No brainer: Creatives turn to AI to save hours in ideation

Fears that AI tools will put creatives out of work appear to be wide of the mark, with nearly half admitting they save five or more hours a week using the technology and one in five save over ten hours, reducing stress and the fear of burnout for many – but not for everyone.

As debate rages over the cock-ups in Coca-Cola’s AI-generated Christmas ad, according to Magic Hour’s AI & Creativity Survey over a quarter of creatives say half or more of their “deliverables” are now AI-assisted, and 38% report that AI-enhanced assets outperform human-only ones on key KPIs.

The findings show that brainstorming is where AI earns its keep. Instead of staring at a blank page, teams generate ideas in minutes and move on to shaping the best ones. Some teams even prototype digital human presenters during concepting to preview tone and delivery.

Briefs turn into structured outlines and workable drafts, while competitive scans and source notes come pre-summarised, shifting time from hunting links to shaping voice, narrative, and sequencing. This is especially critical for freelancers and solo creatives who do not have extra hands on deck – half rank first-draft generation as their biggest AI time-saver, the report shows.

Accessibility is another area in which creatives are benefiting from the technology, especially for visual designers who cited it as their top time saver (43%).

Modern tools auto-generate subtitles and alt text, produce captions and transcripts, flag colour-contrast issues, and batch fixes across large asset sets, which means campaigns are able to be created faster and stay compliant without burning designer hours on repetitive clean-up.

However, creative teams are not using AI to do less work – they are using it to go deeper. Across every role in the survey, the number one way people spend the hours they save is deeper exploration of in-progress projects, with 32% of creatives citing it as their top reinvestment.

In practice, that means more time trying alternate headlines and hooks, testing a few visual directions before committing, or reviewing extra cuts to tighten pacing and story. AI clears the early busywork so teams can spend more time improving what will actually ship.

Stress is easing for many creatives who are using AI, but the relief is not universal. While 48% report less burnout, 25% say it has increased.

The report says that while this seems contradictory, the split makes sense. AI removes a lot of early-stage grind (research, first passes, accessibility), but some teams may feel pressure to do more with the time they gain, juggle more variants/channels, or climb a learning curve – all of which can push stress up if expectations do not adjust. Research highlights that new tech can increase workload and reduce well-being when poorly rolled out or paired with surveillance.

Some groups feel the relief more than others. Creatives in writing and content roles show the strongest decline in stress (68%), while stress is also down for visual design (44%), video/photography (46%), strategy and leadership (46%), and multi-disciplinary roles (43%).

However, creatives working for production studios are mixed: 38% reported less stress with AI, while 31% felt more stress. This likely reflects heavier, deadline-driven production schedules.

Magic Hour co-founder and CEO Runbo Li said: “AI isn’t a someday tool – it’s here, and teams are already putting it to work. A huge majority of marketers (90%) are using generative AI at work, and 71% use it weekly or more. The takeaway is simple: Formalise where AI fits best in your process, and you’ll move faster with fewer dead ends.”