On most mornings inside Delhi’s advertising agencies, the first draft of a campaign no longer comes from a copywriter hunched over a blank document. It comes from a prompt. A junior types a line into a chatbot — “Give me five taglines for a fintech app. Youthful, Hindi-English mix” — and within seconds the screen fills with options. The writer’s job begins only after that: cut, tweak, humanise. Across agencies, work that once required team ideations and brainstorming sessions to bring an idea is no longer the same.
This shift has accelerated over the past two years as generative AI tools are now integral to agency workflows. From creating social media captions to moodboards, mascots to voiceovers, chatbots have taken over entry-level work. For Delhi’s small and mid-sized firms, the results are paradoxical. Turnaround time has become faster as profit margins have become tighter. Ideas are abundant, while the need for entry-level hires decreased. AI, for many, has been both a boon and a bane.
A recent industry survey found that nearly 80% of Indian marketers plan to expand their use of AI tools in the next year, and about 72 % already use AI in some part of their creative or marketing workflow showing how quickly the industry is integrating these tools.
Initial structure from AI
At BrandBajade, a Delhi-based ad agency, founder and CEO Dibyendu Das says AI now handles the “base work” of creativity—structures, heavy content and first drafts once done by junior writers are now produced by AI. “AI gives you the initial structure . You just refine it,” he says. The shift has cut hiring sharply: roles that once needed four writers now need one, with entry-level hires down 60% in recent years.
While AI may have reduced hiring costs, this has not automatically translated into profits. Clients, Das says, are not willing to pay like before as they assume that AI generated content does warrant the same price as human-created work. “They think everything is easy now,” he says. “So they don’t want to pay agency rates.”
In some cases, clients run agency copy through AI tools and return automated feedback, leading to more revisions. “While work is faster, meeting client demands has become harder,” he adds, “and definitely not more profitable.”
Less workload, less money
Visual production has changed just as dramatically. Mascot animations or explainer videos that once took 7-10 days and required specialised artists can now be mocked up in a couple of days using tools like Midjourney, Runway and other generators. “In many cases you genuinely can’t tell the difference,” Das says. “Clients ask, ‘Why pay for an artist if AI can do it?’”
Not every agency sees the disruption as a loss. At DreamHii Creatives, a creative branding agency based out of Noida, creative director Paras Sharma views AI less as a replacement and more as a speed booster. For his team, the tools are most useful at the start of the process — during research, brainstorming and early mockups. “Earlier we stared at a blank page,” he says. “Now we can explore multiple directions and come up with new ideas.”
Why AI can’t replace humans
AI writing assistants help draft rough copies, while image tools generate visual references. But the final storytelling, tone and strategy still depend on people. “AI can generate volume, but it cannot capture nuance the way a human does,” he says. “A human touch is always essential in capturing the essence of art.”
DreamHii hasn’t reduced hiring, Sharma notes, but expectations have shifted. Juniors are no longer valued just for execution. “We want them to think conceptually and curate,” he says. He can usually spot AI-written copies too. “It’s grammatically correct but emotionally neutral, it’s too polished and generic. Without a human pass, it doesn’t feel real.”
Freelancers take a hit
For freelancers, the impact is more immediate and personal. Vipul Sharma, 26, an independent copywriter since 2018, says his workload has nearly halved after AI tools became popular. “I used to get around 10 clients a week and charge ₹1,000–₹1,200 per article. In the last six months alone, I’ve lost five regular clients to AI,” he says. Some clients now expect faster turnarounds and lower rates, assuming software can do the job. To stay afloat, Sharma has repositioned himself, offering video editing beyond writing to stay relevant. “AI gives options. But keeping yourself relevant in the age of AI is something we are learning to do.”
Taken together, these experiences suggest that creativity hasn’t disappeared — it has moved upstream. Drafting is automated; judgment isn’t. Repetitive production roles may shrink, while new ones emerge: editors, prompt strategists, AI workflow specialists.
While AI has rooted itself in the Advertising industry, freelancers like Sharma and agency creative heads are learning to navigate in this new ecosystem. Copywriters and visual creators haven't been replaced, their work and role has merely evolved. AI may generate content , the real work lies in choosing what is still human.