Forget the “third wheel”, the strongest teams are now client × agency × AI
AI is no longer a backstage tool – it’s an active collaborator across research, strategy, creative and optimisation. The modern team is client × agency × AI; clients bring commercial truth and context, agencies bring judgement and craft, and AI brings speed and scale to turn good ideas into outcomes, faster.
In our recent pilots, multi‑agency briefing cycles have moved from weeks to days and on‑brand content creation has rapidly accelerated, freeing up teams for higher‑value work and improving quality without increasing spend.
Why it matters now
Across marketing organisations, AI tools are moving from experiments to everyday use. With that shift comes greater scrutiny from stakeholders on where AI adds value, how it’s governed, and what safeguards are in place. The conversation is moving from “we use AI” to “we useAI responsibly to deliver better work, faster,” with transparency, measurable impact and sensible guardrails now expected.
No, AI won’t replace agencies or in‑house teams
AI accelerates idea generation, sharpens briefings, enables rapid prototyping, and produces multiple on‑brand variations in seconds, but it still relies on human judgement, brand stewardship and commercial context to land work that’s right.
How to get the most value from AI
- Map your workflow – identify where AI supports briefs, concepting, editing, QA and reporting, with clear hand-offs between people and tools.
- Set quality and safety guardrails – appropriate model choices, fact‑checking, bias checks and human sign‑off.
- Focus on value, not volume – use AI to enhance efficiency, test ideas faster, and amplify creativity rather than just increase output.
- Upskill your teams – training, prompt libraries and practical playbooks so people can use AI confidently and consistently.
- Establish governance – document acceptable use, data handling and measurement so you can demonstrate value and meet compliance needs.
Closing takeaway
AI isn’t the third wheel, it’s the thirdpillar. Orchestrated well, client × agency × AI turns insight into impactfaster, safer and with higher quality.
Where would adding AI as a “third pillar”make the biggest difference for you: briefing, concepting, content production, delivery,or something else?
