In a moment when AI is rapidly reshaping the rules of digital advertising, few shifts have sparked as much debate as TikTok’s decision to mandate the use of its built-in AI tools. In the piece below, Niki Chana, Programmatic Strategy Director at SBS, unpacks why this seemingly frictionless step toward automation should be cause for some concern.
When TikTok announced that advertisers must now use its built-in AI tools, the industry sat up. The move was framed as progress, a way of simplifying the path for marketers and making creative optimisation seamless. But hidden in that convenience is a warning. If every brand is forced to go through the same machine, how much distinctiveness is left?
For agencies, the message is particularly concerning. Platforms continue to insist that they are not cutting agencies out. They argue that AI will free planners and buyers from repetitive tasks so they can focus on creativity and strategy. Yet mandatory systems tell a different story. They strip away choice, limit differentiation, and risk turning advertising into a curated feed of machine-approved sameness.
The question for marketers is not whether to adopt AI – that choice is already being made for them. The question is how to preserve trust, creativity and long-term value in an environment where platforms increasingly set the rules.
Mind the Gap
The truth is, marketers are not rushing to embrace AI. A recent General Assembly study found that 61 percent lack confidence in its ability to deliver revenue growth, while almost half doubt it improves customer experience. Our own research at SBS found a similar pattern among independent agencies, where 70 percent cited new tech adoption as a barrier, slowed down by legacy contracts, stretched budgets and a shortage of training.
This hesitancy is not just fear of the unknown, it’s from learned experience and real life application of this new technology. Programmatic was once sold as push-button advertising. In reality, it required constant troubleshooting, deep expertise and human oversight. A reasonable thing to expect is that AI will follow the same path because from experience, what often seems frictionless hides new layers of complexity.
Strength in Numbers & The Sea of Sameness
Mandating AI may lower the barrier for smaller businesses, but it narrows the field for everyone else. Brands lose the ability to shape campaigns on their own terms. Agencies lose the space to differentiate strategies across fragmented media. And consumers risk being served content that feels increasingly generic because it all flows through the same optimisation engine. Advertising thrives on variety, and when every campaign runs through identical systems, creative risk is blunted.
The industry needs to take a leaf out of the book of independent agencies who are finding ways to challenge the status quo. Our research shows that 90 percent of indies are now collaborating, not just on client referrals but by sharing capabilities, pooling technology and even building joint offerings. More than half say this has led to new business wins, and over a third report stronger performance in pitches.
It shows that scale is no longer the preserve of the holding groups. By working together, independents have created networks that rival the majors in capability while staying faster and more flexible.
For marketers, this matters because collaboration offers a counterweight to platform mandates. Agencies that join forces can blend creative AI, programmatic trading and data interpretation. They can pool investment in new tools while keeping independent thinking intact. And crucially, they can give clients confidence that there is a human network sitting between the black boxes and the brand.
The Human Filter Remains Irreplaceable
AI is extraordinarily powerful at generating variations, testing copy and optimising bids. But abundance does not equal effectiveness. As Microsoft AI’s Mustafa Suleyman argued at Cannes, lowering the barrier to entry inevitably raises the bar for what stands out.
What the industry needs are voices that can decide what cuts through, what stays true to brand identity, and what will ultimately resonate with audiences. AI can create more, but it is human judgment that makes work meaningful.
This is the skill set marketers should demand from their partners. Not just the ability to run the latest platform tool, but the judgment to know when to lean on it and when to step away. Agencies can see across platforms, interpret behaviour beyond a single walled garden and understand cultural nuance in a way machines cannot.
A Choice to Make
TikTok’s mandate is unlikely to be the last. We’ll see other platforms start to follow – each with their own tools and their own rules. It’s up to advertisers to choose how they navigate it. The worst response would be to see AI as either a threat to avoid or a magic solution to adopt without question. The smarter response is to work with agencies who collaborate, share expertise and apply the human judgement that platforms cannot.
While automation and efficiency are important, the future of advertising cannot be left that alone. If every campaign starts to look the same, the industry will have lost the distinctiveness that makes brands valuable. AI may be the engine of progress, but collaboration and human judgment have to keep steering the wheel.
