The Era of AI Creativity, Questioning Human Originality Again…

Art Director Minjeong Seo’s Special Lecture Successfully Concluded

On Tuesday, November 4, a special lecture by Art Director Minjeong Seo was held as part of the “Entrepreneurship Academy Lecture on Demand,” hosted by the Startup Research Institute of Korea University Business School. The lecture, titled “Advertising Creativity and YouTube and Social Media Content,” explored how artificial intelligence is transforming the commercial creative industry and what creativity means in this era. 

Art Director Seo studied Visual Arts at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York and began her career as an art director after joining Innocean through open recruitment. She later worked at HS Ad and SM C&C, followed by a role as an associate manager at a global OTT service company. She is currently active as a freelance AI Creative Director. Her notable works include the Korea Tourism Organization’s “Feel the Rhythm of Korea” campaign.

The Essence and Evolution of Advertising 

The first chapter explored the question, “What is advertising?” Seo explained that the Chinese characters that form the word for “advertising”—‘broad’ (廣) and ‘inform’ (告)—refer to the act of widely informing the public. She emphasized that “advertising is not merely showing something but the art of persuasion, a form of marketing communication that embeds a brand in consumers’ minds, and a field of commercial art.” 

She highlighted Apple as an example, noting that rather than offering technical explanations, the company centers its messaging on “What can you create with this device?” to communicate brand value through emotional persuasion. She added that “even before the emergence of AI, the advertising industry had already been undergoing rapid change.” 

Traditional advertising agencies once generated revenue from production margins and media commissions. However, as digital transformation accelerated and a YouTube- and social media–centered ecosystem emerged, this revenue structure collapsed. Data-driven performance marketing rose to prominence, shifting the focus toward highly stimulating, instantly consumable content and placing greater emphasis on short-term results over brand storytelling.

The Emergence of Generative AI and Industry Transformation 

Amid this shift, the rise of generative AI has brought yet another major transformation to the advertising industry. As AI makes it possible for anyone to easily produce advertisements, creative production is no longer the exclusive domain of agencies. 

Seo presented several recent AI-generated ads and pieces of content that appeared strikingly similar, pointing out that “copy-and-paste, self-replicating content is increasing.” She also noted that the proliferation of synthetic deepfake ads has elevated provocative content, while scam-like ads that rely on shock tactics have also grown. 

She emphasized that “AI advertising certainly has its positive aspects,” offering advertisers new options in terms of cost efficiency and production speed. However, she outlined three reasons why AI-based advertising is still not widely adopted. First, achieving consistency and realistic quality is difficult, and low resolution often fails to meet brand standards. Second, AI outputs cannot be edited directly, requiring complete regeneration to make revisions. Third, consumer trust may decline. She added that many AI models are trained on unclear data sources, making them susceptible to copyright issues when outputs replicate existing materials. 

Seo referenced the cases of clothing brand Mango and cosmetics brand Innisfree, explaining that “the uncanny valley phenomenon—figures that appear human yet oddly unnatural—has damaged brand image in some instances.” She further noted that unclear training datasets continue to spark copyright disputes, and many global brands are still using AI only at an experimental level.

AI Use in the Industry 

Seo explained that “Coca-Cola’s AI-based global campaign, which featured 17 participating artists and used AI throughout the entire production process, initially drew significant attention but later sparked controversy when it was revealed to have replicated an existing advertisement.” She also noted that “under the Basic Act on Artificial Intelligence, which takes effect next January, all AI-generated advertising videos will be required to include production disclosure, prompting deeper legal and ethical discussions within the advertising industry.”

Sharing concrete changes in the field, she explained that “current practitioners actively use AI when writing creative briefs.” AI serves as an efficient tool for preparing documents that outline an advertisement’s purpose, target audience, key message, schedule, and budget, and it also helps generate visual references during the ideation process. 

However, she cautioned that “directly using AI-generated outputs is dangerous,” emphasizing the importance of planning grounded in market research. “You need to understand your consumers and the market in order to craft persuasive messages. Rather than simply following trends, you must be clear about why you are creating the advertisement,” she said.

Considerations and Advice for Using AI 

Seo offered six key pieces of advice for advertising production: set a clear planning direction based on thorough research; avoid simply copying trending SNS content; maintain visual consistency aligned with brand identity; avoid focusing solely on visual execution; recognize that achieving the desired output requires ample time and repeated attempts; and collaborate with experts when you are still developing your skills. She added, “AI advertising does not come together instantly. It requires countless trials and revisions. When working with designers, synergy can be created only when respect and mutual agreement are the foundation.” 

AI Is Not a God, but a Genie 

Art Director Seo compared AI to “a genie, not a god.” “AI does not create on its own. It can only produce meaningful results when users clearly articulate what they want,” she explained. She added, “AI is a tool that helps express imagination and planning skills—it cannot replace human creativity. Ultimately, good advertising is born from human judgment and insight.” 

“Van Gogh saw light differently, and Picasso saw form differently. The iPhone also presented a new way of living, far beyond a simple phone. In an era where anyone can create videos, human originality becomes even more essential. Ultimately, creativity in the age of AI depends on how differently humans can think,” she said. 

The lecture provided an opportunity to explore the future direction of the advertising industry at a time when AI technology is rapidly advancing, and to reflect on the role of human creators. Seo emphasized that “the more AI advances, the more crucial human imagination and critical thinking become,” stating that “it is human ideas—not technology—that must remain at the center of creativity.” Korea University will continue working with industry experts to provide learning opportunities that enable students to develop both practical skills and creative thinking suited to the digital era.