Abstract:

As generative AI becomes more established as a valuable collaborative tool in the advertising industry, creative education faces the challenge of effectively integrating AI application into design and copywriting qualifications. However, the solution-based focus of these tools might result in the potential bypassing of foundational creative processes. These processes are considered essential to the development of conceptual communication in advertising that builds meaningful emotional connections with consumers and elicits appropriate audience responses. Creative students utilising AI tools without experience in the early stages of their learning might be at risk of missing the critical thinking associated with each stage in the creative process.

This paper aims to explore human-AI collaboration in the context of creative advertising education. The objective is to critically revisit the literature on the classic four-stage creative process, and evolutions of this model. The unique characteristics of advertising creativity present an opportunity for a more specific area of focus not yet covered in the research. Unlike general creative thinking, advertising problem-solving always aims to achieve a practical outcome, balancing innovative thought with strategic appropriateness. This review works towards a specialist model of intentional human-AI collaboration in creative advertising processes, maximising the unique nuances of human insight with the efficiency of technology. An integrated literature review is used as a research design methodology to synthesise existing research and identify potential themes for a new framework.

In the context of rapid developments in technology, this exploratory study considers the implications of growing AI competencies on creative education and provides a foundation for further research in academic curricula design and teaching strategy. Additional studies might investigate the shifting practices of AI collaboration among creative industry practitioners. This study contributes to the preparation of future-ready graduates in fast-evolving creative industries.

Keywords:

Creative processes, advertising education, generative artificial intelligence, human-AI collaboration.