If you’re in the creative field, you’ve likely asked yourself at some point in the last year:

“Is AI helping or hurting creativity?”

And depending on the day, your answer may shift—between fear, fascination, or future-forward optimism.

You’re not alone. At DolFinContent’s recent virtual summit, The Creative Shift: AI x Human Ingenuity, we polled over 1,000 creatives and marketers across industries:

• 38% expressed concern about losing emotional authenticity in creative work.
• 33% were unsure how AI would impact their roles over time.
• 19% were concerned about intellectual property and AI ethics.
• Only 10% felt fully confident integrating AI into their creative process.

The conversation around AI and creativity is nuanced, so we brought in one of the most future-focused voices in the field: Eliott Wahba, CEO of DolFinContent, and a leading thinker in AI-enhanced design operations.

In this article, we dive into his perspective—and what it means for the future of creative teams.

The Role of the Creative in the AI Age

Eliott’s background bridges performance marketing, brand storytelling, and computational design. His philosophy?

"Creatives are not being replaced—they’re being redefined. AI is a tool, not a substitute."

According to Wahba, there are two paths for creatives:

1. Fight the wave and get swept up
2. Ride the wave and steer the future

For him, the choice is obvious. It’s time to embrace AI—not just as an automation tool—but as a creative partner.

A New Renaissance? Or a Reboot?

Some fear that generative tools like Midjourney, Sora, and Firefly might devalue original thinking.

But Wahba argues the opposite:

“Creative revolutions have always come from tools. The paintbrush. The camera. The digital tablet. AI is simply the next one.”

He points to what he calls the “AI polarity effect”—where one group of creatives becomes empowered by generative technology, while another group may feel displaced or devalued.

He challenges creatives to move beyond passive observation and instead experiment actively, using AI to enhance ideation, explore new formats, and push boundaries.

What’s Actually Changing?

Here’s how Wahba sees the AI impact across creative domains:

Small Businesses & Startups

• Using AI to fill in where bandwidth or budgets fall short
• Fast-turnaround assets for ads, pitch decks, and email marketing
• No-code design tools for founders without creative teams

Agencies & Freelancers

• Greater competition as AI-native talent enters the market
• Pressure to deliver faster—without sacrificing quality
• Higher demand for brand strategy and AI-human creative direction

Enterprise Brands

• Increased testing velocity across channels
• Custom image generation and language modeling
• Deeper data integration into design iterations

The Two Blades of AI Intelligence

Wahba breaks it down using a metaphor he attributes to Nobel laureate Herbert Simon:

“Creativity is like a pair of scissors—one blade is cognition, the other is context. AI finally sharpens both.”

Generative models are now capable of:

• Completion: Filling in the next word, idea, visual element
• Similarity: Searching and comparing concepts, references, brand data

This combination makes AI more adaptive than ever. It’s no longer just spitting out generic results. When prompted well, it can reflect your brand’s tone, strategy, and goals.

Will Entry-Level Creative Jobs Disappear?

Wahba doesn’t shy away from tough predictions:

“Yes, some junior roles will be replaced. But entry-level will no longer mean repetitive—it’ll mean AI-literate.”

He draws a parallel to the evolution of desktop publishing. Once upon a time, being a designer meant knowing how to cut and paste with physical tools. Then software changed everything.

“Just like you needed to learn Photoshop 10 years ago, you need to learn AI prompting today.”

He recommends emerging creatives focus on AI fluency, prompt engineering, and creative strategy—the new foundation of design.

Advice for Creatives in Transition

For anyone navigating the shift, Wahba offers 3 pillars to lean on:

1. Embrace Change—Don't Stall It

Change is hard. But stalling is harder. The industry is evolving either way.

“Staying still isn’t safe—it’s a decision to fall behind.”

2. Learn By Doing

Try tools like Leonardo.ai, DALL·E, Runway, and ChatGPT. Use them in mock projects. Rebuild your portfolio with AI collaborations.

3. Teach What You’re Learning

If you lead a team, bring them along. Host workshops. Run small AI tests inside real workflows. Make experimentation part of your culture.

What’s Next for AI x Creativity

As Wahba puts it:

“We’re at the start of the next design movement—and it’s not just visual. It’s functional, scalable, adaptive.”

In 2024 and beyond, we’ll see:

• Voice-driven design
• Hyper-personalized content at scale
• Co-creation between AI and creative directors
• Human-led storytelling enhanced by algorithmic insight

Final Thoughts: The Hand, the Mind, and the Heart

Wahba concluded his session by quoting one of his creative heroes:

“The hand, the mind and the heart working together can create extraordinary things.”

That’s the north star.

Not AI alone. Not humans alone. But both—working in tandem, with purpose, empathy, and vision.

Ready to scale your creative efforts with generative AI?

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