AI Said What? – Highlights from our October 2025 webinar
- Fred Maude
- Reading time: 10 minutes
As automation continues to reshape advertising, “AI Said What?” opened with a challenge – are marketers letting AI take over strategy? Drawing on insights from Meta, Google, TikTok and others, the session explored how platforms now promise effortless marketing. “Pick an objective, connect your account, and let AI do the rest.”
I argued that while AI can enhance productivity, it also risks narrowing creative and strategic thinking. Our framework urges marketers to test AI’s claims, introduce a strategic debrief layer, and reframe their role as interpreters of machine decisions. Across examples from Google Ads, Meta Advantage+, and TikTok’s creative tools, the session highlighted that automated systems often prioritise platform revenue over business outcomes, conceal spend details, and misread audience intent.
The takeaway – agencies and advertisers must stay curious, interrogate the data, and ensure human strategy leads AI execution, not the other way around. In an ad world increasingly automated by default, reclaiming interpretation and intent is what will separate the insightful from the automated.
You can see the full presentation here, or access the full recording on demand here.
If you’re looking for a speedier digest, check out some of the highlights from our panelists below.
Josh spoke about how marketers need to bear in mind that AI is often operating on limited data, and we need to take a zoomed out view on whether recommendations are good for our overall strategy.
With 9+ years of experience as a practitioner, operating as Head of Paid Social at an agency during that period, Josh is well worth listening to.
Sarah talks about how Proton has built secure processes around implementing AI within the ad platforms to protect their business. A healthy dose of skepticism and rigorous testing are at the core of that.
Sarah has played a huge role in the growth Proton has experienced over the last few years, with her attention to detail a key contributor to that growth.
Disha speaks about the role of privacy in limiting the data that AI is able to model its recommendations on. It’s a key challenge marketers must consider when understanding the recommendations being put forward.
Fospha are a great example of the type of additional insight available to businesses that can help them make better decisions with their paid media investments.
We hope you enjoyed the content. Again, you can watch the full webinar on demand here.
I argued that while AI can enhance productivity, it also risks narrowing creative and strategic thinking. Our framework urges marketers to test AI’s claims, introduce a strategic debrief layer, and reframe their role as interpreters of machine decisions. Across examples from Google Ads, Meta Advantage+, and TikTok’s creative tools, the session highlighted that automated systems often prioritise platform revenue over business outcomes, conceal spend details, and misread audience intent.
The takeaway – agencies and advertisers must stay curious, interrogate the data, and ensure human strategy leads AI execution, not the other way around. In an ad world increasingly automated by default, reclaiming interpretation and intent is what will separate the insightful from the automated.
You can see the full presentation here, or access the full recording on demand here.
If you’re looking for a speedier digest, check out some of the highlights from our panelists below.
Josh Little, Marketing Manager at Save the Children UK
Josh spoke about how marketers need to bear in mind that AI is often operating on limited data, and we need to take a zoomed out view on whether recommendations are good for our overall strategy.
With 9+ years of experience as a practitioner, operating as Head of Paid Social at an agency during that period, Josh is well worth listening to.
Sarah Coppe, Performance Marketing Lead at Proton UK
Sarah talks about how Proton has built secure processes around implementing AI within the ad platforms to protect their business. A healthy dose of skepticism and rigorous testing are at the core of that.
Sarah has played a huge role in the growth Proton has experienced over the last few years, with her attention to detail a key contributor to that growth.
Disha Amarnani, Account Manager at Fospha
Disha speaks about the role of privacy in limiting the data that AI is able to model its recommendations on. It’s a key challenge marketers must consider when understanding the recommendations being put forward.
Fospha are a great example of the type of additional insight available to businesses that can help them make better decisions with their paid media investments.
We hope you enjoyed the content. Again, you can watch the full webinar on demand here.
