By Saz Bentley, Creative Director at Creode
Let’s be honest, every creative I know has had that moment of panic when someone mentions AI in the same breath as “design” or “copy.” There’s that tiny voice that whispers, “Is this thing coming for my job?”
I get it. I’ve been in the creative industry long enough to have seen trends come and go. From my early days in direct marketing surrounded by data sheets and printed proofs, to now leading creative teams in a fast-paced digital world, the tools have changed dramatically. But one thing hasn’t. Creativity still starts with people.
AI is clever, no doubt. It can analyse patterns, predict outcomes, and generate things in seconds that would take a human hours. But creativity isn’t just about speed, it’s about soul. It’s that unexplainable spark that happens when an idea takes shape from instinct and emotion.
AI can help you find patterns, it can even make suggestions, but it can’t feel the tension in a campaign idea. It doesn’t know when to break the rules. And it definitely doesn’t know how to make people laugh or cry at the right moment. That’s our job.
Rather than fearing it, I think we should treat AI as a creative partner. The kind of partner who is brilliant at the boring bits. It can tidy up repetitive tasks, help organise content, and free up brain space for the messy, exciting part of the process.
I’ve started using AI to spark ideas in early concepting stages. Sometimes it gives me something interesting, and other times something utterly ridiculous. Either way, it gets me thinking differently, and that’s valuable.
It’s also amazing for image sourcing, retouching and refining, and even video creation. The speed and flexibility it brings to the visual process is incredible; it helps me test ideas quickly, explore new directions, and visualise concepts that might have taken days to pull together before.
The danger isn’t AI itself. It’s when we stop questioning. If we rely too much on automation, we lose our edge. Our industry is built on curiosity, and that’s something no algorithm can replace.
As leaders, it’s our job to protect the human side of creativity. That means encouraging teams to experiment with tools without losing the heart of their work, it means making space for thinking, feeling, and even failing.
The best ideas still come from late-night scribbles, half-baked thoughts, and those “what if we tried this” moments. AI can’t replicate that chaos, and let’s be honest, we wouldn’t want it to.
AI isn’t the enemy, it’s a new colleague who’s still learning the ropes. It’s up to us to decide how to use it, not to replace us, but to push us. To make us think sharper, create smarter, and keep that creative spark alive.
So, friend or foe? For me, it’s a friend. One that’s helping shape the next chapter of creativity.
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