WPP’s CTO says AI is reshaping advertising. But creative judgment needs to remain in human hands

Core Insights - The article highlights the significant adoption of WPP Open, an AI-enabled operating system, by WPP's workforce, indicating a major shift in how marketing campaigns are planned and executed [2] Group 1: AI Adoption and Workforce Engagement - Over 85,000 of WPP's 108,000 employees are using WPP Open monthly, a substantial increase from 30,000 in February 2024 [2] - WPP has implemented three levels of AI training to prepare its workforce, including a creative technology apprenticeship program aimed at training 1,000 apprentices over three years as part of a $400 million partnership with Google [4] - Senior staff at WPP are required to take courses on generative AI and its application in media planning and creative ideation [5] Group 2: Continuous Learning and Industry Trends - Ongoing AI upskilling programs are deemed essential, with the expectation that employees will continuously learn to work with AI tools [6] - A survey by Forrester indicates that 75% of ad industry executives expect their companies to use generative AI tools by 2025, up from 61% the previous year [6] Group 3: Financial Implications of AI Investments - Despite the adoption of AI, these investments currently represent a net cost for agencies, with the cost of business related to generative AI capabilities increasing by 83% in 2025 [7] - Only 7% of agencies have been able to sell generative AI capabilities as a separate service, indicating challenges in monetizing these investments [7]