WPP's CTO says AI is reshaping advertising. But creative judgment needs to remain in human hands | Fortune
Briefly

WPP's CTO says AI is reshaping advertising. But creative judgment needs to remain in human hands | Fortune
"In the world of marketing, artificial intelligence tends to get the most attention when it is featured prominently in splashy creative advertising campaigns from big brands like Coca-Cola and Nike. But at WPP-whose client roster includes Google, L'Oréal, LVMH, and Mastercard-Chief Technology Officer Stephan Pretorius says the advertising giant's big "mic drop" moment has been the soaring adoption of WPP Open, an AI-enabled operating system that's used by marketers to plan, create, and run campaigns."
""Getting that balance right and making sure that humans are in control of the output and that they evaluate and apply taste and judgment, but also that the thought process is expanded and augmented-so you don't become like a passive passenger in the process-is really critical," says Pretorius. Pretorius says WPP has embraced three levels of AI training to get the workforce ready for these AI tools. At the entry level, WPP runs a creative technology apprenticeship program."
WPP Open usage climbed to more than 85,000 of the agency's 108,000 employees monthly, up from 30,000 in February 2024. WPP emphasizes keeping humans in control of AI outputs so staff evaluate and apply taste and judgment while AI expands and augments thinking. Three tiers of AI training exist: an entry-level creative technology apprenticeship expanded under a five-year, $400 million partnership with Google aiming to train 1,000 apprentices over three years; mid-level courses on generative AI and media planning; and senior-level "AI and business diploma" programs. Upskilling is intended to be continuous and purposeful.
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
[
|
]