The advancement of artificial intelligence has transformed professional practices in different sectors, especially in the creative field. The discussion about the extent to which technology replaces or came to enhance human work, has been fostered at various scales around the world, including last year was a prominent theme in one of the largest festivals of innovation and culture in the world 2024 The SXSW 2024 in Austin in the United States.
At the time, a phrase was repeated throughout the event: “A IA will not steal your job, but who uses it will”. The message summarized the sense of urgency in adopting technology as an indispensable tool.For many, however, the experience also brought a kind of “ressaca”: The impression that technology had become bigger than people.
A year later, at the European edition of the festival in London, the approach was different.The debate gained more human tones, less focused on technologies. In one of the lectures, a phrase caught the attention: “The question is not how smart we can make a device, but how human we can make the experience.”
The contrast between the two events exposes a central dilemma: while AI is efficient in repetition and prediction tasks, creativity depends on unexpected leaps and unlikely connections, where only one human is able to do. In professional environments, this “chock”. Advertising and design professionals report that in some processes, different teams come up with virtually identical solutions when using AI tools, reflecting a process that tends to reinforce patterns and reduce unpredictability. In one case of the industry, two creative pairs worked in parallel, without any exchange between them, and came up with almost identical, not mistaken, but predictable and unoriginal proposals.
This phenomenon has been described as a “eco”: a cycle in which solutions do not generate novelty, only rediscover themselves in similar versions.In this scenario, only the human ability to make mental leaps, crossing distant territories and causing the unexpected, can break predictability.
Experts say the risk lies not in the technology itself, but in the way it is used. AI can streamline tasks, broaden repertoires and free up time for people to explore bolder ideas.
The challenge, therefore, is not to abandon AI, but to understand that its strength lies in enhancing the human ability to think critically, create original narratives and challenge the obvious.Creativity remains an essentially human process, which depends on critical courage and singular look to transform information into something new.
*Graziela Monaco is Creative Director of Make ID, a creative and strategic agency that transforms brands through branding, integrated communication and impact experiences. With more than twenty years of experience as Art and Creation Director, she has developed campaigns for major brands such as Bacardi, Nokia, Sony, Brastemp, MasterCard, Natura, Colgate, John Deere and Scania. Passionate about creating and believing in the power of ideas and the importance of diversity to build a communication of relevance and impact, she is a Bachelor in Graphic Design by the Fine Arts University Center with a Master in Organizational Marketing by UNICAMP.
