AI and marketing: mature technology, guided creativity

In 2026, generative artificial intelligence is no longer a novelty to talk about, but a strategic lever to govern. In marketing and communication, the real difference is not made by technology adoption itself, but by the ability to integrate it into structured creative and decision-making processes.

Having passed the initial enthusiasm phase, it’s now clear that AI doesn’t work as a shortcut. It works as a skill amplifier, when guided by vision, method and human responsibility.

The Toys”R”Us case: an experiment that marked a key passage

A turning point was the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival, when Toys”R”Us presented an ad created almost entirely with generative AI, using OpenAI’s Sora. The video told the brand’s origins through the figure of founder Charles Lazarus and mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe.

The project, developed with creative agency Native Foreign, demonstrated how AI could drastically accelerate production, reducing time and iterations. At the same time, it sparked an important debate about the role of emotion, authenticity and creative control.

Behind the ad: AI never works alone

Defining that project as “fully produced with generative AI” often led to oversimplifications. In reality, the work involved a multidisciplinary team of about twenty professionals, including creatives, art directors, animators and technicians.

The process included:

• writing and narrative definition
• shot study
• editing and post-production
• original sound design
• VFX interventions and refinement

AI supported the production phase, but creative and strategic direction remained firmly human.

2026: more evolved tools, clearer responsibilities

Today the technological level has grown significantly. Tools like Sora, Runway Gen-3, Google Veo, Adobe Firefly and Midjourney have stably entered professional workflows, improving visual quality, narrative consistency and creative control.

But this technological maturity has made one point even more evident: the more powerful the tools, the more clear governance is needed. Without strategy, AI only produces content. With vision, it builds value.

The ad recently published by Mercedes-Benz is surprising for its quality, realism and lack of technological coldness. It shows how human ingenuity and technology, when well harmonized, can work together for a truly surprising result and create new hybrid skills.

The role of brands and agencies

In contemporary marketing, AI does not replace positioning, brand culture, the ability to interpret context and editorial responsibility.

On the contrary, it makes them central.

The future of communication will not be “AI-generated,” but AI-assisted and human-led. And it’s in this balance that brands and agencies can truly make a difference.