- More content doesn't mean better creativity
- AI floods teams with options but can't judge what matters
- Human judgment becomes more vital as AI grows
- Use AI for tasks, not creative strategy
- Original thinking beats algorithmic trends
Key takeaway: In an AI world, competitive advantage comes from having the confidence to pursue genuinely original ideas.
The promise of generative AI is seductive — instant content, endless options, and faster creative production. Yet, as we covered in Frontify's Creativity in an AI World report 1, a crucial warning is emerging: The easier it becomes to produce content, the harder it becomes to be truly creative.
“I see many images looking just the same — while a few years back everyone was using the same stock images, in a few months, will everyone use the same AI-generated images?” observes Gwen Lafage, VP Marketing at Sinch. “It raises a question about what it means to be truly creative and how we value originality.”
1Frontify’s Creativity in an AI World report warns that as content becomes instant and infinite, originality gets harder and brands risk drifting into a sea of same-looking work.
2AI can generate options, but it can’t replace human self-awareness and strategic judgment.
This abundance poses a unique challenge for brands. As Paul Woodvine 2 explains, being creative “involves self-awareness, imagination, and consciousness, which generative AI does not possess.” While AI can assist in generating solutions, it can't provide the strategic thinking that drives breakthrough brand moments.
For marketers and managers, the flood of AI-generated options has become a swamp that must be carefully navigated to find genuinely innovative ideas. Leaning too heavily on AI for ideation leads to what creative leaders identify as “stagnant, safe executions” — not to mention the increasing sameness that emerges when brands blindly follow algorithmic trends.
The path forward requires a fundamental shift in how brands view AI's role. Rather than treating it as a replacement for creative teams, successful brands are positioning AI as what Erik Wankerl, Managing Director of Creation and Innovation at red pepper 3, calls “a buddy in the creative process.” This means using AI to handle routine tasks while preserving the human-led exploration that leads to genuine innovation.
3Wankerl frames AI as a “buddy” in the creative process, using it for routine tasks, while keeping the human-led exploration that drives real innovation.
The implications for brand leaders are clear: In an era where anyone can produce endless variations of “good enough,” competitive advantage will come from having the confidence to pursue original thinking. The technology works best when treated, as brand strategist Cam Brandow 4 suggests, as a tool to augment human creativity rather than replace it.After all, in today's crowded landscape, you need to generate and identify the big, risk-taking ideas. Those require what AI can't provide: experience and human judgment.
4Brandow’s point is simple: when “good enough” is unlimited, advantage comes from human confidence and judgment, using AI to augment creativity, not replace it.
