In a world where generative AI can produce headlines, visuals, and campaign ideas in seconds, creativity is no longer defined by abundance. The real challenge is meaning. Ideas are easy. Human understanding is harder.
That is why teaching young creatives how to uncover genuine human insight matters more than ever.

In this edition of ‘Notes On’, we speak with esteemed IADAS member and Lovie Judge Kat Wyeth, VP of Growth & Strategy at Supreme Music, on why teaching human insight in advertising matters more than ever in the age of AI.

At its best, advertising is not simply persuasion. It is an expression of freedom. The freedom to speak, challenge, connect, and inspire. But in today’s digital landscape, that freedom is increasingly complicated. Algorithms shape visibility, misinformation blurs trust, and online platforms continue to redefine who gets heard and who gets ignored.

For the next generation of advertisers, these questions are not theoretical. Their work will live across feeds, billboards, and screens where culture, politics, and identity collide every day. Teaching insight means teaching responsibility. It means understanding that powerful communication is not about speaking the loudest, but listening the closest.

This is where empathy becomes essential. When students explore themes like migration, belonging, isolation, or identity, they begin to recognise that freedom is not experienced equally. Advertising grounded in real human truths has the ability to make people feel seen rather than simplified. In a digital world filled with stereotypes and noise, that recognition carries real weight.
The rise of AI only sharpens the importance of this work. Machines can imitate language and aesthetics at scale, but they cannot fully understand lived experience, cultural nuance, or emotional contradiction. They cannot interpret what remains unsaid.

Humans can.

The most impactful creatives of the future will not simply be those who master AI tools. They will be the ones who continue asking deeper questions: Whose voice is missing? What truth has been overlooked? What does freedom look like for this audience?

Advertising has always shaped more than consumer behaviour. It shapes perceptions of identity, dignity, and possibility. It can reinforce limitations, or it can expand freedoms.
That is why human insight still matters. And why teaching it matters even more.

Submit Your Best Work in Advertising, Media and PR to Set the Benchmark for Digital Excellence in Europe.

From viral campaigns and branded content to AI-powered storytelling and social impact work, The Lovie Awards recognise the advertising shaping Europe’s Internet culture.

Work can be entered across categories including Best Viral PR Campaign, Best Brand Strategy, Best Social Impact Campaign, Best Use of Social Media, Best Partnership or Collaboration, and Best Use of AI & Machine Learning, among others.

Submit your work before the Final Entry Deadline on Friday, 26 June.