Aditi's Monologue

As you know, I work in Digital Advertising in India. Although in the previous years, I did not write about my work/my profession in my blog because, in my mind, this blog was my space to do something different and deliver my “monologues” without a cap on topics/categories. But then someone recently made me realise that whether I write about it on my own platform or not, content from me about Digital Advertising, AI, and Creative Problem Solving and more is anyway being published regularly in the form of my work-related interviews, the advertising-industry panels I am on (and their subsequent media coverage), my quotes/inputs that are published in industry articles – and I saw this decision of not writing about my work on this blog in a bright new light.

[Some of my recent cover story quotes, panel updates, industry coverage (another one here), and interviews are linked here. Check them out if you’d like.]

Now I’m thinking that if my hot takes on Digital Advertising, AI, Creativity, Leadership, and more are already out there on other publications, I might as well share this slice of my life on my very own blog as well. Makes sense?

The Future of AI and Creativity in Indian Advertising

Alright then, let’s get into this one. Last month, I moderated a panel for IAMAI’s CLICK 25. The topic was “AI-powered content creation: Reinventing storytelling in digital advertising“, and it was an insightful, fun and bold discussion about the future of advertising in the age of AI. Click HERE for my wrap-up of the panel, along with a few pictures, and the panel creative from IAMAI is below:

And then last week, Marketing Mind India spoke to me about AI and its effect on creativity. The full-length article came out a few days back, and you can read it here: AI Will Never Be The Real Creator: Interactive Avenues’ Aditi Mathur On Why Imagination Still Matters

This article (I know I need to get a new professional picture for panels and features, and I will, I promise!) and the IAMAI panel within the span of a few weeks felt like the theme of the season because of the massive curiosity and, dare I say, lowkey anxiety around AI in advertising creativity. So let me detail out what I really think about the impact of AI on advertising and on creativity.

Lessons From Leading Creative and Business Teams

Why should advertising folks and brands care about my take? Well, I have 15+ years of experience in Digital Advertising, I have worked with some of the top global brands like Coca-Cola and Honda Cars, and the impact of AI on creative advertising roles is my current obsession. I am close to the revolution, and I have experience + data understanding + insights to feel confident about my predictions.

I currently lead two distinct teams – Client Servicing and Creative, at a leading digital advertising agency in India, so I’ve seen both sides of the AI debate up close. On one hand, AI promises speed, scale, and efficiency. On the other hand, people keep asking: Is Creativity itself in danger? My answer: No. It’s just being redefined, and anyone ignoring the human piece is risking losing what moves people.

AI Disruption in Advertising: The Realities I’m Seeing

• Big names are feeling the squeeze. WPP, for example, has cut around 7,000 jobs globally in the past year as it pivots toward AI and internal efficiencies. Date from this report here: Storyboard18
• Freelancer pools are shrinking in some markets; tasks that used to be outsourced are now handled in-house or generated via AI agents. Source: Freelance Informer
• Clients are growing more cautious. Brand pitches are getting shorter, budgets are tighter; everyone wants ROI + speed + innovation without a bloated process.

So yes, one can deduce that AI is reshaping the industry’s structure. But from where I sit, in the trenches of creativity + strategy, that’s not a bad thing if done right.

Yes, we’re living in a time when machines are not just learning, but learning how to tell stories. AI today can write scripts, generate video ads, design campaign creatives, localize copy across Indian languages, and yes, even suggest the perfect headline for your next IPL campaign!

But the big question is: Is AI enhancing human creativity, or is it replacing it?

Are we creating better, more personalized narratives, or just more noise at scale?

In a country like India, where storytelling is in our DNA, from street theatre to Bollywood to meme culture, how do we make sure AI becomes a co-creator, not a content factory?

And most importantly, are brands ready to use AI not just to say more, but to mean more?

Here is how I believe AI will impact creativity in Advertising.

What AI Can Help Us Do Better

• Reduce repetitive work, especially in art and copy: Basic video content ideation, thumbnail creation, simple copy variations, basic video edits, data pulling, social calendar, topicals, basic media banner adaptations. These are tasks that drain hours. If AI does them, our creative teams get more time to think. To think big.
• Data-led insights: Predictive analytics on what content styles, messaging, or visuals work from AI is already helping us test and course-correct faster.
• Personalization at scale: Targeting consumers with messaging that feels closer to them in terms of tone, context, and cultural references, without redoing everything manually with the help of AI is proving to be proficient.

