Apple’s Marketing Chief Declares: AI Won’t Save Us – Creativity Will

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At Cannes Lions, Apple’s Tor Myhren made a bold case for human creativity as the soul of marketing, not AI.

Apple is drawing a line in the sand. At the 2025 Cannes Lions Festival, Tor Myhren, Apple’s Vice President of Marketing Communications, delivered a rallying cry for the industry: AI may be powerful, but it’s not the savior of advertising — human creativity is.

“The good news is AI is not going to kill advertising,” Myhren said. “The bad news is AI is not going to save advertising. We’ve got to save ourselves, by believing in what’s always made this industry special: human creativity”.

His remarks come at a time when AI dominates marketing discourse, often positioned as a silver bullet for efficiency and personalization. But Apple, named Cannes Lions’ 2025 Creative Marketer of the Year, is pushing back against the narrative that automation can replace artistry.

The speech also served as a public course correction. Last year, Apple faced backlash for its “Crush” ad, which depicted creative tools being flattened by a hydraulic press — an image many saw as symbolic of tech’s erasure of human expression. Myhren acknowledged the misstep and used the Cannes stage to reaffirm Apple’s commitment to creative craft.

“Human touch is our superpower,” he said. “It’s the secret to building long-term brand love”.

Apple’s stance reflects a broader industry tension: how to harness AI without losing the emotional resonance that defines great marketing. Myhren’s message was clear — AI can ride shotgun, but humans must drive.