Hey, AI, leave them ad kids alone

Back in 2024, terms like “Gen AI”, “ChatGPT”, and “Gemini” were still niche tech talk, far from the everyday vocabulary they have become today. They were emerging slowly, one prompt at a time, quietly creeping into the creative world.

Even Portfolio Night, the annual event where creative advertising veterans review and mentor young talent, wasn’t immune. The early influence of artificial intelligence (AI) was already visible, hinting at changes to come.

Cut to 2025. AI has now permeated much of the professional world, and the creative advertising industry is no exception. One of the most visible signs is in how young creatives think, because lived experiences remain the most potent source of creative brilliance, whether in art or copy.

“Some of the participants were thinking first and then using AI as a tool to make their ideas presentation worthy. Unfortunately, a few said, ‘We put this prompt and these are the lyrics we got,’” said Lowe Lintas president and Portfolio Night juror Kapil Batra.

Before the tool becomes a crutch, they must remember it is just a tool, he advised, recalling something lyricist Javed Akhtar once said when asked if he viewed AI as a threat.

“I don't know what's going to happen in the near future. But for now, I don't feel threatened by AI because it has never experienced a breakup or a death or a birth in someone else's family,” Batra recounted.

Leo Burnett chief creative officer Vikram Pandey (Spiky), another juror, offered a different perspective. “We grew up doing something else, they grew up doing something else, and people before us grew up doing something absolutely different. Their experience with their surroundings, whether it is social media, technology, or gaming, will help them create work that is relevant to their generation.”

Young but resolute

A striking observation at Portfolio Night was the higher level of awareness and ambition among today’s young creatives compared to their predecessors. These kids knew exactly what they wanted to do.

Such confidence is healthy but also risky, because at that age, one must be ready to learn and unlearn quickly.

DDB Mudra chief creative officer and juror Rahul Mathew said that the industry needs young people who know what they want and are better trained. “We have a lot of work these days. The industry needs people they can plug and play right away,” he said. But, it also needs those who are still figuring things out. 

The industry benefits from those who are still learning. “They are ignorant enough to ask the questions we sometimes have forgotten to ask, to explore something in a way we have not explored. That is a very important part we need to bring back.”

When asked if it is difficult for a leader to mould such young creatives with resolute visions, juror and DDB Tribal creative head Anusheela Saha called it a double-edged sword.

“You should have beliefs. But at the same time, you are in the business of selling things in the most interesting ways. So, stick to your beliefs, but also dabble a bit,” she said.

It is true that advertising is a commercial art, and some take time to understand that when they enter this world.

Regardless of whether AI stays or not, or whether young creatives are malleable or not, there is one nugget of truth DDB Mudra brand and growth strategist Mowin Dias shared at Portfolio Night that applies to everyone: “Keep doing work that will make people stop scrolling.”