AI is a force multiplier, not a threat: Wieden + Kennedy CEO Neal Arthur

Put Neal Arthur, CEO of ad powerhouse Wieden + Kennedy, firmly in the camp that AI is a great tool and will become even better — accelerating the deadlines for campaigns and making life easier for the "idea people." Definitely not in the camp recently occupied by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who predicts the $1.8 trillion ad industry is on the verge of existential AI disruption (more on this later).

"AI is probably the biggest factor change right now," he said. "But I think the conversation too often becomes very zero sum. It gets very dystopian — What's gonna happen to humans in this AI world? … I'm much more optimistic than that."

Widen + Kennedy has been around for more than four decades and knows how to adapt. Founder Dan Weiden crafted the famous “Just Do It” slogan in 1988 — one of Advertising Age's top five slogans of the 20th century — and this year the agency led the industry with five Super Bowl 59 ads.

To hear how Arthur is navigating AI and the fine art of client relations, click below.