AI Takes Over Cannes Lions 2024 – And No One Saw It Coming
Let’s be real—Cannes Lions has always been that over-the-top, sun-drenched circus where ad folks go to show off (and maybe sneak in some rosé between meetings). But this year? Man, AI just barged in and took over the whole party. And the funny thing? Most of the big-shot executives seemed genuinely shocked by how much it changed the game.
From “Oh God, AI Will Steal Our Jobs” to “Hey, This Thing’s Actually Useful”
Remember like two years ago when everyone in advertising was freaking out about AI? Like it was some boogeyman coming to replace all the creative people? Yeah, me too. But here’s the thing—at Cannes this year, that fear turned into something way more interesting. Suddenly it’s all “augmented creativity” this and “AI co-pilot” that. The vibe shifted so fast it gave me whiplash.
And get this—the most talked-about campaigns weren’t hiding their AI use like some dirty secret. They were flaunting it. Like that soda brand that used AI to spit out thousands of hyper-localized ads in like five minutes. Crazy, right?
What Actually Mattered at Cannes This Year
AI That Actually Creates Stuff (And Doesn’t Suck)
Okay, so ChatGPT and MidJourney aren’t just for messing around anymore. Agencies are using them for real work now—writing scripts, making visuals, even creating fake brand ambassadors. And some of it? Actually good. Like, award-winning good.
Ads That Change While You’re Looking At Them
This one blew my mind. Some luxury brand had billboards that changed based on real-time weather and Twitter trends. Like, what? That used to take weeks of human work. Now it happens automatically. Kinda scary, kinda amazing.
The “Wait, Is This Ethical?” Conversations Finally Happening
Thank God people started talking about the dark side too. There was this one panel about deepfakes that got seriously heated. And the IPA dropped new guidelines—basically saying “hey brands, if you’re using AI, you better be upfront about it.” About damn time.
The Surprises No One Predicted
AI Didn’t Kill Creativity—It Became the Ultimate Wingman
Here’s the plot twist nobody expected: AI isn’t replacing creatives, it’s making them better. One agency showed how they used AI to test like 500 logo variations overnight—which meant their human team could focus on the big ideas. As this one creative director put it: “It’s like having an intern who’s actually useful for once.”
Small Agencies Beating the Giants at Their Own Game
This was my favorite part. Tiny shops with like ten people were winning awards by using cheap AI tools to move faster than the big guys. One founder told me: “We can now pivot faster than Twitter trends.” And you know what? He wasn’t wrong.
So What’s Next After the Hangover Wears Off?
Look, if 2024 was AI’s coming-out party at Cannes, next year’s gonna be its victory lap. We’ll see more live AI pitches, probably some blockchain nonsense thrown in, and—let’s be honest—a bunch of agencies getting called out for fake “AI-powered” campaigns that are just smoke and mirrors.
But here’s the real takeaway: The winners won’t be the ones scared of AI or the ones blindly worshipping it. They’ll be the folks who figure out how to use it as a tool while keeping actual human creativity at the center. Because at the end of the day, even the smartest algorithm can’t replace that spark of genius—it can just help fan the flames.
As the last yachts sail away and everyone nurses their sunburns, one question’s stuck in my head: If AI can take over Cannes this fast, what’s next on its hit list?
Source: WSJ – US Business