AI at WPP: From headline-grabbing ads to everyday creative work
AI in marketing usually gets attention when a big brand drops a flashy campaign. The more important story is quieter: how the work gets done inside agencies.
At WPP, CTO Stephan Pretorius says the real "mic drop" is adoption. More than 85,000 of WPP's 108,000 employees now use WPP Open every month-up from 30,000 in February 2024. That's not theater. That's workflow.
"Getting that balance right and making sure that humans are in control of the output and that they evaluate and apply taste and judgment, but also that the thought process is expanded and augmented…is really critical," says Pretorius.
The training stack powering it
WPP built a three-tier approach to get creatives ready for AI.
- Entry: A creative technology apprenticeship program, expanded through a five-year, $400 million partnership with Google. Goal: 1,000 apprentices trained over the next three years.
- Mid-career: Courses on gen-AI basics and practical use across media planning and creative ideation.
- Senior leaders: "AI and business diploma" courses for decision-makers.
Pretorius is blunt about the pace: "You've got to do it continuously and you have to do it very purposely…Everyone's still figuring it out."
What this means for your day-to-day
WPP Open isn't one model. It blends tech from OpenAI (GPT, DALL.E), Google (Gemini), and Anthropic (Claude) into tools creatives actually use. WPP claims teams of four get 14 hours back per project, adding up to roughly 90 days of capacity per year.
There's also WPP Open Pro, launched in October, so brands can plan, create, and publish independently. And by the end of 2025, WPP teams built more than 75,000 AI agents-many from bottom-up experiments, not top-down mandates.
As Pretorius puts it: "Empower as many people in the business with general-purpose tools that you teach them how to use. And then, let the collective intelligence flourish."
The money reality (and why it matters)
Across the industry, AI is widely used-but the near-term cost sits with agencies. A Forrester survey shows three out of four ad leaders say their companies use these tools in 2025, up from 61% the year before. Yet the cost of business funded by agencies grew 83% in 2025, and only 7% could sell gen-AI as a separate service.
Forrester's takeaway: the ROI today looks like time saved, not new revenue lines.
Pressure is high
Major networks are cutting jobs. Omnicom cut 4,000 roles in December. WPP's Ogilvy reduced headcount by 5% in June. WPP also reported Q3 softness and revised guidance to a 5.5%-6% decline in full-year organic growth, calling performance "unacceptable" and moving to streamline operations with tech at the center.
Pretorius stays optimistic: more content, more personalization, same budget. His warning is simple: "If you shy away from it…you will lose the business. And other people will eat your lunch."
Practical playbook for creatives
- Set a baseline: Track hours on briefs, concepting, versioning, and delivery for two weeks. Then add AI and compare. Keep what saves time and improves quality.
- Build a minimal AI stack: One ideation model, one image model, one QA/checklist agent, one rights/compliance checklist. Keep it simple and repeatable across projects.
- Create prompt kits: Templates for brand voice, concept expansion, variation generation, and headline alternatives. Save the top performers-reuse them.
- Run a human-in-the-loop pass: Taste beats speed. Add a final editorial and brand-safe review before anything ships.
- Prototype an agent per bottleneck: Brief expansion, reference board assembly, alt copy lines, motion storyboard outlines. Ship one agent per week and refine based on results.
- Be transparent with clients: Explain where AI helps (speed, volume, personalization) and what remains human (strategy, taste, final decisions). Set expectations early.
- Protect files and rights: Keep brand assets in approved environments. Document model sources and usage rights on every deliverable.
- Upskill on a schedule: Two focused hours per week beats sporadic bursts. If you need structure, consider a guided program like the AI Certification for Marketing Specialists.
Bottom line
The agencies that win will make AI part of the creative routine-not a stunt. Keep humans in charge, let AI expand your thinking, and measure the gains.
The brief is the same: better ideas, faster. The way you get there is changing. Adapt now.
Your membership also unlocks:
