{"id":225720,"date":"2025-06-30T04:29:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T04:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/225720\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T04:29:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T04:29:09","slug":"even-the-most-casual-ai-observers-note-trends-are-already-visible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/225720\/","title":{"rendered":"Even the most casual AI observers note trends are already visible"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was first published by WorkLife sibling Digiday<\/a><\/p>\n

The latest round of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected next week (July 3), with more recent statistics indicating the upcoming numbers are unlikely to cause much positivity in the space, as the wider marketing industry goes through a period of unparalleled disruption.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BLS numbers<\/a>\u00a0for May 2025 indicate the total number of jobs in the advertising, PR, and related services numbered 488,600, representing a monthly decrease of 2,100 roles compared to the previous month and (more alarmingly) a 9.9% decrease compared to 12 months beforehand.<\/p>\n

For some, this marked drop, which represents 54,000 job losses in the last year, represents the necessary pain brought on by the disruption wrought by generative, or agentic, AI, with such optimists likely to point to BLS projects which forecast that employment in the sector will grow by 8% from 2023 to 2033, outpacing the 4% average across all occupations. Still, that\u2019s not to say all, and to keep the champagne and ros\u00e9 flowing, Cannes-style.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, the same\u00a0BLS analysis<\/a>\u00a0states that roles such as advertising sales agents face downward pressure, primarily due to automated ad buying tools, i.e., agentic platforms, that streamline media planning and executions. Additionally, it forecasts growth in the number of managerial roles and a decline in transactional positions, such as ad operations or account strategists.<\/p>\n

However, even the most casual of industry observers note how such trends are already visible on Madison Avenue, with the extensive\u00a0layoffs at WPO Media<\/a>, which are estimated to impact 45% of roles, expected to be\u00a0echoed elsewhere<\/a>, especially should the proposed merger between Interpublic Group and Omnicom receive the green light.<\/p>\n

\n \u201cLearn all the tools, get familiar with ChatGPT, get familiar with Claude\u2026 learn how those tools can interoperate and make you an AI-operator, because then that will give you a career path for the next decade.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

\n Anthony Katsur, <\/p>\n

\n CEO of IAB Tech Lab <\/p>\n

While AI adoption is gradual and uneven across job types, it often augments rather than replaces roles outright. According to BLS analysts, roles involving strategic oversight and complex storytelling, such as brand positioning, will continue to require human judgment, with several indicating that client-facing roles will remain crucial to such workforces during this era.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Employers \u2014 especially in Big Tech \u2014 now prioritize hybrid skill profiles blending AI strategy, data literacy, and client management. Meanwhile, agencies are reportedly realigning training and roles accordingly (e.g., AI ethicists, data strategists, AI\u2011tool integrators), matching labor market shifts toward managerial and technical media roles, according to sources.<\/p>\n

Roles at risk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brian O\u2019Kelley, CEO of Scope3 \u2014\u00a0a company that launched its \u201cagentic platform\u201d earlier this year \u2014\u00a0told Digiday that it\u2019s important to make sure there is a \u201chuman in the loop of the calibration model\u201d to maintain clients\u2019 confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs of today, AI can\u2019t play golf,\u201d he quipped, adding that, \u201cthe most important skill is working with people to help them understand what they\u2019re trying to do, like figuring out what those objectives\u00a0really are and refining it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He goes on to note, \u201cIf you\u2019re doing things that can be ticketed [such as managing campaign management],\u201d that\u2019s risky. So if I can send you a ticket that says red line this contract, like, how do I know if a human or an AI is redlining that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Matt Barash, chief commercial officer at Nova, further emphasizes the importance of client-facing roles and the need for human oversight in AI-driven processes, building on O\u2019Kelley\u2019s observations. For example, this points to the overall shift toward media agency holding companies adopting a centralized service model, which reduces the need for duplicated roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that the safest role within the holding company today is if you\u2019re client-facing, the relationship matters now more than ever,\u201d he says, noting how brand-side marketers often deem the right personnel in such roles as crucial to their partnerships. \u201cClient leads will not be replaced. If you\u2019re client-facing, you know, you\u2019re in a pretty good place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Future-proofing your career<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several sources advised professionals in campaign management (either planning or execution) to familiarize themselves with AI tools and consider self-teaching or entrepreneurial opportunities, with some noting how generative AI will impact the consulting landscape.<\/p>\n

Anthony Katsur, CEO of IAB Tech Lab, observes that the current stage of AI development is \u201cvery much point-and-shoot,\u201d adding that the emergence of agentic AI is the most likely to impact the job market, given its more purpose-driven nature. He further observes that \u201ca lot of people are not prepared\u201c for the oncoming disruption it will have on the job market, both in terms of the number of roles and the impact on remuneration levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgentic AI is: \u2018I need you to achieve XYZ-KPI\u2019 on this advertising campaign,\u201d he says, adding that such platforms are more goal-oriented compared to more task-driven platforms. \u201cThat\u2019s where agentic AI can really come into play in terms of media buying and optimization, or combating fraud, they\u2019ll be able to spot patterns in the supply chain.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think anyone, whether you\u2019re in the digital advertising industry or other industries that could be impacted [by AI], the best thing you could do is get educated,\u201d advises Katsur. \u201cLearn all the tools, get familiar with ChatGPT, get familiar with Claude\u2026 learn how those tools can interoperate and make you an AI-operator, because then that will give you a career path for the next decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \u201cMost of the companies that approach us just want to get the use of AI established and embedded in the company, just to make sure people are on board with it.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

\n Helena McAleer, <\/p>\n

\n co-found the\u00a0Gen AI Academy\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Awareness of this need is what drove Helena McAleer, formerly a marketer, and Dave Birrs, formerly a campaign creative, to co-found the\u00a0Gen AI Academy<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year. Both observed that many organizations are still at the basic level of understanding AI and require introductory training.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Currently, the outfit offers courses catered toward enterprises, smaller teams within such outfits, as well as individuals, with the pair noting how much \u201chandholding\u201d is required at present, as many need help \u201cdistinguishing genuine AI solutions from outsourced, or overhyped ones.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pair cite statistics from clients noting how, on average, about 7% of company employees are very early adopters of AI, i.e., they\u2019re already using tools to make their jobs easier whether their employers have mandated it or not, with \u201c11% of employees are wired to resist.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

McAleer, adds, \u201cMost of the companies that approach us just want to get the use of AI established and embedded in the company, just to make sure people are on board with it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This article was first published by WorkLife sibling Digiday The latest round of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":225721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3092],"tags":[51,897,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-225720","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-jobs","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114770435487200139","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}