Why AI Can Never be Truly Creative, or Strategic

A dual perspective from A&E's Creative Director Glen Smith and Brand & Strategy Director Shannon Weber

As a creative agency, we come face-to-face with AI daily – for better or worse. And before anyone rolls their eyes and mutters, “Here come the technophobes,” let’s be clear: we’re not anti-tech. We use AI regularly. But we don’t use it to create. And we certainly don’t use it to think.

From the Creative’s desk: Creativity without soul isn’t creative

We’ve seen people drop a brief into ChatGPT and call what comes out ‘creative.’ But it isn’t. It’s recycled language, wrapped in a polished format. And sure, it might look convincing at first glance - but you can always tell when a campaign’s been generated by AI. No tension. No tone. No risk. Creativity without soul is just content, and brands deserve more than that.

Glen Smith, Creative Director, A&E

At A&E, we use AI like we’d use any tool: to save time, shape early thinking, validate an idea. But we don’t ask it to do the work for us. Because the moment AI starts generating the message, the message starts losing meaning.

The problem?

It all sounds the same. Emotionless. Repetitive. Sanitised. And worse, it starts to convince clients that it’s enough. They start to believe that this miracle tool can solve all their problems - and save them huge amounts of money into the bargain. And that's a very seductive thought...

But real creative work doesn’t come from a database. It comes from lived experiences, cultural reference points, late-night brainwaves, gut instinct, and hard-won insight. AI hasn’t felt a thing. It hasn’t misfired in a pitch. It doesn’t know fear or boldness or nuance. That’s why what it makes often feels like wallpaper.

Here’s the reality:

• AI doesn’t feel. It mimics emotion but doesn't understand it.

• It doesn’t know timing. Cultural context is not a plugin.

• AI doesn't take risks, it avoids them. Great creative breaks things.

• It doesn’t stand for anything. It just aggregates what already exists.

At A&E, we’re not afraid of AI, but we’re not relying on it either. Because we believe brave brands demand brave ideas, and AI can’t do brave.

From the Strategist’s chair: The deeper risk you’re not seeing

AI is being used to answer questions it has no business answering. Strategic decisions, brand positioning, even business models, handed off to a tool that hasn’t lived the journey. It hasn’t fought for a pitch, sat in front of a pissed-off CEO, or rescued a broken campaign. It doesn’t know pressure. It doesn’t carry accountability. What you get looks like a strategy, sounds like a strategy, but it’s hollow, and worst of all, it convinces you it’s good. That’s the real danger.

Shannon Weber, Brand & Strategy Director, A&E

While the creative risk is obvious: dull work, missed tone, generic output, the strategic risk runs deeper. AI is increasingly being asked to solve complex business problems: “Position our brand.” “Build our marketing plan.” “Tell us what our audience wants.”

And it gives answers. Fast. Structured. Convincing. But also… dangerously disconnected from reality.

AI doesn’t sit in stakeholder interviews. It doesn’t understand the tension in a founder’s voice when they talk about failure. It doesn’t know what your competitor’s next move is, or what unspoken truths your employees carry. It knows data - not context.

The fallout?

• Strategy becomes generic. Built from assumption, not insight.

• Positioning lacks sharpness. No true differentiation.

• Messaging misses the mark. Because it wasn’t lived, just lifted.

• The brand starts drifting. And by the time you notice, trust is already eroding.

To agencies using AI for brand audits and reviews: It doesn’t know what good looks like. It can’t benchmark originality. It can’t feel tension or see opportunity gaps. It doesn't know where the brand should go, only where others have been.

The A&E Standpoint

We’re not scared of AI. But we’re not blinded by it either. Creativity and strategy are human disciplines. We draw on instinct, experience, risk, accountability, context - all the things AI hasn’t earned and never will.

Use it as a tool. But don’t let it steer the ship. Because at A&E, we believe in work that connects, not just computes.

AI can accelerate. But it can’t originate. That’s where we come in.