Creativity Redefined: Humans and AI in a Hybrid Workflow

Artificial intelligence is changing the way creativity is generated in marketing – but human imagination remains indispensable. The Crossmedia Production & Design course in the Digital Marketing master's program at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol also deals with this very tension between technology and creative design. The interview with AI expert Michael Katzlberger provides valuable insights and shows how hybrid production processes combining human creativity and artificial intelligence are developing in practice.

In conversation with Prof. Dr. Bert Neumeister, who teaches in the Master's program in Digital Marketing at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol, Katzlberger - founder and CEO of the hybrid creative agency 3LIOT.ai and consultant for the Scholz & Friends agency, among others - talks about new workflows at the interface between humans and machines and how AI is changing creative processes in marketing.

HOW DO YOU DEFINE CREATIVITY IN RELATION TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE - AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE KEY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUMAN AND AI CREATIVITY?

Michael Katzlberger: AI enables us to venture into creative galaxies that would be unattainable for our biological brains alone. The key difference is that although AI can recombine patterns at lightning speed, it (still) lacks the consciousness, emotional life experience, and ethical classification that make human works so unique. True innovation will therefore arise from symbiosis in the future: machines will provide quantity and variation, while humans will provide curated quality and soul. However, if AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) emerges that develops genuine contextual understanding and autonomous goal setting, this clear boundary could become blurred, allowing machines to evolve from mere suppliers to independent creators on an equal footing.

WITH YOUR AGENCY 3LIOT, YOU ARE FOCUSING ON A HYBRID CREATIVE STRATEGY COMBINING HUMAN AND MACHINE. WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL WORKFLOW LOOK LIKE, IN WHICH AI OUTPUT IS FURTHER PROCESSED BY HUMAN CREATIVES?

Katzlberger:  At my agency, 3LIOT, we use AI as a kickstart to quickly fill the famous blank sheet of paper with various visual or textual drafts. These machine-generated rough diamonds are then taken over by our human creatives, who strategically evaluate them, check them ethically, and bring them to market readiness with the necessary emotional fine-tuning. It's a fluid process in which AI takes over the repetitive work so that humans can concentrate on strategic direction and refinement.

IN THE CONTEXT OF MARKETING: HOW CAN COMPANIES USE AI-BASED CREATIVITY TO CREATE NEW FORMS OF COMMUNICATION THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY UNTHINKABLE?

Katzlberger: AI-based creativity enables companies to generate content in real time that responds to the individual context of each user - a level of relevance that would be impossible to achieve manually. We are seeing the emergence of new forms of interaction, such as hyper-realistic brand avatars or synthetic voices that communicate with customers in natural language around the clock, transforming static, one-way communication into dynamic, dialogue-oriented experiences. In addition, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) enables brands to appear directly in the responses generated by AI models, revolutionizing traditional search. I am currently working intensively on diffusion models for generating AI images, videos, and audio files. There are so many new possibilities at the moment that it is really difficult to classify them.

HOW DO YOUR CLIENTS (AGENCIES, BRANDS) RESPOND TO CREATIVE IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPLICITLY CO-DESIGNED BY AI? ACCEPTANCE, SKEPTICISM, OR ENTHUSIASM?

Katzlberger: Our customers' reactions have changed from initial, distant skepticism to pragmatic enthusiasm and strategic openness. Progressive agencies and brands in particular are increasingly recognizing that AI is not a threat, but rather a powerful lever for efficiency and new creative freedom, as demonstrated by our strategic partnership with Scholz & Friends. When customers see that we use AI not as a push-button solution but as an integrated tool for higher quality, their initial reservations quickly give way to a great zest for action.

PLEASE LOOK TO THE FUTURE: HOW DO YOU SEE CREATIVE AI DEVELOPING IN MARKETING OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO TEN YEARS - AND WHAT ROLE WILL HUMANS PLAY IN THIS FUTURE?

Katzlberger: In the coming years, AI will evolve from an experimental tool to the invisible but indispensable backbone of every marketing team, capable of fully automating routine tasks and autonomously managing complex campaigns. Humans will not disappear, but will grow into the role of director and curator, whose main task is to set the strategic direction and monitor the results in terms of ethics and quality. We will be less like craftsmen of creation and more like architects of systems that scale creativity.

FINALLY, A PERSONAL QUESTION. WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON YOUR CAREER, IS THERE A PROJECT YOU ARE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF BECAUSE IT EXEMPLIFIES THE SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN MAN AND MACHINE?

Katzlberger: Looking back, I am particularly proud of the Artificial Intelligence Responds to Hate Posts project, which I implemented before 3LIOT was founded. It exemplifies the symbiosis between humans and machines: we used the speed and tirelessness of AI to detect and counter toxic comments in real time, based on a set of ethical values defined by humans. For me, this project proves that we can use this technology not only for commercial purposes, but also as an effective tool for civil courage and better social coexistence.