What AI Cannot Replace (And Shouldn’t Try To) for Creative Teams

Here’s where human creativity remains non-negotiable:

• Emotional storytelling & “Aha” moments: All students of advertising have the criticality of “aha moment” ingrained in their brains. Campaigns that make someone tear up, laugh unexpectedly, and rethink their own beliefs have always been the cornerstone of storytelling. For example, in a recent panel I was part of, we discussed how a bank’s campaign using customer stories (not just stats) had far more pull than one built purely on straight-laced facts. The emotional hook doesn’t come from AI alone; it still comes from the lived human experience.
• Entertainment, nuance & culture: Memes, inside jokes, cultural callbacks – these require lived experience. The perfect meme timing, a cultural reference, and the awareness of what feels authentic in India (across cities, classes, languages) is a human skill that no AI can replicate with authenticity.
• Creative risk: Trying something that might fall flat, bending rules, and surprising the audience are all human traits. AI tends to optimize for “safe” outcomes. It doesn’t throw curves. And often, curves are what people remember. [Side note: With Gen Z in the workforce now, taking some creative risks is all the more important to keep them engaged]

My View as an Advertising Professional & a Writer

Because I lead two teams (business + creative) that are historically known to have friction, I feel the tension: clients want faster turnaround; the creatives want space. My psychology training reminds me that creativity often comes from rest, reflection, and sometimes from discomfort. Over-optimization by AI runs the risk of killing those spaces.

I believe storytelling that moves humans will always be in demand. You can’t automate trust, sincerity, wonder, or the pause before someone responds in a comment or shares a campaign because it struck them. Those are unadulterated human moments.

My Takeaways from the Panels I’ve Participated/Moderated & the Recent Industry Shifts wrt AI & Creativity

• During one panel discussion a few months back, a fellow panelist – a CMO, concluded, “AI helps us listen better, but only humans can really converse.” I agree.
• In India’s BFSI sector, brands are using AI to map customer behaviors over time, but what’s resonating most is when they layer human stories, i.e., real customers, small wins, journeys, etc.
• Consumer sentiment: many Indians are forming emotional bonds with AI tools (via features, personalization), but they still feel moved by storytelling, not by just perfect copy or slick visuals.

The Balance: How to Lead With AI and Humanity

Here are some principles I follow (and recommend):

1. Use AI as a foundation, not an identity: This might change in the future, but for now, I believe that letting AI streamline the scaffolding: briefs, variants, data, is better. But let humans build the story.
2. Guard creative breathing space: Set aside time for mood boards, culture trips, and team conversations that are not about metrics.
3. Experiment often: I firmly believe in the “10% for experiments” rule. Run quirky tests or passion projects. Some will fail but that’s okay. The ones that succeed often win hearts, not just eyeballs.
4. Craft stronger briefs: This is more for the other side of the table, the clients. Bad briefs kill creativity far more than AI ever could. Clear insight + emotional truth in briefs helps AI and humans both.
5. Invest in creative leaders who understand both sides: Yes, this is crucial. Someone who knows AI tools and can feel the pulse of culture will lead better teams and drive better outputs; it’s a no-brainer.

My Prediction: The Future of AI and Creativity in Indian Advertising

AI will continue to transform ad operations, there is no doubt about it. Many roles in the advertising industry will be redefined. Some resources will be redirected. But creativity that moves humans, like laughter, tears, surprise, identity, joy will never go out of demand. In fact, these skills may become even more scarce and valuable now than ever before.

So, to everyone worried that AI will kill creativity in advertising, I have this to say: AI won’t kill creativity. It will redefine it. In the age of AI, the best stories won’t be written by machines, but with them. I believe that AI isn’t here to replace the storyteller – it is here to give the storyteller new superpowers.

And anyone who leans into what humans do best, feeling, risking, and surprising, has a rare opportunity ahead.

PS: Excuse the typos, if any. I don’t read my posts immediately after I hit publish, but I will edit the typos/spelling errors whenever I spot them.

PPS: Read more on my LinkedIn, Medium, Substack, X and/or Instagram.