‘Creativity isn’t dead, it’s evolving’: Saatchi & Saatchi CCO on AI and the future of storytelling

The role of AI in advertising may still spark fear in some corners of the creative industry, but for Mandie van der Merwe, chief creative officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, it’s a source of optimism, not dread.

Speaking on stage with Stefanie Digianvincenzo, creative strategist at Meta, at Meta Fest in Sydney this week, van der Merwe delivered a refreshingly clear-eyed take on what AI means for agencies, creatives and clients. “Publicis Groupe believes AI is just going to become more and more central to everything that we do,” she said. “But it will never replace creative minds.”

Instead, she sees AI as a tool to remove friction, freeing up more time for humans to think, reflect and focus on the big idea.

“I’m an AI optimist through and through. I’m excited for the future because it allows me more time to do what I enjoy doing - understanding humans, finding insights, spending time with ideas.”

Digianvincenzo echoed the point: “You just can't take a human out of the process. I do think that the future is going to be human plus machine.”

Publicis’s CoreAI strategy

At a group level, Publicis is going all-in on AI, consolidating its data under a single architecture dubbed CoreAI - a proprietary platform designed to support the group’s agencies with deeper insights, speed and scale.

Van der Merwe said CoreAI’s strength lies in its human-centred foundation. “It’s not just about efficiency. It’s about amplifying our creative excellence. We’re not replacing creative - we’re making it better.”

To embed AI throughout the agency, Publicis Groupe has launched an internal training platform, PL.AI, that allows staff to learn and experiment at their own pace, in a secure environment. “Training modules are hard enough to get people to do,” she said, “but this creates consistency and upskills our teams in ways that are job-relevant.”

The soul of brands is still human

While AI promises faster turnaround times and deeper automation in areas like production, van der Merwe warns against reducing creativity to "resizing and repurposing."

“Look, AI won't kill creativity. I keep on saying this to everyone. Creativity is a choice, just like I chose to put on these shoes today, you can choose to embed creativity in everything that you do to avoid going to the dystopia of a brand that doesn't have a soul or a voice.”

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“I think we're going to be fine as creatives and creatives, but I do think AI will kill slow and bloated ways of working and anyone that knows me, knows I like to get things done, so bring on that future.”

Her broader warning? Without creativity at the core, brands risk drifting into sameness. “Generic, soulless content. Tone-deaf executions. Creative that lacks a brand’s voice. If everyone has the same tech stack and everyone’s using the same tools, what makes you different?”

Her answer? Creativity. “We have to choose creativity. Because that’s what gives brands an emotional advantage.”

Creativity in the AI age

Asked whether AI would tip the balance toward in-house studios, van der Merwe was pragmatic. “In-house teams have the speed, the knowledge, the proximity to the brand. Agencies bring edge. AI just becomes the third partner — and together, we can create better, faster, more tailored work.”

She also believes AI will kill “bloated, slow processes” and force a rethink of where value lies. “The power will shift from who makes the most, to who makes it matter most.”

For van der Merwe, the next generation of brand guidelines won’t just cover tone and colours, they will be built with AI in mind. “Brands will design for AI from the start, from strategy to storytelling. They’ll need agencies more, not less, to shape that.”

Her prediction for the year ahead? A creative arms race with AI fuelling, not replacing, the big idea.

“We’ll use AI for scale. Creativity will bring the soul. Together, we’ll co-author brand stories. That’s not just the future of storytelling. It’s the future of brand-building and I can’t wait to see it.”