Pinterest’s Xanthe Wells on AI: A Creative “Garbage Dump” for Now, But Human Ingenuity Will Win
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making waves across creative industries, promising endless inspiration and fast production. But Pinterest’s VP of global creative, Xanthe Wells, warns that for the next five years, AI-generated content might flood the market with uninspired, bland material. Despite this, she believes the unique spark of human creativity will ultimately shine through.
Why AI Falls Short on Creativity
Wells has tested AI-generated copy against human-written pieces, even asking AI to judge them. The result? AI consistently favored human copy. The reasons included better comedic timing, sharper references, riskier jokes, and more sophisticated sentence structures.
AI’s own work, by contrast, was described as “bland” and “predictable,” often lacking integration with brand identity. This highlights that while AI can handle repetitive or “grunt” tasks, it struggles with delivering genuine differentiation.
The Next Five Years: A Flood of Bland Content
According to Wells, the creative space will be overwhelmed by “horrible, bland garbage” from AI tools for the next several years. With so many brands producing similar AI-generated content, true differentiation will become rare.
Human creativity is rooted in lived experience, unexpected connections, and unique cultural references — qualities AI can’t replicate because it relies on pattern recognition, not genuine insight.
How Pinterest Uses AI in Creativity
Pinterest itself leverages AI internally, including an in-house language model named Helix, based on ChatGPT. Wells used Helix to refine her presentation notes, cutting them from 20 pages to 10 and organizing her ideas more clearly.
They also use AI video tools like Google’s Veo and OpenAI’s Sora to assist with visual brainstorming. However, Wells points out that current AI video generation is far from seamless. It often requires hundreds of attempts to get a usable shot, limiting immediate cost savings and efficiency.
AI can’t yet produce a full-fledged brand campaign alone; it requires a mix of tools and skilled human artists. At an enterprise level, managing this complexity is no small feat.
Talent, Learning, and the Role of Human Skills
Wells highlights a concern about AI’s impact on talent development. She shares an example from law school where students rely heavily on AI, resulting in rote answers without true understanding or ownership of the work.
Creatives still need to develop their own voice, reasoning, and skills. AI should be a tool that makes work easier, not a crutch that replaces genuine effort.
- Human interaction and insight remain essential.
- Creatives who learn to write well and think critically will stand out more than ever.
- AI cannot replace the nuanced, multi-layered activations created by human teams.
Facing AI with Confidence, Not Fear
The industry’s reaction to AI is mixed, with some fear and uncertainty. Wells encourages creatives to engage actively with AI rather than shy away from it. The more familiar you become with these tools, the more influence you have over how they are used and the standards set around them.
She compares this to the early days of her career when she spent countless hours learning new tools and trends to stay ahead. Despite the initial challenge, this approach led to confidence and control.
Optimism for Creatives in an AI-Driven Future
Wells remains hopeful. She stresses that creativity is more important now than ever. AI can generate quick outputs, but they often lack depth and emotional resonance.
Human insight and universal messaging will continue to be critical for ideas that truly cut through the noise. While brand advertisers haven't fully figured out how to best use AI yet, these tools may eventually open new paths for advertising.
For creatives ready to adapt, learning how to integrate AI thoughtfully could be a key skill going forward.
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