away. But I’m frightened by the number of lay offs, forced retirements, and regretful lifers.