AI Mythbusters: Debunking the biggest AI misconceptions in advertising
When it comes to AI, there is a palpable sense of uncertainty about what the future will look like. Will it make our work more efficient? More automated? Or worryingly, less...human? While only time will reveal the full extent of AI’s impact, one thing is certain: we need to separate the myths from reality. Understanding what AI can (and can’t) do today is the first step in preparing for what’s ahead. In the advertising space, this distinction matters even more, because misperceptions can lead to misguided strategies, wasted ad spend, and a whole lot of confusion.
In this blog series, we’ll break down the most common AI misconceptions and dive into their implications for our industry.
Myth #1: AI will completely replace human roles
This myth has permeated the tech space for some time, with automation, efficiency, and reduced manual workloads making employees anxious that their jobs are no longer necessary. And while Sam Altman claims that "95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today" can be done by AI, it is far more likely that roles and systems will simply evolve to incorporate AI earlier in campaign planning, rather than cutting out the people altogether.
Yes, AI can handle repeatable, operational tasks—think creative tagging, resizing, version generation, optimization—as we’re seeing in recent developments like Innovid’s latest rollout of AI-powered tools. And while it can be used to create the aspects of the ad itself and even traffic them, AI can’t replicate the human strategic thinking, creativity, and nuance necessary for ads to connect with real people in meaningful ways. Advertising is not just about pushing impressions; it’s about storytelling, cultural insight, and emotional resonance—areas where people are indispensable.
In fact, far from eliminating human roles, AI’s growth will actually deepen the importance of advertising itself. Mediaocean CMO Aaron Goldman stresses that “advertising is really the only way that ChatGPT and other AI agents will be able to scale across the global population and realize their full potential – and valuation.” In other words, AI won’t replace advertising—or the people behind it— but make it even more central to its success.
Myth #2: AI is inherently objective
AI can be a useful tool for research and brainstorming purposes, but users should be aware that answers from AI agents like ChatGPT are not completely objective. AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on. And since that data includes content from across the web, including news articles, social posts, forums, and more, bias inevitably seeps in.
For advertising, this isn’t just a theoretical issue. As AI agents evolve from delivering simple answers to curating choices, (think AI recommending which brand of sneakers to buy or streaming service to subscribe to), monetization will play a central role. Our CMO Aaron Goldman explores this idea in his article on on the future role of agentic AI in how we advertise. He emphasizes that in a future where agentic AI takes the place of search engines in helping consumers make purchasing decisions, we may see brands pay to be favored in AI-generated results. As brands increasingly compete for visibility in AI-driven recommendations, they will need to prioritize transparency and independence to avoid paying for bias they can’t see.
Myth #3: AI can always provide the right answer
AI’s confidence is perhaps its greatest illusion. Ask it a question, and it will deliver a polished, authoritative-sounding response. Whether or not it’s correct is a separate question. That’s because AI doesn’t “know” anything, at least not in the human sense of the word. It generates probabilistically accurate responses based on training data, which often comes from sources like Wikipedia, Reddit, and news outlets of varying reliability.
In advertising, this presents real risks. Imagine using AI to pull performance benchmarks or draft competitive insights from inaccurate or outdated data. Without proper human oversight and personal experience, marketers could end up making decisions based on fabricated numbers, inaccurate context, or misinterpreted data.
The future is human
While the future will be shaped by AI, with campaign workflows becoming faster, media buying more automated, and creative more scalable than ever, the heart of advertising founded in the understanding of people, culture, and connection, remains firmly human.
As CEO Bill Wise puts it: “In a world of GenAI, relationships and connectivity still matter most.”
Be sure to stay tuned for more myths next month!
