By Amyn Ghadiali
Picture this: you walk into a design agency. The visuals are breathtaking, the narratives sharp, the strategy meticulous. Then someone leans in and says, “By the way, we’re actually a Photoshop agency.”
You’d probably laugh. And raise an eyebrow.
That’s the same eyebrow I raise every time I hear a creative or digital shop proudly label themselves an “AI agency”.
It’s 2025. AI isn’t the next big thing anymore, it’s the oxygen of our industry. Everywhere. Invisible. Essential.
But here’s the thing: using Photoshop doesn’t make you a Photoshop agency. And using AI doesn’t make you an AI agency.
Capability isn’t identity. AI is a tool. A powerful one, yes, but still a tool. It’s not your brand, your ethos, or your edge. Saying “we’re AI-led” in 2025 is like a chef declaring — we use fire. Everyone’s using it. In copywriting, media buying, prototyping, analytics, over 80% of agencies have AI woven into their workflows. It’s no longer differentiated. It’s hygiene.
Of course, AI sounds cool. Futuristic. Disruptive. Which is why agency decks now read like 2017 startup pitches. AI-powered this, GPT-enhanced that. But let’s be honest: subscribing to tools, learning prompts, and renaming your strategy team ‘AI Whisperers’ isn’t transformation.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: if you were truly AI-led, you wouldn’t have strategy directors, creative directors, or account managers. You’d be running a platform, not an agency. Because AI-led means people are optional. And most agencies aren’t firing their talent for GPT-5.
At its core, advertising is still about compelling stories told in unexpected ways. Creativity remains stubbornly, beautifully human. AI can write copy, generate visuals, and forecast CTRs, but it can’t feel culture, sniff the zeitgeist, or instinctively know which idea will ripple through society. We’ve all seen AI-assisted campaigns that technically tick boxes but emotionally fall flat.
Yet LinkedIn is full of CMOs applauding these as the future. Glossy hashtags. Hype-heavy posts. But watch the ad, and it feels… like a demo. Not a story. Not a spark. Just tech flexing for the sake of it.
So, what should agencies call themselves?
Call yourself what you are because of AI, not in spite of it. Be a creative shop turbocharged by AI. A strategy house using machine learning to map cultural relevance. A design studio prototyping at warp speed thanks to generative tools.
We didn’t call ourselves “internet agencies” in the 2000s. Tech becomes embedded, invisible, assumed. It’s what you do with it that defines you. The best agencies aren’t shouting about AI; they’re using it quietly to strip grunt work, speed up iteration, and free humans to argue over the soul of an idea.
We’re in the business of meaning-making. Technology changes how we deliver meaning, but never why we exist. So before you rebrand as an AI agency, ask yourself: is AI your edge, or just your electricity bill?
Because the future isn’t about being an AI agency. It’s about making AI serve creativity, not replace it.
The author is country head, Gozoop Creative
