Before moving into marketing, I began my creative career as a graphic designer.

I recently went to a creative group meetup in Edinburgh. It’s usually a lively and inspiring event.

I’ve been going to this gathering for twenty years. It’s one of those rare times when graphic designers, web designers, illustrators, photographers, videographers, and other creative people step away from their screens and remember there are other humans out there.

Usually, the room is full of optimism, fresh ideas, and stories about exciting projects. But this time, the atmosphere was different.

People spoke more quietly. Smiles seemed forced. The usual excitement had turned into a shared feeling of uncertainty.

Many people said their jobs had already been replaced by AI or were at serious risk. Others talked about longtime clients cutting budgets or employers eliminating creative roles. The reason was usually the same: rising costs, tighter margins, and lower profits.

In short, the spreadsheet had won.

Businesses have always liked spreadsheets. They give the comforting idea that everything important can be measured. You can measure revenue, costs, and profit.

What a spreadsheet struggles to measure is imagination.

There’s no column for curiosity.

There’s no formula for that spark of inspiration that pops up in a conversation and turns into a product, a campaign, or even a new business.

That’s the real problem.

A lot of business owners see AI as a cheaper option than hiring creative people. They see software that can make logos, write copy, create images, and even produce videos in seconds. When they compare a monthly subscription to a designer’s, writer’s, or marketer’s salary, they decide replacing people makes business sense.

At first, this seems logical.

Unfortunately, at first glance, so did putting wheels on suitcases. It took humanity nearly 5,000 years to realise that carrying heavy things by hand might not be the most efficient system.

Businesses could be making a similar mistake with AI.

Creative people do much more than just make creative things.

A designer doesn’t simply create a logo.

A copywriter doesn’t simply write words.

A videographer doesn’t simply press record.

Creative professionals solve problems, challenge assumptions, spot opportunities, and ask tough questions. They connect ideas that don’t seem related and bring experience, intuition, and perspective to conversations beyond their job titles. Most importantly, they help drive innovation.

Innovation rarely comes with a clear return-on-investment forecast.

It usually starts when someone says: “What if we tried this?”

That person is often a creative.

History is full of businesses that succeeded because someone was willing to think differently, not just because they found a way to cut costs by 3.7%.

It’s ironic that many companies say innovation is a core value, yet they’re letting go of the people most likely to come up with new ideas.

It’s like entering a Formula One race and taking out the engine to save fuel. Sure, you’ve cut costs. You just won’t be going anywhere.

This isn’t an argument against using AI.

Far from it.

AI is one of the most powerful tools we’ve ever made. It can speed up work, get rid of repetitive tasks, improve efficiency, and let creative people spend more time on big ideas.

When used well, AI is amazing.

But it’s still just a tool.

A hammer is a great invention, but no one has ever given a hammer a set of blueprints and asked it to design a cathedral.

AI can generate content. It cannot replicate lived experience.

It can analyse patterns. It cannot genuinely understand human emotion.

It can produce options. It cannot replace judgement.

Most importantly, it can’t replace the unique mix of curiosity, creativity, empathy, and intuition that leads to real innovation.

Businesses that use AI to replace people might save money in the short term, but businesses that use AI to help people are much more likely to build long-term value.

The companies that do well in the next decade won’t be the ones that replace every creative person with software.

They’ll be the ones that mix the efficiency of AI with the creativity of people.

Because while AI can come up with a thousand ideas in seconds, it still takes a person to spot the one that could change the world.

As I left the Edinburgh meetup, I kept thinking about all the talent in that room. Twenty years ago, these people helped businesses navigate the rise of the internet.

They adapted to social media.

They embraced digital transformation.

They evolved alongside every technological shift thrown at them.

Today, they’re facing another revolution.

The businesses that continue to invest in creative people won’t just be supporting jobs.

They’ll be protecting the very thing that drives progress: human creativity.

And that remains one thing no machine has yet managed to automate.

Thankfully.