David Droga doesn’t mince words: “Not all creativity is worth preserving.” He argues that much of what gets labeled as “creative” — in advertising, architecture, journalism — is often formulaic and driven by research, not inspiration. AI may eliminate some of this “mediocre middle,” and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Rather than seeing AI as a threat, Droga sees it as a filter and accelerator, a way to industrialize imagination while amplifying truly original voices.

AI can mimic patterns. It can generate “pretty good” content. But it can’t feel. And in creative work, from advertising to filmmaking, taste still matters. In a world where everyone uses the same AI tools, taste becomes the critical differentiator.

Creativity in the AI era will rely less on executing tasks and more on infusing work with feeling, context, and taste.

While AI brings speed and cost benefits, there’s concern it may flatten originality. But Droga argues that this is a false dichotomy: the best creatives will use AI to go further, faster, not just to cut corners. In other words, AI won’t kill originality unless we let it. Used thoughtfully, it can clear the clutter so better ideas can rise.

Droga is clear: agencies that only do traditional creative work risk irrelevance. Today’s clients need unified customer experiences that blend storytelling, data, commerce, and tech. That’s why Droga sold his own agency to Accenture — to integrate brand, data, and product design in one place. The agency of the future is not just a creative studio. It’s a product, data, and brand team rolled into one.

Internally, agencies are already seeing AI reshape day-to-day work. Tedious tasks like storyboarding, translation, and asset versioning are increasingly automated. This frees creatives to spend more time exploring, iterating, and pushing ideas.

Droga emphasizes that this shift is not about replacing people, but about changing the conversations in the room — with technologists and data scientists now essential partners in the creative process.

In closing, Droga offers advice for creatives starting their careers today: don’t cling to the past. The format, the workflow, even the business model may be changing. But the role of creativity, asking better questions, making emotional connections, is more vital than ever.

This episode originally aired on the Where AI Works podcast. For the latest episodes and updates on Creative Intelligence, be sure to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.