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How AI Is Impacting Creative Careers; Why Creative Careers Still Need a Human Touch
A few months ago, during a typical TV streaming session, one particular pharmaceutical commercial began appearing repeatedly during breaks. At first, it didn’t stand out — just another overly polished ad about a psoriasis medication. But after the third or fourth time, something felt off.
The people in the commercial appeared too perfect. Their movements were oddly smooth, almost robotic — like Rosie the robot from The Jetsons. While it’s normal for models in ads to look healthy and happy, this was different. The way their hair moved, for example, seemed to defy gravity. The entire scene felt unnaturally polished.
That uncanny quality prompted deeper scrutiny. Was this an AI-generated commercial? A deep internet dive revealed no cast list — a detail that, under normal circumstances, is publicly available. For comparison: Yes, there is a website that lists commercial cast members, including the actor who voices the Mucinex booger.
When AI Creative Undermines the Customer Experience
Whether or not that ad was created with AI, it exemplifies the larger issue at hand: How AI-generated advertising can degrade the customer experience. Increasingly, consumers find themselves wondering whether the content they see is the product of human creativity or machine automation.
There’s an intangible shift that happens when a piece of marketing is perceived as AI-generated. It feels impersonal. Consumers may interpret it as a shortcut — a sign that a company chose efficiency over authenticity, cost-saving over connection. That sense of emotional investment, of creative teams thoughtfully crafting a message with the audience in mind, gets lost. And when it does, so does the trust.
The difference lies in human centricity. Marketing built by humans, for humans inherently carries empathy. It signals that a team took the time to think about what resonates — not just broadly, but deeply — with real people. When we replace that process with automation, it’s no longer human insight driving the message — it’s data and algorithms.
“I believe AI should sharpen creativity, not replace it. There’s a difference between content and connection. AI tools help us move faster and explore more ideas, but it’s our lived experience, empathy, and gut instinct that shape the final output. Great creative work makes people feel something, and AI alone can’t do that. But in the hands of someone with empathy, strategy and creative ability, AI becomes a force multiplier. The possibilities are endless when humans lead and tech supports. The brands that win long-term will be the ones that stay relentlessly human — even while embracing new tools.”
Audible campaign concept using AI imagery by Brian Haitz (MASD ’25)
The Irreplaceable Human Touch in Creative Strategy
Replacing human creators with machines leads to one key loss: Empathy. Without lived experience, AI cannot replicate the emotional nuance required for deeply resonant storytelling. While AI can simulate tone, replicate trends and even spark ideas, it cannot feel. And that gap matters.
Marketing without empathy becomes transactional. Yes, it might get the job done, but it loses the richness of perspective that makes communication meaningful. Human-centric design is about understanding lived experiences — something AI, no matter how advanced, cannot fully grasp.
That’s why the future of creative industries depends on a new generation of makers — those who can wield AI as a tool without allowing it to replace human perspective. Innovators who bring empathy, intention and humanity into every brief, concept and campaign.
AI belongs in the creative toolkit, but not at the helm. It should support ideation, not substitute for vision. Human insight must remain the foundation of creative strategy.
A Call to Creative Leaders
This moment calls for creators who aren’t afraid of AI, but who use it wisely and sparingly — those who prioritize the human touch in everything they do. The world doesn’t need more content. It needs more connection.
So the charge is clear: Find the humanism, and amplify it. In a world of generative everything, authenticity is our greatest advantage.
If you’re ready to lead this charge, Furman University’s Master of Arts in Strategic Design (MASD) is where purpose meets practice. MASD is a graduate program for the next generation of creative thinkers — those who see design not just as a craft, but as a tool for building better futures. Rooted in empathy, driven by curiosity and committed to impact, MASD prepares students to thrive in a world where the human perspective is more essential than ever.
The Art of Solving starts here. Learn more about leveling-up your creative career with MASD.