Artificial intelligence is transforming the world of advertising, changing how brands communicate, how people search for information, and how companies reach their customers. But as technology becomes more powerful, one important question emerges: will AI replace human creativity, or will it help us create better advertising?
This was one of the main topics discussed during the AdTech & MarTech IAB Summit in Milan, which we attended on the second day of Intersection. The event brought together industry experts, including Neil Patel, digital marketing expert, Daniel, Chief Economist of IAB Europe, and Constantine Camaras, Chairman of IAB Europe, who shared their views on the future of advertising and artificial intelligence.
One of the most interesting discussions came from Neil Patel, who explained how AI is changing the way people search for products and information. Traditional search engines are slowly being joined by AI assistants and intelligent agents that can compare products, analyze reviews, and recommend the best options to users.
This means that brands need to focus not only on traditional SEO, but also on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), making sure their products and content can be found and recommended by AI systems. According to Patel, a strong reputation, positive reviews, and high-quality products are becoming more important than ever. Advertising can attract customers, but it cannot make a bad product successful.
Patel also highlighted how AI can improve marketing productivity. Instead of using technology simply to save time, professionals should use it to create better content, test more ideas, and develop stronger strategies. The goal is not to produce more content, but to produce content that offers real value.
During another discussion, Daniel and Constantine Camaras explored five predictions about advertising in 2030. They debated whether OpenAI could become a major advertising competitor to Google and Meta, whether retail media could overtake traditional television, and whether AI agents could eventually replace programmatic advertising.
While Daniel believed that AI could bring major changes to existing advertising systems and jobs, Constantine suggested that the transformation would be more gradual. He emphasized that traditional media, existing technologies, and human expertise would continue to play an important role.
The speakers also discussed the future of publishers and advertising agencies. As AI makes content easier and cheaper to produce, originality, trust, and creativity will become even more valuable. Professionals will need to develop stronger skills and learn how to work with new technologies.
One of the most important messages came from Neil Patel’s idea of HAI (Human + AI). According to this approach, the best results come from combining human creativity and strategic thinking with the speed and efficiency of artificial intelligence.
The AdTech & MarTech IAB Summit showed that the future of advertising is not just about automation. It is about finding the right balance between technology and human intelligence.
AI will change how advertising works, but creativity, authenticity, and human connections will remain at the heart of successful marketing.
Not a future where AI replaces people, but one where people and technology work together to create better communication.
Written by Giulia Titu and Eleonora Perico
