AI's Impact on Advertising: 2025 Predictions

TOMAS ROOPE

Co-Founder and Chief AI Strategist, The Gardening.club

My 2025 predictions (if I am right) or hopes (if I am wrong):

1. Acceptance of AI and its role:
   I am hopeful 2025 sees a collective untwisting of our knickers as we realise and accept that the AI cat is out of the bag and copying is not learning. A large percentage of existing data has already been ingested into the big models, which are now evolving based on usage rather than historical data. Addressing the issue of IP, creative culture has always learned from previous IP (BBH was the top customer of Prime Video's on Wardour Street back in the day), while copying IP has always been illegal, well since April 10, 1710.
   

2. AI and Gen Alpha.
   Brands will soon realise that AI will become a defining issue for alphas who will embrace AI as it helps them distinguish themselves from their analogue and craft-loving predecessors. Specific brands that equip Gen Alpha with the 'pointy stick' of AI to playfully provoke their elders are likely to thrive.

3. The tipping point for AI adoption.
   We’re nearing a point where incumbents will gain more by embracing AI than by resisting it. Despite surprising reluctance from the marketing industry to adopt AI, my experience in the product and art spaces has highlighted its immense potential as a transformative tool. The shift is inevitable, and those who adapt quickly will reap the rewards.

LEAH LANZA
Chief Production Officer at The Pub, Publicis Groupe Canada

AI is fundamentally reshaping how we turbocharge productivity and scale our creative efforts. As we prepare for an anticipated 5 times increase in content demand by 2025, integrating the right tools and tech will be crucial to sustaining business health. Brands must be able to show up with more contextualised, tailored content—faster than ever before.

That said, AI without human insight is just potential—it’s the creative intuition and strategic vision behind the technology that makes the difference. At ThePub, we believe in using AI to amplify human creativity, not replace it. Our work is driven by ideas, and technology is the tool that helps us deliver them at the pace of today’s content consumption.

JAMES CALVERT
Head of Generative AI, M&C Saatchi

Looking to 2025, perhaps we might see AI become more mundane - a background enabler rather than a front-page. Success won’t come from forcing the creative industry to embrace AI but from showing its quiet, tangible value. AI didn’t transform 2024, but it began normalising itself - turning from revolution to evolution.

GUTO TERNI
Co-Founder and Creative Director, ROOF Studio

Brands that maintain a human touch in their content, advertising and otherwise, will win when connecting with their audience. It’s not just an advantage; ‘made by humans’ is necessary. At the same time, AI should be seen as a tool that can unlock new levels of creativity and efficiency. By letting AI handle routine tasks, we free up time and energy to focus on what makes each project unique and meaningful. Instead of getting stuck in repetitive work, we can dive into crafting ideas, riding a new production flow that’s faster and more engaging, allowing the creative process to feel more natural and fluid – something I think every creative and artist would welcome with open arms.

NEIL EVELY
Head of Innovation, HELO

This year we will no doubt see a huge influx of really average, very obviously AI made content which will flood every device we have and we are right to be concerned. However this has happened before with music, photography, podcasts, etc., and once the peak subsides, you can argue its mostly been a positive process, empowering new creators with new tools and connecting them with new audiences.

My personal hope is to see even more projects (such as our Snickers José Mourinho experience) where AI is used with more care and nuance to help elevate an idea and achieve things that have previously been impossible to do and not just from a visual content point of view. There is such enormous scope to create experiences that are much more personal and engaging, at scale, by using AI as a building block rather than deploying as a magic bullet and hoping for the best. 

Because of how quickly AI is evolving, we are constantly in react mode, chasing the next iteration of how ‘amazing the tech is’, keen to prove that we are on the bleeding edge.

But moving at this kind of pace can be detrimental. Sometimes we need to take a beat, remember what we’ve been good at and what we cherish when it comes to storytelling and make sure we let the craft lead the tech. The results will stand out, it will feel genuine and we’ll learn more from the process.

And you know what, there may even be a project that doesn't require AI, and as controversial as that sounds, that's OK too.

RG LOGAN
Chief Strategy Officer, Grey New York

As we look toward 2025, it’s likely we’ll see a generative AI ad that passes the Turing test, making it indistinguishable from one created by humans. The AI-powered campaigns that capture our industry’s attention tend to be big, anthemic pieces. While undeniably impressive, they still often carry that uncanny, not-quite-human quality. But the nature of AI is iterative—what feels slightly off today will likely feel seamless tomorrow. 

That’s why I hope our industry shifts its focus. Instead of chasing headlines with AI-generated blockbusters, we should prioritise applying AI to the more functional parts of the marketing mix—adaptations, conversion-driven content, and performance marketing. These are areas where AI excels, freeing up our creative minds to do what they do best: lateral thinking, emotive storytelling, and brand-building. After all, the biggest value our industry offers is its talent, and protecting that is critical. 

This isn’t to say AI should only be a tool for efficiency or a way to ‘do more with less’. The true potential of AI lies in its ability to elevate the quality of our ideas and executions across the board. At its best, AI should act as a creative and strategic amplifier, not just a productivity engine. 

As the technology evolves and becomes embedded in agency processes, our biggest challenge will be rethinking business models that still rely on selling time. Like it or not, most agencies today are in the business of billing hours, not selling ads, content, intellectual property, or ideas. If AI delivers on its promise of faster, more efficient workflows, we’ll need to find new ways of working, fresh compensation structures, and—most importantly—ways to nurture and protect the talent that makes our industry exceptional. 

AVINASH KAUSHIK
Chief Strategy Officer, Croud

For 2025, there’s a clear path forward. AI is poised to move from helpful assistant to true collaborator. Regenerative creativity will enable AI to co-create ideas.

The new creative process won’t just be efficient, but original and emotionally resonant. Enhanced predictive analytics will allow companies to anticipate consumer needs with precision, turning data into decisions. Automation will free up time and resources, giving teams time to focus on high-value strategic initiatives.

2024 was the year AI was taken seriously, but its full transformation lies ahead.

This is an abbreviated version of the original article, to read it in full visit LBB Online.