AI will power much of media and marketing in 2025, creating both opportunity and risk. The winners will be those who embrace depth and humanity to stand apart from a sea of automated sameness.
After more than 25 years in media and marketing, 10 years educating teens on digital literacy, and several years immersed in AI development, I see patterns that keep resurfacing: patterns of innovation misunderstood and mishandled.
Each technological leap presents dazzling potential. Yet, collectively we often rush headfirst without heeding history’s lessons.
Social media is a case in point: it promised connection and creativity, only to overwhelm users with addictive algorithms designed to maximise engagement.
Many young people paid the price in mental health, attention spans, and identity formation. And now, AI is the next disruptor on the horizon – poised to touch every aspect of media in 2025.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang captured it well at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show: “AI agents are the new digital workforce.” These AI tools will transform how we create, distribute, and consume media.
The question is: are we ready to harness this responsibly, or will we lose originality, depth, and humanity in the process?
The brands and agencies that succeed in this AI-dominated future won’t just be early adopters of new tools; they will be those who build AI systems that enhance creativity, not replace it.
They will be those who choose to create deeper, richer content that resonates rather than drowns in the noise of algorithmic optimisation.
Collaborator – or creativity killer?
This year AI will be woven into media at every level. We’re not just talking automated ad targeting or dynamic website personalisation. AI agents – digital systems capable of ideating, scripting, and distributing content – are already taking on responsibilities once reserved for human teams.
They write headlines, generate images, even analyse audience data to optimise campaigns in real-time. This is happening in marketing, media and content-generating sectors across the globe.
However, automation at scale breeds an obvious risk: creative stagnation. AI thrives on patterns and probabilities; without clear direction, it will fall into repetitive cycles that maximise clicks – but fail to inspire.
Consider the current flood of lookalike videos and recycled content on social platforms today – now imagine that multiplied by every media platform that integrates AI to cut costs.
We cannot afford to let technology drive content creation without human input at the helm. At Humaine, we advocate for media businesses to treat AI as a thought partner, not a creative overlord.
AI is immensely powerful at surfacing insights, testing new ideas, and scaling production – but humans must define the creative boundaries and final message.
The brands that prioritise training their teams to work alongside AI – leveraging its speed without sacrificing innovation – will lead this next chapter of media.
Lessons from social media
For a glimpse of what could go wrong with AI in media, we need only reflect on the last decade of life with social media. In my work with MySociaLife, an award-winning digital literacy programme, I saw how algorithms designed purely to drive engagement distorted reality for young users. Viral content became king – encouraging sensationalism, half-truths and superficial interactions.
Governments and social platforms alike were unprepared for the consequences. Critical thinking declined, anxiety skyrocketed, and many young users began questioning their very sense of self-worth. Without ethic guardrails, AI-driven media runs a similar risk of pushing engagement-driven content to its limits. This is why education and training – for both creators and audiences – will be crucial moving forward.
Consumers need to be able to discern credible, meaningful content from AI-generated filler, and creators need to learn how to retain control over their narratives.
Immersive storytelling: the competitive advantage
As consumers grow wary of surveillance-based advertising, immersive experiences are proving a competitive edge in media. Traditional banner ads and autoplay videos are losing effectiveness as users demand richer, more engaging content.
AI plays a pivotal role here, offering tools that can dynamically customise stories based on user interaction and preferences.
Take live interactive broadcasts, augmented reality events, and personalised story experiences. AI can seamlessly adjust a narrative’s flow in real-time, creating a sense of presence and emotional connection.
However, these experiences will only work if authenticity is prioritised over technological gimmickry. The most immersive content in 2025 will still hinge on universal storytelling elements – empathy, humour and relatability – guided by human insight.
Brands that get this right will see stronger loyalty and long-term trust from their audiences, even as AI accelerates the pace of media production.
Navigating AI-Driven search, safely
Another pressing challenge for media companies is how AI will reshape search engines. AI-powered interfaces, such as chatbots and voice assistants, are increasingly providing users with summarised ‘story-like’ responses rather than linking them to original publishers. This threatens to further erode traffic and revenue for news and media organisations already under pressure from economic headwinds.
News media leaders are now fighting for AI royalties – legal frameworks that ensure compensation when AI systems summarise or distribute their intellectual property. But many are also taking proactive measures, investing in proprietary platforms where they can maintain direct relationships with their audiences. This includes apps, subscription services, and community-driven CMS systems and platforms designed to reduce reliance on external algorithms altogether.
Collaboration between stakeholders – journalists, publishers, AI developers, and regulators – will be key to defining ethical AI practices that respect creative ownership. At Humaine, we actively contribute to these discussions, working to craft standards that protect intellectual property while fostering innovation.
Fighting for quality and depth
As AI-generated content floods every corner of the internet, audiences are beginning to crave depth and authenticity. People are tired of shallow clickbait and repetitive trends. The news and media brands that rise above this noise will be those that double down on long-form content, investigative reporting, and human-centred stories.
Fortunately, AI can support these efforts. Advanced models can help journalists uncover patterns in complex data sets, generate contextual timelines for breaking news, and even assist in multilingual reporting. But these tools must be directed by experienced creators who understand how to strike a balance between automation and craftsmanship.
This return to depth will become a powerful differentiator for any media organisation aiming to build long-term relevance.
Embracing AI while staying human
The next frontier of media will be defined by those who harness AI responsibly and creatively. History has shown that every major shift in technology presents both opportunity and peril. We’ve seen it with social media. We’re seeing it now with AI.
The question is whether we’ll finally learn from the patterns that have played out before. Those who strike the right balance – leveraging AI for innovation while preserving human creativity and depth – will shape the future of media. They will not only stand apart from the noise but set new standards for trust, authenticity, and connection.
This is the vision we’re working to realise every day: a media landscape where technology enhances, rather than erases, the human experience.
Dean McCoubrey is the founder of MediaWeb Group, Humaine and MySociaLife. A globally recognised thought leader in media, AI human-centricity and social media literacy, McCoubrey has over 25 years of experience advising on media strategy, creativity, and human-centric technology. His work spans journalism, marketing and education across multiple continents. Learn more at MediaWeb Group, Humaine, and MySociaLife.
