by Abdul Hamid Ebrahim, Chief Digital Officer, GAIN
Meta’s plans to become a dominant force in AI are starting to take shape, with its recent revelation of a planned “superintelligence” lab following hot on the heels of reports that it is planning to launch a suite of AI tools that can generate and target entire ad campaigns.
The news has, understandably, sparked another wave of anxiety about the future of creative agencies.
While major brands including JPMorgan have said they don’t see these types of tools ending their agency partnerships, thousands of marketers around the world are likely wondering if they will provide a viable and cheap alternative.
Only time will tell about the capability question. But until then, it’s not unrealistic to think Meta will be building these products with SME consumer brands in mind – the companies that already spend the bulk of their advertising budgets on Facebook and Instagram, and that rely heavily on Meta’s hyper-targeting capabilities to drive fast returns.
No doubt these businesses will welcome the chance to create professional looking campaigns for free. As will every unethical actor across the globe – the kinds of companies that good new business directors will politely turn down after five minutes on Zoom.
However, for brands that value trust, distinctiveness and long-term growth irrespective of whether or not they choose to use Meta-owned platforms for their marketing, there’s going to be an increasing need for agencies that know how to work with AI, not get replaced by it.
The advent of gen-AI has already sparked a lot of soul searching about human creativity, most of which comes to the same conclusion that we have: that it is a force multiplier, not a replacement.
That leaves marketers and their agencies with the challenge of how best to harness that force. At GAIN, we’ve been experimenting, adapting and integrating AI across our business for the past three years. The result is a five-point approach:
1. AI isn’t just for the tech team, it’s for every department
We’re using it across all five of our divisions – Creative Studios, Conversion, Customer Science, Performance and Experience – to enhance and enable our people to dig deeper, have more breadth and get more done at scale. Our approach is to use AI to shorten the distance to results, not do all the work.
2. Build a diverse, evolving toolkit
There’s no single platform that does it all. That’s why we use a blend of open tools and specialist platforms: our stack spans Perplexity for research, ChatGPT Plus and Gemini for strategy and copy, MidJourney and Adobe Firefly for creative concepts, Smartly for ad automation and specialised tools for video, voice, and music creation. The right mix ensures agility and excellence across projects.
3. Automate the mundane, elevate the creative
AI excels at automating repetitive or data-heavy tasks, freeing humans to focus on high-value creative and strategic work. Whether it’s automating user testing analysis, generating meeting notes, or optimising campaign performance, automation is key to efficiency.
4. Experiment and stay agile
The AI landscape is evolving fast, which is why we encourage teams to prototype, test and adopt new tools as they emerge. But experimentation isn’t enough on its own. Full adoption means training, support and the confidence to use AI ethically and effectively across disciplines. We don’t aim to master a single platform, we aim to stay ready for whatever comes next.
5. Human intelligence remains central
Generative AI’s capabilities are only truly maximised when they are combined with human creativity, strategic insight and empathy. This synergy delivers work that is both innovative and deeply resonant.
Meta’s new tools will no doubt be powerful, and we’re genuinely curious to see what they can do. But whatever happens next, one thing’s certain: the agencies that thrive will be the ones who’ve already started treating AI not as a shortcut, but as part of the craft.
