Carrying on in this proud tradition, Chinese tech entrepreneur Luo Yonghao and his cohost recently impressed audiences during a smooth Baidu livestream promoting 133 items. They generated $7 million in sales, speaking nonstop for six hours without any interruptions—not even for bathroom breaks.

How did they manage that? It’s straightforward. They weren’t actually present. Instead, their digital twins handled the promotion. These synthetic replicas were so realistic and convincing on screen that they surpassed Yonghao’s previous live streams done by humans.

Scaling Sales: Without Any Humans Involved?

Beyond being just a novelty, this is not an isolated incident. Rather, it hints at the future of advertising—a new era where humans step aside for AI. To get a glimpse of what lies ahead, one only needs to look at Mark Zuckerberg’s bold announcement in June. As InfluencerMarketingHub.Com states: “Meta is making its most aggressive move yet to eliminate human involvement from the advertising process. By 2026, the company plans to fully automate the creation, targeting, and deployment of digital ads using artificial intelligence; no creative teams, media buyers, or detailed audience segmentation will be necessary.”

This represents a monumental shift from the current state of affairs. Just a few years ago, the average marketer could hardly envision AI replacing them. After all, the industry has a storied past. Consider AMC’s Mad Men. Although fictional, the show glamorizes a not-so-distant time when creatives captivated businesses with the fruits of their imaginative efforts.

If Meta’s plan comes to fruition, companies will no longer pay full-service marketing agencies to create campaigns. Should this happen, we may witness numerous agencies shutting down, ending the careers of creative directors, photographers, videographers, and copywriters. In the coming years, there might not even be a need for agencies to negotiate and purchase TV ad spots. Agentic AI could handle such tasks directly for paying clients.

In this emerging landscape, instead of relying on real-life creatives to produce marketing campaigns, AI will take over every aspect—writing ad copy, generating eye-catching images, and even producing videos using tools like Veo3.

AI Video Makes a Strong Entry into Marketing

We are already witnessing a future where humans are less essential in creating video content. Last month, the company Kalshi made a significant cultural impact when it released a compelling marketing video entirely created by artificial intelligence under the guidance of popular YouTuber P.J. Accetturo.

As OPB.org reports: “The Kalshi ad had a high-profile debut, appearing in the YouTube TV stream of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 11. That placement and the extravagant content might suggest weeks of work by a team of agency creatives, film crews, and actors at various locations. However, Accetturo says he opted for AI tools instead, completing the ad in just two days—an ad whose tone shifts between internet memes and Grand Theft Auto vibes.”

Kalshi’s ad arrives as Hollywood increasingly embraces AI as a crucial tool to maintain relevance in the market. Surprisingly, AMC recently made headlines by collaborating with an AI startup. “Runway’s AI technology will assist AMC Networks in accessing standout scenes and generating promotional images,” according to the Los Angeles Times. “The technology will also expedite ‘pre-visualization’ during development, where studios use images to conceptualize a show’s look before filming begins.”

Will AI Render Ad Agencies Obsolete?

The Mad Men series showcases many gripping moments where advertising genius Don Draper impresses clients with his creativity. In Season 1, Episode 13 titled “The Wheel,” he redefines the Kodak slide projector as more than just a machine. “…In Greek, ‘nostalgia’ literally means ‘the pain from an old wound,’” he tells his captivated audience. “It’s a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn’t a spaceship; it’s a time machine. It goes backward, forward, taking us to a place we long to revisit again.”

Past advertising agencies were not built on code or impressions. Human talent was their primary asset. It shaped everything from late-night brainstorming sessions to campaign messaging and cinematography. The question remains, do we still need people to influence hearts and minds?

Ask Yonghao or Accetturo, and they’d likely say no. Increasingly advanced tools can now generate the same—or better—results. Not long ago, human photographers were in high demand. Today? You can submit your ad brief to Midjourney to create striking photorealistic visuals. You can even turn to Synthesia to generate a deepfake spokesperson for your commercial.

Even if full-service marketing agencies don’t follow the path of Kodak, fading away during the 5^th Industrial Revolution, we can expect them to shrink. This trend aligns with a topic I covered in 2023 for Forbes. Decades ago, crafting a successful musical album required a collaborative effort involving bands, engineers, session players, and others working together in a studio. Now? A talented artist can accomplish much—if not all—of this independently. All that’s needed is powerful computing and a WIFI connection.

What If Human Creativity Simply Evolves?

The Kalshi ad captured widespread attention—not necessarily due to its content but because of its uniqueness. Numerous articles and videos covering its debut during the NBA Finals focused on the groundbreaking nature of a completely AI-generated advertisement. Looking ahead, will people remain as amazed by AI’s capabilities—or will they return to engaging with content made by humans?

That remains uncertain.

For now, it’s safe to assume that companies investing in marketing campaigns will continue to pursue the same goals that have guided their decisions since the 1960s. They’ll seek cost reductions, which AI can certainly facilitate. At the same time, they’ll aim for deeper connections with their human audiences—something that machines may struggle to replicate.

Therefore, the future of marketing will belong to savvy individuals like Yonghao and Accetturo who eagerly adopt AI to enhance their offerings and stay competitive. This brings to mind a relevant saying that grows ever more appropriate in our age of artificial intelligence: “AI won’t take your job. The person using AI will.”

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