A few years ago, AI in advertising meant a chatbot answering FAQs and maybe some basic ad targeting. Now it’s writing scripts, generating video ads, designing visuals, and in some cases, running entire campaigns with barely any human input. If that sounds like an exaggeration, it isn’t. Major platforms are now generating tens of millions of creative assets through AI tools in a single quarter, a number that’s roughly tripled year over year.
So yeah, AI in advertising isn’t some future trend anymore. It’s already here, and it’s moving fast.
The shift nobody saw coming
Most people assumed AI would just speed things up with the same ads, made faster. What’s actually happening is much more than that. Brands aren’t just producing existing ideas more quickly; they’re producing dozens of versions of the same ad, each tweaked for a different platform, audience segment, or emotional angle, for close to the cost of making one.
That changes how creative teams think. Instead of one “big idea” pitched to a room and approved (or disapproved) in a single meeting, the model is shifting toward: make many, test fast, let performance data pick the winner. It’s less romantic than the old ad-agency mythology, but it works.
The problem nobody’s talking about enough
Here’s where it gets interesting and where a lot of brands are getting it wrong. Industry data shows fewer than half of consumers feel positive about AI-generated ads. People can tell when something feels synthetic and artificial, even if they can’t always explain why.
But hiding AI involvement doesn’t help. Research suggests a majority of Gen Z and millennial consumers say knowing an ad was AI-made either makes no difference to their buying decisions or actually increases their trust, as long as brands are upfront about it. Disclosure builds more credibility than secrecy.
The lesson? Use AI in advertising to make your creative sharper, not just cheaper. And don’t pretend a brand isn’t using it when it clearly is.
What this means for branding specifically
This is the part most “AI marketing” articles skip. Branding was always about consistency, distinctiveness, and meaning, the three things that don’t automatically improve just because production got faster.
If anything, AI in advertising is raising the bar for brand identity. When every competitor can generate polished video ads in minutes, “polished” stops being a differentiator. What stands out instead is voice, point of view, and a brand people actually recognize and trust; things AI can help produce, but can’t invent on its own.
Strategy and brand differentiation are becoming more important precisely because execution is getting commoditized. Everyone has access to the same tools, though not everyone has a clear identity behind what they’re making with them.
Humans and AI aren’t competing, they’re collaborating
The smartest brands right now aren’t choosing between human creativity and AI efficiency. They’re using AI in advertising to handle production at scale for testing, variations, formats, while keeping strategy, positioning, and brand voice firmly in human hands. That combination is what separates brands that feel deliberate from ones that feel like AI slop with a logo slapped on.
The brands that get this right aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest AI budgets. They’re the ones who understand that AI in advertising is a tool for executing a strong brand faster, not a replacement for having one in the first place.
How we approach AI at The Grey Metaphor
At The Grey Metaphor, we’re not interested in chasing AI for the sake of looking modern. We use it where it genuinely sharpens the work with faster creative testing, smarter targeting, quicker turnarounds, while keeping the actual thinking, positioning, and brand voice human-led. Because no algorithm can tell your brand’s story the way a strategist who actually understands your business can.
If you’re trying to figure out where AI fits into your brand’s advertising without losing what makes you, you, that’s a conversation worth having.
Get in touch with us for branding solutions that keep up with where AI is headed.