Ori Gold.
Sir Martin Sorrell’s recent prediction that artificial intelligence will replace most of the world’s 250,000 media planning and buying jobs has, understandably, sparked concern in the industry. Speaking last month at Cannes, he argued that AI-driven automation will eliminate the need for large teams managing media campaigns, as machines handle targeting, optimisation and reporting more efficiently. While Sorrell is right to highlight the transformative power of AI, his argument underestimates the evolving, not vanishing, role of human expertise in media.
Sorrell’s position assumes media planning and buying are purely technical and mechanical, ready for full automation. That view oversimplifies the reality. Media professionals today do far more than select channels and manage bids. They craft integrated strategies, balance competing objectives, interpret ambiguous data and navigate nuanced client relationships. These require human judgement, creativity and accountability, skills AI is incapable of.
Automation has been part of our industry for years yet employment in media has not collapsed. In fact, the International Advertising Association reports global media agency employment grew 6 percent between 2020 and 2023 even as programmatic platforms and machine learning expanded. Rather than replacing jobs wholesale, AI has shifted the nature of the work by reducing repetitive tasks and creating demand for new skills.
We experience this every day. Media teams now spend less time trafficking ads or pulling reports and more time on strategic analysis, audience insights, creative collaboration and brand positioning, all areas where humans excel and machines still fall short. Research by McKinsey supports this, showing that while automation can handle about 60 percent of media buying tasks, the remaining 40 percent require human intervention, particularly in strategic planning and creative problem solving.
As humans, we recognise AI makes sophisticated tools more accessible and surface more data which raises the bar for us as practitioners rather than removing them. Teams that learn to work alongside AI and use it to enhance their judgement will be in greater demand than ever. Media planning is becoming more consultative and interdisciplinary, not less relevant.
Sorrell also overlooks the fact that media planning and buying are tied to brand and business strategy. A machine might optimise for the lowest cost per click, but it will not understand the brand equity implications of appearing next to harmful content or the strategic need to balance short-term sales with long-term positioning. A recent Deloitte study found that campaigns with strong human oversight delivered 23 percent better ROI than fully automated campaigns because humans can align tactical decisions with bigger-picture goals.
Just as the rise of programmatic did not erase the need for media professionals, AI will not either. Instead, it is pushing the media profession to evolve. Tomorrow’s media teams may be smaller, but they will be more skilled, more strategic and more central to a brand’s success. They will need to be fluent in data interpretation, consumer behaviour and creative collaboration, areas where humans outperform machines.
So rather than fearing extinction, the industry should embrace the chance to redefine itself. AI will automate the mundane, but humans will remain essential to shaping the meaningful.
In a world full of algorithms it is human insight, creativity and accountability that will keep media relevant and valuable.
Ori Gold, CEO & Co-Founder, Bench Media