Simge AKSU
This study analyses the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on the advertising industry and discusses the current and future roles of advertising agencies in the face of this transformation. The acceleration of digitalisation and AI-supported automation tools offered by giant platforms such as Meta and Google have made the traditional intermediary roles of agencies questionable. AI offers faster and more efficient solutions by reducing human intervention in areas such as content production, targeting, media planning and campaign optimisation. In particular, the automation of written, visual and video content is reshaping agencies' creative processes towards strategic control and adaptation. The article emphasises that agencies should adopt a hybrid model to adapt to this transformation. In this model, AI should work in integration with creative intelligence, strategic interpretation and ethical control. However, despite all these developments, human intelligence is still an indispensable element. It is seen that AI is insufficient in areas such as intuitive judgements, understanding cultural context, emotional intelligence and ethical judgement. Therefore, human creativity and interpretation skills play a critical role in guiding AI systems and evaluating their outputs. In conclusion, AI is not only a threat but also a powerful opportunity for transformation, specialisation and restructuring for advertising agencies when integrated with human intelligence.