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In an AI-Driven World, What Are the Challenges for Media Planners?

Strategic Thinking Required: This Algorithm Doesn’t Come With It

AI is everywhere. It writes captions, generates headlines, schedules content - and promises to “do your media planning for you.” But just because it can, doesn’t mean it should.

I’ve tested the tools. Some are clever, some are creepy, and many confusing. But what’s clear is this: speed doesn’t equal strategy, and automation doesn’t mean insight.

So in this post, I’m breaking down why AI - instead of fixing media planning - might be adding a whole new layer of complexity.

Because let’s be honest - common sense isn’t strategic.

And neither is AI.

The Efficiency Illusion

AI can feel like a shortcut to clarity: it crunches data, spits out plans, and optimises content before I’ve even grabbed my highlighter. But when everything’s automated, who’s making the real decisions?

Lawrence Dodds warns “AI wont’t help you choose better. It will just help you choose faster.” But even with all this processing power, decision fatigue is still real. Planners aren’t short of options - they’re short on direction.

AI might offer suggestions, but it’s still the planner who needs to ask:

Does this align with the customer journey?

Does it speak to emotional, intent, and brand perception?

Because strategy isn’t about where the message lands - it’s whether it connects.

If not, we’re just optimising the wrong thing at high speed.

Where There’s No Sense, There’s No Feeling.

AI can mimic tone, but it can’t feel the effects. It can replicate style, but it lacks the creativity and originality of real humans - and that’s a big problem in planning.

Daniel Kahneman explains that gut instinct (System 1 thinking) is actually learned through years of subconscious data processing.

Even Jeff Bezos said:

“All of my best decisions in business and in life have been made with heart, intuition and guts.”

But instinct isn’t magic - it’s memory. AI doesn’t have a gut. It has a prompt.

Manisha Bhatia reminds us, “The most powerful and enduring algorithm of all remains the unique human capability for empathy.”

Which makes me wonder… will John Lewis be swapping out their creative team for ChatGPT this Christmas?

Yeah… I don’t think so.

Confidence in Quality

If AI is so smart, why are so many planners questioning it’s output? Three-quarters of strategists use AI to save time - but only 10% are fully confident in the results, and 56% find what they get back is completely unusable.

So is saving time really such a benefit?

Well, yes - but only if that time is reinvested wisely. Dig deeper. Challenge what you’re given. Focus your energy on creative decisions that build emotional touchpoints AI simply can’t replicate.

Christina Lemieux, Executive Strategy Director at PG ONE, puts it perfectly:

“The positive applications are still in our hands to grasp, and AI does have the ability to level that playing field, not widen the gap.”

AI can speed up the process - but it still needs someone to decide what success looks like, and whether what’s working on paper actually lands in real life.

AI Isn’t a Shortcut - It’s a Strategic Collaborator

AI tools promise outcome-based planning - shifting focus from reaching audiences to delivering measurable results.

For major players like Amazon, this is a game-changer. Their vast data, enormous budgets, and infrastructure mean they can optimise at scale - and the returns prove this.

But this version of AI-led success doesn’t translate neatly to SMEs or solo studios.

As WARC’s: What We Know About Artificial Intelligence highlights, these systems are built for scale - and that can widen the gap between those who can afford to experiment and those still building an audience.

For smaller businesses - including myself - AI isn’t replacing media planning. It’s adding complexity. The tech might serve up outcomes, but it still needs a strategist to define success, in order to convert.

Because if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, no algorithm can hit the target.

Final Thought

If Spike Lee created AI as a character, it would definitely be the anti-hero. Not quite the villain. Not the saviour.

Just one more twist in an already messy plotline.

Yes, AI can support better, faster decisions - but it can’t replace human instinct, emotional intelligence, or brand strategy. It’s a tool.

In a world where algorithms write headlines and scheduling ads, we need to remember this:

Planning still needs people.