AI deepens divide in creative industry

By Chinenye Anuforo

African creatives have warned that Nigeria’s advertising and content industry is heading toward a major divide as artificial intelligence accelerates production but exposes the widening gap between skilled and unskilled practitioners.

Speaking at the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF) Creative Conference in Lagos recently, senior figures in advertising, literature and film said AI will not replace human creatives, but will sharply differentiate those who understand craft, cultural nuance and strategic thinking from those who rely on shortcuts or superficial output.

The panel, tagged “The Anatomy of Genius”, featured bestselling novelist and advertising strategist Femi Kayode, X3M Ideas Group CEO Steve Babaeko, South African creative director TJ Njozela and experience designer and film art director Fubi Victor Okibo.

Kayode, author of the internationally acclaimed Lightseekers, argued that AI may assist in generating text and shaping structure but lacks the emotional intelligence and stamina required for high-quality creative work. He described novel writing as a marathon that demands months of emotional decisions, saying AI cannot detect when an idea is strong enough to sustain a story. “AI can write, but AI cannot feel,” he said, noting that instinct and lived experience remain irreplaceable.

Babaeko, whose agency delivered Nigeria’s first Cannes Lion, said the assumption that AI will take over creative jobs is misguided. He argued that the real danger lies in young practitioners leaning heavily on AI tools without developing critical thinking or persuasive skills. “AI cannot read a client’s fear, cannot defend a bold idea in a boardroom and cannot negotiate cultural truth,” he said. According to him, only creators who were already struggling with craft will feel threatened. “Genius is still 99 percent perspiration,” he added.

Njozela, a respected South African creative director, said AI will widen the gap between those who have taste and those who only have tools. He explained that while AI can produce high volumes of content, it cannot replicate individuality, which he described as every creator’s biggest competitive advantage. “No machine can mimic your lived experience,” he said, noting that excellence in advertising still depends on human insight, not algorithmic patterns.

Okibo said AI may improve efficiency but does not replace the relationship-driven nature of the Nigerian creative market. She emphasised that clients buy value, clarity and solutions, not tools. “Creativity is still about character and consistency,” she said, adding that the opportunities young practitioners receive are still largely driven by human connection and trust, areas where AI has no influence.

Across the session, the panelists agreed that while AI will transform workflow, it cannot replace emotional intelligence, courage or the instinct required to judge ideas. The moderator concluded by stating that AI “won’t take your job, but creatives who understand how to use AI will.”

The discussion served as a precursor to another session at the conference examining the future of artificial intelligence in commerce and its implications for Nigeria’s creative economy.