AARON Signals 2026: creative direction takes precedence over generation

The AARON Signals report shows AI advertising value shifting from generation to creative direction, with only 18% of people favoring AI-manifested ads.

The first AARON Signals report, published by the AARON Awards under the title « Creative Intelligence in the Age of AI », provides an overview of AI in advertising. Its starting point: the question is no longer whether AI can produce an image, a film, or a voice, which it now does effortlessly, but what creative intelligence makes this work truly good.

A common thread runs through its categories: generation becomes a given, and value shifts towards direction. This amounts to prioritizing the consistency of an image system over raw abundance, treating the workflow as a creative object in itself, structuring collaboration between humans and machines, and betting on hybrid production, where AI extends live-action footage rather than replacing it. Narrative reappears there as a filter against uniformity, sound as a field still immature but decisive.

Beneath these observations, the report describes a polarizing market. Content production is industrializing, with costs and deadlines collapsing, while the public remains sensitive to openly AI-generated creations: a cited survey indicates that only 18% of respondents react positively to an advertisement manifestly stemming from AI, compared to 39% negative reactions. The field is emptying, divided between commoditized content and premium creation, directed and supported by systems or brand universes. The conclusion can be summarized in one formula: know-how does not reside in AI, but in creative intelligence.