By pushing AI too hard, we will cause it to fail
Artificial intelligence can definitely be our friend but, says Steph Hobart, MD at Brothers & Sisters Sports Club & AI Production Studio, it isn't a magician, so we should stop treating it like one. If we don't, the thing that will suffer is creativity.
With our feeds now flooded with generative AI content, the race to realism is becoming an obsession, and it is truly captivating.
People obsessively searching – frame-by-frame – for the tell that allows you to outsmart the tech, the flaw that reassures you that you can still tell the difference between made-by-human craft and AI content, makes sense on a deeply human level because it’s still pretty mind-blowing seeing the results that Veo3 produces with each new update.
The race to realism is becoming an obsession, and it is truly captivating.
But, for those carving a career in creativity, there’s a risk in pursuing this obsession, and that risk is that we drive generative AI tools down a road that ends with a sharp cliff.
Above: If we obsessively try to outsmart AI tech, we might end up with it going over a cliff edge.
To be pushing, again and again, on the ‘make it look more real’ button is to miss the opportunity that generative AI offers creative and production teams. If you are crafting a film or content that tells a powerful story through raw human emotions, I’m certain that generative AI will never be the best tool to use. It will eventually get to a place where it’s a valid option but we’re just not there yet.
There will always be a depth, a relatability, something unexpected that comes from real people captured on film.
There will always be a depth, a relatability, something unexpected that comes from real people captured on film. It's shown by the fact that CGI models have been able to perfectly depict every shiny new car model launched, yet carmakers still invest in sending teams to beautiful landscapes to capture those same cars zooming along winding roads, the sun setting behind them.
We must slow the rush to treat gen-AI as a drop-in replacement for every aspect of live-action production. If, instead, we meet AI at its current speed and with its present quirks, there's real magic to be found.
Above: The genius of Heinz's spot was to ask a smart question and let the technology respond.
Let’s back up a year or two, to the Heinz “AI ketchup” campaign, which asked different AI models to generate “ketchup” and, brilliantly, it always looked like Heinz. The genius wasn’t in forcing AI to do something hyper-polished — it was in the curiosity to ask a smart question and let the tech respond. It was unexpected, clever and perfectly on-brand. That sense of play is where AI really adds value.
There’s also a growing expectation that AI will eventually do everything — from scripting to final render — with a single prompt. That’s not only unrealistic, it’s creatively limiting. The Original Source campaign released earlier this year [below] leaned into AI to visualise a surreal adventure unfolding from a morning shower, but it didn’t rely on AI to do everything. There were clearly multiple iterations, deliberate choices, and a clear human voice guiding the result. It’s still a creative process, just with a different set of brushes.
If a brand pours resources into an AI-led campaign that doesn’t deliver on quality, coherence or emotional connection, it can feel like a gimmick or, worse, a misstep.
When brands push AI too hard — expecting it to deliver polished, broadcast-ready assets that rival traditional production — they risk more than just a mediocre output, they risk trust.
A misfire can damage perception, both internally and with consumers. If a brand pours resources into an AI-led campaign that doesn’t deliver on quality, coherence or emotional connection, it can feel like a gimmick or, worse, a misstep. The aftermath often leads to blanket skepticism toward the technology, rather than a reflection on how it was used. Early failures don’t just impact one project, they can stall a brand’s entire innovation roadmap.
Credits
View on- Agency Fold7/London
- Production Company Private Island
- Director Chris Boyle
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Credits
View on- Agency Fold7/London
- Production Company Private Island
- Director Chris Boyle
- Sound 750mph
- Music Theodore Music
- Executive Creative Director Dave Billing
- Creative Director Dom Moira
- Creative Director Kieron Roe
- Producer Izy Brand
- Executive Producer Helen Power
- Producer Aine O'Donnell
- Production Designer Sean Hogan
- DP Pieter Snyman
- Editor Kuba Sobieski
- Colorist Alex Gregory
- Sound Designer Sam Ashwell
- Music Supervisor Harley Beckmann Hawksley
Explore full credits, grab hi-res stills and more on shots Vault
Credits
powered by- Agency Fold7/London
- Production Company Private Island
- Director Chris Boyle
- Sound 750mph
- Music Theodore Music
- Executive Creative Director Dave Billing
- Creative Director Dom Moira
- Creative Director Kieron Roe
- Producer Izy Brand
- Executive Producer Helen Power
- Producer Aine O'Donnell
- Production Designer Sean Hogan
- DP Pieter Snyman
- Editor Kuba Sobieski
- Colorist Alex Gregory
- Sound Designer Sam Ashwell
- Music Supervisor Harley Beckmann Hawksley
Above: This Original Source spot leaned into AI's capabilities, but didn't rely on the tech to do everything.
Any fallout also reverberates through the client–agency relationship. If AI is treated as the all-in-one answer from pitch to delivery, it can reduce the craft of creative development to a tech demo. Conversations become about what a model can do rather than what a team should imagine.
The danger is that creativity starts to feel boxed-in by tool capabilities instead of being expanded by them. Creative teams, in turn, can feel devalued — asked to polish outputs rather than originate ideas, or to act as prompt operators instead of thinkers. That’s a fast way to lose morale, talent and, ultimately, the edge that makes standout work possible in the first place.
If AI is treated as the all-in-one answer from pitch to delivery, it can reduce the craft of creative development to a tech demo.
Gen AI is not a magic wand, so let’s stop trying to make it one. Pushing it too hard will only lead to frustration or worse — boring work.
Let it be weird, let it be fast, let it be different. That’s where the potential really lives.