Has AI killed creativity? London agencies respond to Meta’s big push

Discover how London agencies are now responding to Meta’s new push towards using AI-generated ads and whether AI is killing creativity for businesses in 2025

LONDON’S ADVERTISING COMMUNITY was excited after The Guardian reported today (June 9, 2025) that the major players of Meta and Google are working with AI-driven ad tools. The wave of concern about creative jobs is growing, where traditional agencies are questioning whether they still have a job.

In this new shift, marketers are now turning to digital advertising intelligence systems to understand the changes in AI within the ad landscape and what’s working to drive better transformation.

AI vs. Creativity: What’s Happening in London?

• Meta: This system is now rolling out new AI tools to automate every step of ad creation, from targeting to measuring, without any human intervention.
• London-based agencies: Groups such as WPP are now investing in AI to integrate it into their own platforms. This process, however, may involve layoffs or role reshaping.
• Tradition vs. tech: Automated ads offer faster and cost-effective marketing, but many fear that this cultural nuance and memorable ideas may be lost.

Staying ahead of the market and understanding real-time competitive insights is crucial, as it plays a significant role in effective marketing and the advancement of AI.

Why Digital Advertising Intelligence Matters Now

Advertisers are now working with new, advanced AI-generated ads to flood platforms daily. Brands can utilise AI tools to stay current with the latest insights and strategies, without the risk of being outmatched.

This is where digital advertising intelligence comes into play. With many advanced AI tools, brands and agencies can:

1. Benchmark spending: To understand how much rivals are spending on different platforms and with specific frequencies.
2. Dissect messaging: Being able to identify copy tones, styles, imagery and formats, all AI-optimized to help gain traction.
3. Track cross-channel trends: Identify if different businesses are migrating into AI-only channels, such as programmatic, or spreading across social media, CTV, and mobile devices.
4. Adapt campaigns: Instead of guessing, teams can now develop successful AI strategies to develop bespoke creativity.

These four factors reflect the need for digital advertising intelligence and the importance it plays within creative strategies to ensure businesses can stand out on different platforms.

AI: A Strategic Edge for London Marketers

Digital advertising intelligence platforms offer numerous in-depth strategies across various display, social, video, connected TV, and mobile app channels. Through real-time insights, brands can use insights into:

• Understand what ad competitions are running through images, videos and copy
• Which platforms are being used and favoured
• Estimate spending, impression volume and share of voices.

London marketers are now navigating AI development, meaning businesses are moving towards proactive approaches and new evolving trends.

Deep Dive: How Agencies Use Digital Advertising Intelligence

Some use cases for London-based agencies:

• Cross-channel strategy: Learn about competitors and lean into AI-automated programmatic or invest in handcrafted spots.
• Marketing: Compare and evaluate performance during major events, such as the Euro finals, and adjust budgets accordingly.
• Proving ROI: Track the movement in share of voice before and after AI-generated campaigns have been posted on different platforms.
• Budget Intelligence: Spot competitors increasing AI spending and adjust pacing to maintain visibility.

The personalized dashboards help to make it easy to isolate geography, campaign types or creative styles. These are all important considerations for agencies that want to balance AI-driven, API-generated content with human-led storytelling.

London Legal Spotlight: AI’s Long Arm in AdTech

In today’s news, Google is facing a £5 billion claim in the UK, which highlights the growing scrutiny of adtech practices. This claim concerns Google’s alleged overcharging due to its dominance in ad auctions.

While this case focuses on pricing, it signals a broader UK regulatory need to hold ad tech accountable.

Two Ways Agencies in London Can Stay Ahead

Here are two ways agencies in London can stay ahead of the market:

• Combine AI tools: Use many advanced platforms to monitor AI-generated performance levels, but ensure to maintain human teams to evolve the messaging and personalization.
• Build an Effective Workflow: Run different tests where you can compare pure-AI vs human-AI ads, to understand different performance levels and data.

Agencies can work with advanced digital ad intelligence tools to ensure they’re staying ahead of markets and working to develop effective workflows.

Final Takeaways for London Marketers

The rise of AI-generated campaigns is becoming increasingly popular. The real edge lies in understanding the landscape, including what competitors are doing, where budgets are shifting, and audience responses.

Many advanced digital advertising intelligence platforms offer the power to adapt and lead in an evolving space. In an era where automation can generate new content, brands are now understanding the need to craft strategies that resonate and win.

For London marketers, it’s not a discussion of man vs. machine; it’s man plus machine, meaning businesses can expand their creative reach with the support of data.