In a world where AI can generate content in seconds and imitation floods every feed, creative originality is under threat. In his recent piece for Creativepool, Geoff Chang, our Creative Lead, argues that what creativity needs most right now isn’t more automation - it’s more ego.
Not ego as in arrogance, but ego as in “a sense of self.” As Geoff puts it, ego is “the confidence to say something real, something true, something human.” It’s individuality, instinct, and creative conviction—traits that are being quietly pushed aside by a culture of convenience and conformity.
Geoff explores how relying too heavily on templates, tools, and trends is flattening creative ambition. “In a world of Midjourney, ChatGPT, stock everything, and Canva-made-something,” he writes, “our creative culture is becoming soup. Homogenised, reconstituted, algorithm-approved soup.” This “soulless soup” might be efficient, but it lacks distinction. It’s content that ticks boxes but fails to stir the soul.
But Geoff isn’t anti-AI. In fact, he makes it clear that the problem isn’t the tools - it’s how we use them. “It’s not about rejecting technology,” he says. “It’s about rejecting the idea that creativity is just another productivity hack.” What matters most is the human behind the idea. Original thinking. Personal insight. Creative risk. These are the things machines can’t mimic, no matter how advanced they become.
He points to a growing trend of work that wears its human fingerprints proudly. From hand-built commercials to campaigns shot entirely in-camera, Geoff sees a renewed hunger for craft- “work that shows care, shows process, shows effort.” In an age obsessed with speed and scale, choosing the long road has become a radical act.
It’s a call to bring back a deeper kind of ego - not one that shouts the loudest, but one rooted in sincerity, originality, and belief. It’s the kind that says: this is me, this is my take, this is what I believe. At its best, creativity is still care and courage combined.
Read the full article here.
