Insights: Creating new gateways for human imagination in the age of AI

Image: Supplied

As the Athar Festival team explored this year’s creative themes, one question stood out: how is artificial intelligence changing the way we create, collaborate, and communicate? That question became the spark for a wider reflection, one that continues to shape how we think about creativity today.

No longer waiting in the wings, AI has stepped firmly into the spotlight, changing not only how ideas are imagined but also how they are shared, tested, and brought to life. Across publishing, design, film, and advertising, what was once the preserve of trained specialists and full-fledged teams is now accessible to anyone with access to the internet and a hint of determination.

Think about how quickly the ground has moved. A student can now storyboard a short film in a single evening. A small business can design a logo, refine it, and see how it looks across packaging and social media in a matter of hours, if not minutes.

Processes that once demanded a full team of designers and weeks of effort can now be managed with far fewer resources and in a fraction of the time. What matters here is not only speed but access, because falling barriers mean wider participation. The result? A culture of creativity that is no longer gated by profession or privilege but open to anyone with the curiosity to experiment.

For those who have spent years in media and publishing, witnessing this shift firsthand has been nothing short of incredible. Entire print issues and campaigns were once pitched with nothing more than sketches and mood boards, with teams counting on the client to see the vision. Too often, great ideas faltered in translation, lost between the intention of the creator and the imagination of the audience.

Today, AI tools render those same ideas in real time, giving shape, colour, and motion to concepts that once lived only on paper or solely in the mind. This shift has changed not only the way ideas are presented but the confidence with which they are shared, turning pitches into moments of collaboration where clients and creators can build together.

And this evolution isn’t just about efficiency but inclusivity. AI has opened doors to perspectives that might never have been expressed, let alone published or broadcast. It is less a tool of productivity than a catalyst for democratising culture, one that broadens the table and fills it with new voices.

A visible shift

This shift is especially visible across the region, too. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, AI sits at the heart of long-term growth plans and could add up to $130bn to the economy by 2030. This figure signals how digital innovation and creative growth are being positioned as dual engines of diversification. Across the GCC, we’re watching creativity and technology converge, and AI is the accelerant.

It’s also why industry platforms matter now more than ever. Festivals like Athar are part of this story too. These gatherings are more than celebrations of creativity; they are proving grounds where industries learn and recalibrate together. At Athar, conversations around AI-enhanced storytelling and automated audience targeting are not abstract debates; they are practical exchanges shaping how brands, creators, and audiences engage across the region and beyond.

But let’s not gloss over the challenges. Who owns the output? What counts as originality when algorithms learn from millions of prior works? And how do we preserve human intuition amid machine learning? These are not side notes; they are the very issues that will determine whether this new era delivers lasting value or short-lived novelty.

This is where judgment becomes the true currency. While access to tools is now universal, discernment is not. In other words, the real differentiator will no longer be the availability of technology, but the ability to make wise choices about what is worth creating in the first place.

For businesses and creative professionals, the lesson is clear. Upskilling is no longer optional; it is the price of staying in the game. Teams need to be comfortable experimenting with AI without losing sight of the principles that make creative work endure: quality, originality, and ethics. Leaders must encourage curiosity and agility, empowering their people to adopt new tools with confidence rather than being overwhelmed by them.

AI will not replace creativity

AI is not here to replace creativity. It is here to broaden its canvas, to accelerate its tempo, and to invite more people into the act of creating. The question is no longer whether AI will transform creativity, but how we choose to guide it. Will we use these tools to flood the world with content, or to craft work that inspires and lasts?

These are the conversations and possibilities we’ll continue exploring at this year’s Athar Festival, where the debate around AI is progressing from theory to practice. The many sessions, experts, and potential discourse will offer a glimpse of how AI-driven creativity is likely to unfold across the broader marketing landscape.

And as this discussion reminds us, the future of creativity will belong to those who use AI not to replicate, but to reimagine.