AI will transform advertising, but human creativity cannot be replaced – ARCON DG

The Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, has said artificial intelligence (AI) will reshape Nigeria’s advertising industry but cannot completely replace creative agencies and the human ingenuity that drives effective advertising.

Fadolapo, who spoke at the 2026 Annual Brands and Marketing Conference organised by the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) in Lagos, said the industry must embrace AI as an emerging tool while protecting the human creativity, originality and insight that give advertising its distinctive value.

The conference had the theme, “Advertising in Nigeria and AI: Who Needs Creative Agencies Anyways?”

According to the ARCON chief, the advertising industry has survived several technological and structural changes over the years, with creative agencies repeatedly adapting their operations to remain relevant.

He argued that the emergence of AI should be viewed as another phase in the industry’s evolution rather than a development that would render creative agencies obsolete.

“AI is not a challenge alone. It is how we are able to manage it,” he said, urging advertising professionals to understand the technology and deploy it responsibly.

Fadolapo acknowledged that AI could generate campaign concepts, images, voices and other creative materials within seconds. However, he maintained that technology could not fully reproduce the human insight, originality and contextual understanding required to develop meaningful advertising campaigns.

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He said the ability to connect with consumers, understand cultural sensitivities and communicate messages in ways that resonate with different audiences would remain important strengths of human creativity.

Beyond its potential to improve efficiency and expand creative possibilities, Fadolapo warned that the growing use of AI-generated images and voices was raising serious ethical and regulatory concerns.

He questioned who should be held accountable when an individual’s image or voice is manipulated and deployed in an advertisement without the person’s knowledge or consent.

He noted that such misuse could mislead the public into believing that the individual had endorsed a particular product, service or message, particularly when the material was circulated through digital platforms.

The ARCON director-general therefore called for a comprehensive regulatory framework to govern the use of AI in advertising, protect individual rights and prevent the misuse of emerging technologies.

“You can’t put AI on a free move,” he said, stressing that technological innovation must be accompanied by appropriate safeguards and accountability.

His remarks highlight the growing challenge facing Nigeria’s advertising industry as agencies, brands and regulators grapple with the opportunities and risks presented by generative AI.

While the technology offers advertisers faster content production, lower creative costs and new ways of reaching consumers, its deployment also raises questions about authenticity, intellectual property, consent and public trust.

Fadolapo’s position is that the future of advertising will depend not simply on how quickly practitioners adopt AI, but on their ability to combine technological efficiency with human judgement and responsible professional standards.