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AI, Creativity, and the Cost of Cutting Corners for Brands | The Main

Opinion

AI Can Cut Costs, But It Can’t Replace Creativity

As companies embrace AI to reduce production costs, they risk undermining the creative talent, authenticity, and audience trust that made their brands valuable in the first place.

ByNatasha Kennedy

June 24, 2026 · 5 min read

AI Can Cut Costs, But It Can’t Replace Creativity

Photography by David Curleigh / @curleighcreative

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Often used as a tool to improve processes or build efficiencies, AI’s presence continues to grow at an unprecedented rate in creative industries, raising broader concerns around creativity, ownership, and ethics. We are facing a new set of questions: Is it fair to make an exact replica of a photographer's work without credit or consent? Or to replicate a model's face for commercial usage? Where do we draw the line between technological innovation and creative copyright?

Without any regulation, AI is beginning to undermine the careers of photographers, art directors, producers, stylists, and many other creatives whose work, expertise, and intellectual property have helped train the very systems that threaten to replace them.

The human cost of the algorithm

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The human cost of the algorithm

Earlier this month, Suzy Shier released an AI-generated campaign. Creatives across the country expressed anger and frustration, questioning why a brand would choose AI to bypass its traditional creative teams to produce a campaign. Even more recently, SSENSE announced layoffs within its photography and makeup departments, explicitly citing AI as their replacement.

For Montrealers specifically, a city historically known for its vibrant creative community, these decisions feel especially disheartening for local brands. It felt like a departure from the collaborative process that has made this city attractive to work in.

The conversation around AI is often justified by its use for efficiency and to create smaller budgets. Studies show that by using AI-generated imagery, brands can reduce production costs by up to 80 percent compared with traditional campaigns. That sounds like a compelling business decision in theory, but what does it mean when you are losing your audience in the process?

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