Is AI Killing Creative Agencies?

A few weeks ago, over coffee in Brooklyn, a photographer friend told me something that stuck. She wasn’t excited about her latest project, or even about her art. Instead, she sighed and said: “I’m exploring other career options. A lot of my work is already being done by AI - and in six months, all of it will be.”

Her words capture a fear that’s rippling through the creative world. From photographers to designers to copywriters, many wonder if they’re watching their craft slip away to machines.

And it isn’t hard to see why. Tools like Midjourney can create campaign visuals in seconds. Runway edits videos with a single prompt. ChatGPT drafts scripts in minutes. What once took teams of specialists now seems to take little more than a laptop and an internet connection.

So the question arises: if AI can already shoot, edit, design, and even write - what role do creative agencies play in this new world?

The answer isn’t as simple as “AI replaces creativity.” In fact, the reality may be the opposite.

The False Choice: AI vs. Creativity

The biggest misconception about AI in the creative world is that it’s a zero-sum game: either the machine makes the work, or the human does. That framing sets up a false choice - and it’s the reason so many professionals, like my friend in Brooklyn, feel threatened.

I saw the same fear play out inside Dobby Ads. When I first asked our designers to adapt to AI tools, the reaction wasn’t excitement - it was worry. Some were convinced the tools would make their skills irrelevant. One even left the company to pursue other career options.

But the rest of the team leaned in. They experimented, stumbled, learned, and slowly began to see AI for what it really is: not a replacement for creativity, but an amplifier of it. Today, those same designers are producing content faster, sharper, and more imaginative than ever before - because the tedious parts of the process are handled by machines, and the storytelling is still theirs.

That’s the real shift: AI doesn’t make agencies less human. It frees them to be more human.

Lessons from the Frontline

When we introduced AI into our creative process at Dobby Ads, it wasn’t smooth sailing. There were fears, missteps, and plenty of trial and error. But those struggles taught us lessons that any brand experimenting with AI can use right away.

1. Treat AI as a first draft, not the final cut.
One of the biggest mistakes we see is treating AI output as finished work. In reality, AI is best at generating possibilities - 10 rough visuals, 20 variations of a headline, or a quick storyboard draft. The magic comes when human creators step in to refine, edit, and elevate those raw materials into something truly on-brand.

2. Don’t outsource your brand voice to a machine.
AI is great at speed, but it doesn’t know your history, values, or emotional nuance. Left unchecked, it produces content that looks slick but feels generic. At Dobby Ads, we bake brand guidelines, tone of voice, and storytelling principles into every project before AI ever generates a pixel. That’s what makes the difference between “AI content” and “brand storytelling.”

3. Think of AI as your junior designer, not your creative director.
This mindset shift helped our team the most. When we framed AI as an assistant - someone who can get the grunt work done fast, but still needs oversight and direction - the fear disappeared. Suddenly, our designers weren’t competing with the tool; they were managing it, shaping it, and using it to push their creativity further.

The Future of Creative Agencies in an AI World

If AI can already generate ads, videos, and graphics in seconds, it’s tempting to imagine a future where creative agencies simply disappear. But history suggests the opposite: technology rarely kills industries - it reshapes them. The agencies that thrive will be the ones that adapt, not resist.

Tomorrow’s creative agency won’t look like the agency of the past. It will be:

• AI-native  -  using tools not as add-ons, but as the backbone of production.

• Global by design  -  blending talent, strategy, and execution seamlessly across borders.

• Data-driven and experimental  -  able to test and iterate campaigns in days instead of months.

• Ethically grounded  -  ensuring that speed and automation never come at the cost of trust.

At Dobby Ads, we see AI as our co-pilot, not our competitor. It’s there to handle the repetitive, the scalable, and the mechanical - so our team can stay focused on storytelling, originality, and the spark that makes content feel alive.

Agencies that ignore AI may indeed face decline. But those that embrace it will become more relevant than ever, helping brands navigate a future where creativity and technology are no longer separate, but inseparable.

Ethics & Responsibility in the Age of AI

Every new technology brings both excitement and risk. AI is no different. Used carelessly, it can lead to copyright violations, misleading imagery, and even deepfakes that erode public trust. For brands, the danger isn’t just legal - it’s reputational. A single misstep can undo years of credibility.

That’s why agencies have a responsibility to set standards for how AI is used in creative work. At Dobby Ads, we follow three guiding principles:

1. Always disclose, never deceive.
If AI is used in a project, we make it transparent to clients. Trust is worth more than novelty.

2. Human review is non-negotiable.
No campaign leaves our studio without a creative lead signing off. AI can scale ideas, but accountability belongs to people.

3. Protect originality.
We ensure every project reflects the client’s unique voice and brand identity. AI may generate raw material, but originality comes from the human touch.

By treating ethics as a core part of our process, we’re not just protecting brands - we’re helping them build deeper trust with their audiences. Because in the long run, responsible creativity will always outlast shortcuts.

So, Is AI Killing Creative Agencies?

The fear is understandable. When a photographer in Brooklyn worries her career will vanish, or when a designer hesitates to learn new tools, it feels like AI is pushing humans out of the picture.

But history shows us a different pattern. New technologies don’t kill creativity - they raise the bar for it. Just as Photoshop didn’t end photography and Canva didn’t end design, AI won’t end creative agencies. It will end a certain kind of agency: the ones that cling to old methods and refuse to evolve.

The agencies that survive - and thrive - will be those that treat AI as a collaborator, not a competitor. Agencies that blend human imagination with machine precision. Agencies that protect trust, while pushing creative boundaries faster than ever before.

So, is AI killing creative agencies?
No. But it is killing complacency. And that might be the best thing to happen to our industry in decades.

Quick Learning: 3 Ways to Use AI in Your Brand’s Creative Work

1. Generate options, not answers.
Use AI to quickly produce 10 variations of a visual, headline, or storyboard. Then pick the best 1–2 to refine with your team.

2. Build AI into your workflow, not around it.
Treat AI like a junior designer - it can do fast drafts and repetitive tasks, but humans must shape the story, strategy, and emotional core.

3. Always add your brand’s fingerprint.
Feed AI your colors, voice, and style guides before you generate content. That’s how you prevent “AI-made content” from feeling generic.

About Dobby Ads

Dobby Ads is an award-winning creative agency that blends AI technology with human artistry to deliver world-class videos, graphics, and 3D content for global brands. With a forward-thinking team and a commitment to ethical AI practices, Dobby Ads helps companies cut through the noise with content that is fast, effective, and emotionally resonant. Learn more at dobbyads.com.