Is AI Coming for Your Job?

Using brain-numbing computational capacity, artificial intelligence “learns” from crunching old, existing data, whereas breakthrough creative is new and original. This means AI outperforms humans in marketing by automating repetitive tasks, analyzing vast datasets to generate insights, personalizing customer experiences at scale, optimizing campaigns through predictive analytics, and improving efficiency and productivity by streamlining workflows. AI's strength lies in processing large volumes of data to identify trends, automate routine processes, and execute complex tasks like real-time ad and search optimization with high speed and precision. 

Those are all account management tasks, not creative.

What sets human creativity apart is the empathy, intuition, and vulnerability that are infused into the work. These qualities breathe life into our creations, making them resonate on a deeper level. This human touch makes creativity more than a product; it’s a meaningful experience.

Empathy is critical in advertising and marketing because it helps brands build deeper customer trust and loyalty by creating authentic, emotionally resonant campaigns that address real needs and pain points. By understanding customers' perspectives, marketers can craft more effective messaging, differentiate their brand, improve customer relationships, and foster long-term advocacy that drives business growth. 

Here’s another fun experiment. Think of AI-generated images. They can be stunning — surreal landscapes, lifelike portraits, even imaginative mashups that defy physics. But zoom in on the hands, and you’ll often find something strange. Too many fingers, melted palms, limbs bending in impossible ways. Why? Because hands are complex. They’re expressive, intricate, and deeply human. AI can mimic the shape, but it doesn’t understand the function, the feeling, or the nuance of human hands.

This glitch is more than a technical hiccup — it’s a metaphor. Just as AI struggles to render hands, it also struggles to grasp the emotional dexterity required in creative work. It can replicate tone and structure, but it can’t feel the heartbeat behind a story or the tension in a room. It doesn’t know what it means to reach out, to hold space, or to create something that truly touches another person.

AI can mimic tone and style, but it can’t sense the unspoken or read between the lines. The human touch is an invisible thread weaving meaning into words, images, and ideas.  So, while AI can assist, it’s the human hand — imperfect, intuitive, and emotionally attuned — that shapes all creative work. That’s the hand that paints empathy into a message, writes vulnerability into a story, and sketches humor into a campaign.

For writers, artists, photographers, marketers, and copywriters, this means embracing imperfection and vulnerability as strengths, not weaknesses. It means daring to be bold, to risk being misunderstood, and telling stories that invite others in.

The future of creative work isn’t about competing with AI. It's about amplifying the human qualities that no machine can replicate, making your creative work unforgettable.