The IPA has unveiled a new free platform designed to help agencies navigate the fast-moving and increasingly complex world of generative AI and practical AI deployment, with president Karen Martin insisting that “the strongest work comes when human imagination and technology move forward together”.
“IPAi Forum” is designed to cut through the AI hype to provide grounded, real-world insight into where AI is adding genuine value, how agencies are deploying it today and what pitfalls to avoid.
It also explores what comes next. Alongside this, the Forum aims to support agencies in building the skills and capabilities the industry needs, with practical guidance on training, legal and regulatory considerations, and answers to the questions people don’t always feel comfortable asking about AI.
The Forum builds on foundations laid in 2018, when then IPA president Sarah Golding urged the industry to embrace “the magic and the machines”, well before GenAI entered the mainstream. That call for curiosity, experimentation and confidence in working with emerging technologies is central to its ethos.
As AI evolves, reshaping how agencies work, create and compete, the Forum is also designed to hold two truths at once: that technology is often over-estimated in the short term and under-estimated in the long term; “Amara’s Law” in action.
Karen Martin, whose presidency has been driven by her call to arms to put creativity at the heart of the advertising and marketing industry, said: “AI has injected fresh energy into our industry, accelerating experimentation, expanding creative ambition and unlocking new possibilities.
The BBH London CEO added: “At its most powerful, it acts as a partner to human creativity, amplifying our judgement, care and perspective. I truly believe that the strongest work comes when human imagination and technology move forward together.”
IPA director general Paul Bainsfair added: “IPAi Forum is based on the maxim that all of us are smarter than any one of us. By sharing the many different ways our industry is already using AI, we hope to provide something valuable for everyone, whatever stage they are at on their AI journey.”
Issue 1 of IPAi Forum, ‘AI as a creative collaborator – From hype to hands-on’, is out now>
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