Creatives are learning to use AI intentionally-not just because they can
Creatives working with AI are shifting focus from efficiency to creativity. At the Art of Craft festival last week, industry leaders discussed how AI amplifies human work when used deliberately, rather than as a replacement for craft.
The conversation has moved past fear. "There's a huge amount of noise right now," said Darren O'Kelly, CEO of Untold Studios. "If you understand filmmaking tech, you've got a responsibility to separate signal from noise."
The last 20% is where it matters
At Untold, AI accelerates the first 80% of creative work-getting to a first script or rough idea quickly. The final 20%, the refinement and craft, remains human work. "That's where better work comes from," O'Kelly said.
Untold built proprietary tools like Veil, which realistically ages and de-ages actors. This lets teams test ideas earlier and make better decisions faster, reducing endless iterations.
But O'Kelly stresses a boundary: use AI because it solves something properly, not because a client asks for it or because you can.
Ask three questions before you use it
Morten Legarth, creative director at VCCP, developed a framework after creating O2's 'Daisy vs Scammers' campaign, which won five Lions in 2025.
He asks: Is it good? Does it do good? Are we doing something new? Could it only have been done with AI?
Whether AI is visible or hidden should be a deliberate creative choice. In 'Daisy vs Scammers', the AI was transparent-viewers were "in on the joke" that the AI was scamming scammers. This built trust and made the technology's purpose clear.
Speed changes what's possible
For Omar Karim, an AI film director at Joy Machine/Iconoclast, the technology lets creatives test ideas in real time. "Before, you'd pitch an idea in a room and it might never get made. Now you can just make it."
But Karim warns about data. Consumer AI tools are "basically IP traps"-you input ideas and lose control of them. "If you're a subject matter expert, you have something valuable. Don't just give it away."
Proof of craft matters more now
Vix Jagger, head of creative innovation and AI at Droga5, advises creatives to make work they believe in, then figure out the execution. "We've all seen AI work we love and work we hate."
Her recommendation: if you're not using AI, show how the work is made. Behind-the-scenes content and making-of material will become more valuable as AI becomes common.
The consensus from the panel was clear. AI doesn't diminish creativity-it can amplify it. But only when creatives lead the decisions about when and how to use it.
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