The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked one of the most debated questions in the advertising and marketing industry: Will AI replace human creatives?
While tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, Midjourney, and Tabnine showcase impressive capabilities in generating text, images, and code, the report Artificial Intelligence (AI) Job Market, supported by data from Statista, DevSkiller, the World Economic Forum, and McKinsey, offers a more nuanced and evidence-based view. Far from a creative apocalypse, the data reveals that AI is transforming the role of creatives, not replacing them.
Based on an analysis of the report, we share which tasks are being automated, which remain exclusive to human thinking, and how marketing professionals should prepare for this new scenario.
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AI is already used in marketing, but as a support tool
The report reveals that 27% of companies use generative AI for marketing functions, making it the field with the highest implementation of this technology in 2024, ahead of areas like operations, sales, or product development.
The main applications in marketing include:
- Large-scale personalized text content generation
- Automated campaign idea generation
- Creation of images and visual concepts for social media and e-commerce
- Acceleration of creative processes through AI assistants like ChatGPT and DALL·E
However, in most cases, AI does not operate on its own, but is supervised, directed, and adjusted by human professionals.
What tasks can be automated (and which cannot)?
The study suggests that by 2030, 34% of job tasks will be automated, another 34% will be performed in a hybrid manner between humans and machines, and only 33% will remain exclusively in human hands.
In the field of advertising and content creativity, this means:
Automatable:
- Base copywriting for ads or emails
- Automated text variants for A/B testing
- Quick promotional image creation
- Message translation and adaptation
Not automatable (or not fully):
- Unique and memorable brand narratives
- Conceptual proposals based on cultural and emotional context
- Campaigns based on social trends, humor, or human sensitivity
- Storytelling strategies that connect with brand identity
Strategic creativity, editorial vision, and purposeful design remain uniquely human attributes.
The human skills most valued by employers
According to the report, 69% of employers consider analytical thinking the most important skill by 2025, followed by creativity (57%) and leadership and social influence (61%).
This indicates that even in a highly automated context:
- Conceptual synthesis ability
- Divergent thinking
- Empathy with the end user
- And originality
Are and will continue to be distinctive skills that creatives bring above AI.
What are companies doing in the face of this transformation?
The report also shows that 77% of companies are investing in the reskilling and upskilling of their human teams to work alongside AI, not to replace them.
In addition:
- 69% are hiring people who can design AI tools tailored to their brand
- 62% are looking for employees who can use AI with strategic judgment
- Only 41% consider downsizing a viable option in the face of automation
In other words, the ideal profile in 2025 will be a creative with strategic thinking and familiarity with AI tools, rather than a total replacement of humans by technology.
How is the marketing creative profile changing?
The study suggests that new creative roles will not disappear but evolve. Some emerging profiles include:
- AI Content Strategist: oversees AI-generated content
- Prompt Designer or Prompt Strategist: expert in “talking” to generative models to get useful results
- Creative Technologist: a bridge between creativity, programming, and automation
- Ethical Brand Designer: ensures coherence and responsibility in AI-generated content
AI does not replace the creative, it amplifies them
Artificial intelligence is profoundly changing the way content is produced, campaigns are designed, and messages are activated. But as the AI Job Market report shows, it does not eliminate the need for human creative thinking, it enhances it.
Marketing professionals who know how to collaborate with AI, maintain their authenticity, understand ethical boundaries, and use these tools as allies will be the most valued in the coming years.
