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 in the arrogant sense, but ego as conviction. Individuality. Instinct. The kind of creative confidence that drives bold, human ideas in an age of machine-made sameness.
Geoff explores how the culture of convenience is flattening creative ambition. When everyone’s leaning on the same tools and trends, originality gets lost in the noise. What emerges is what he calls “soulless soup”—content that may tick boxes, but lacks any real soul or story.
But the answer, he suggests, isn’t to turn away from tools like AI. It’s to stay rooted in what makes creative work truly valuable: the people behind it. Original thinking, human insight, creative risk. These can’t be replicated, no matter how sophisticated the tech becomes.
From behind-the-scenes craftsmanship in high-end TV production to ads proudly declaring they were shot entirely in-camera, Geoff points to a renewed appreciation for work that shows its human fingerprints. Because in a world chasing shortcuts, showing the long road - effort, process, care - has become a creative differentiator.
AI can absolutely be part of the creative process. But embracing ego doesn’t mean abandoning collaboration—it’s a reminder to preserve the human essence that makes creative work unique. At its best, creativity is care and courage combined.
Read the full article here.
