The underbelly revolution

In this grand transition, many see AI in advertising as a generator of pretty pictures. But let’s face it, they are looking down the wrong end of the telescope.

Why do they think this? Because most ‘creative’ work done by AI is underwhelming, due to the homogenising nature of LLMs. And, because the real revolution is happening in the agency’s “underbelly.”

In my mind, the integration of AI tools is not just about competing with global giants, but about leapfrogging legacy systems to build a more inclusive and efficient digital economy. Our focus is on automating the “grunt work”: research, data sorting and briefing that used to take weeks.

Using AI at Brave, in consultation with our customer brands, we slash campaign development time by up to 70%. This isn’t about replacing people; it’s about removing the artificial time barriers that keep our best minds buried in spreadsheets.

However, this reliance on AI in the background requires a new level of governance. The ‘Shadow AI’ epidemic, where teams use unapproved tools such as ChatGPT or Claude, poses a significant risk to data privacy and POPIA compliance.

For agencies, the big challenge is to move from a world of ‘attention’ (trying to shout the loudest) to one of ‘intention’, where AI agents act as collaborators or coworkers to orchestrate more meaningful connections.

The cholesterol problem

Think of the creative body like the human body. Used well, AI is like good cholesterol — it keeps the system running efficiently, clears the blockages, and frees up the vital organs (your best creative minds) to do what they do best.

But AI ‘slop’? That’s the bad cholesterol. And like bad cholesterol, it’s insidious. It builds quietly, clogging the arteries of your brand’s communication until, one day, the whole thing seizes.

Generic, algorithmically produced work that lacks an emotional pulse is on the rise. It’s basically a result of supply and demand. An LLM can churn out a month’s worth of LinkedIn posts to help you ‘flood the zone’, but ultimately it’s a failing strategy, a high-fat diet that feels satisfying in the moment but does long-term damage to your brand’s heart.

Why? Because local audiences are finely attuned to authenticity. They can smell a robotic message from a mile away. If we use AI to create content that lacks our local rhythm, our humour, and our soul, we aren’t innovating. We are just polluting the creative bloodstream with what Gartner now calls ‘workslop’.

A global model doesn’t understand the nuance of a vernacular punchline or the heritage behind a Mzansi name, let alone our rich and storied multicultural heritage. And just as a cardiologist will tell you that a clogged artery doesn’t announce itself until the damage is done, brands flooding their channels with slop won’t feel the creative heart attack coming – until audiences have already tuned out for good. In a world of automated noise, work that is unmistakably local becomes our most valuable currency.

The ‘magic human dust’

The true power of what we call Artificial General Marketing Intelligence (AGMI) lies in the partnership. AI handles the data; humans provide the “Magic Human Dust.”

This dust is our empathy, our ethics, and our ability to think abstractly, call it Real Intelligence (RI), if you like. It is, if you will, the body’s immune system: the thing that knows the difference between what nourishes and what harms. While AI can suggest a concept based on data, only a human can craft a story that resonates on a visceral level. Only the human brain is capable of “out-of-the-box” thinking, empathy, and ethical judgment.

To this end, we must practice ‘dexterous leadership’, which is all about balancing the cold efficiency of the machine with the beautiful messiness of human creativity. Think of it as a disciplined creative diet: AI for the heavy lifting, human intelligence to keep the creative body lean, sharp, and alive.

We have reached a point where high-volume automated content is no longer a differentiator. The competitive advantage has shifted back to the things machines cannot do: cultural fluency and creative risk-taking.

Orchestrating the African moonshot

AI could yet be our strategic moonshot – the vehicle that allows us to leapfrog a century of development and build a digital economy that truly reflects our potential.

But a moonshot requires a pilot. Let the machines handle the flight paths, the data, and the execution – but the destination must be human-led. We are the architects of a new ‘African Intelligence’, one built for our context, trained in our cultures, and guided by our values.

The sophistication of our bots will not define the next decade of South African advertising. The bravery of our “Real Intelligence” will. The question is not whether we use AI. The question is whether we have the discipline to keep the creative body healthy, choosing the good cholesterol over the bad, and to know the difference before the damage is done.

We have the hammer. Now, let’s make sure we have the brains and the heart to use it.

Let’s practice dexterous leadership.

About Musa Kalenga: A technologist, marketer, brand communicator, and entrepreneur, Kalenga is the author of Ladders and Trampolines. He is the Group CEO and a shareholder of Brave Group, and a co-founder of Bridge Labs. A member of the DukeCE faculty, Kalenga teaches about digital transformation, business growth, women in leadership, and allyship. An accomplished author, Kalenga uses his writing to share transformative insights and inspire action. His first book, Ladders and Trampolines, explores the “Trampoline Mentality,” a bold approach to achieving exponential growth. In The Brave Code, Kalenga shares his journey with Brave Group, offering a blueprint for African innovation by merging creativity and technology. His upcoming work, Do it Blind – Optimism in the Age of AI, envisions a future where AI enhances human potential, encouraging readers to embrace technological change with positivity and purpose.