As AI tools reshape creative workflows at unprecedented speed, Vodafone’s global creative director, Sabrina Godden-Tuma, reveals how organisations can maintain human creativity while harnessing AI capabilities. How can creative teams integrate AI thoughtfully without losing their spark?
Scope
At the start of 2025, the relationship between AI and creativity passed an inflection point. Tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney have achieved mainstream adoption at unprecedented speed – while television took 20 years to reach 8,000 US households, ChatGPT gained over 100 million users in just two months. This rapid shift has left creative teams scrambling to adapt, with 75% now considering AI essential to their toolkit despite lingering concerns about authenticity and creative control.
The creative industry's response to AI has, notably, been polarised. On one side, there's growing apprehension about automated content creation and the potential loss of human creative expression – from strikes against AI usage in Hollywood to fears of overreliance on generative tools in design. On the other, there's enthusiastic adoption by those who see AI as liberating creative potential. This tension is particularly visible in digital agencies and creative studios, where AI adoption often outpaces the development of guidelines for its responsible use.
A more nuanced conversation is emerging between these extremes about how AI might enhance rather than replace human creativity. Recent data suggests this middle ground is gaining traction – while 61% of people believe AI's long-term impact on society is uncertain, 97% of marketing and creative leaders are comfortable with generative AI's role in their work. The key question has shifted from whether to use AI to how to implement it thoughtfully.
Canvas8 spoke to Sabrina Godden-Tuma, whose position as global creative director at Vodafone puts her at the centre of this transformation. Her work integrating AI across creative processes while maintaining creative excellence offers insight into how large organisations can navigate this shift. Beyond her role at Vodafone, Godden-Tuma is actively shaping the future of AI-enabled creativity as a course instructor for AI-Aided Graphic Design at ELVTR, giving her a unique perspective on current implementation and future possibilities.
The timing of this discussion is particularly relevant as creative teams worldwide grapple with fundamental questions about AI's role in their work. While some creative professionals report AI cutting their production time in half, others warn about the risks of algorithmic homogenisation. From designers experimenting with "data healing" approaches to companies establishing AI ethics frameworks, the industry is actively seeking models for integrating AI while preserving creative authenticity. Godden-Tuma's experience implementing AI at scale while nurturing human creativity offers valuable insights into this evolving relationship between creative vision and technological capability.
What's your perspective on the current widespread adoption of AI tools?
I'm personally excited because I've always been a strong believer that when we combine technology with creativity, we can do mind-blowing things. Technology can enable us to become better and safer, and that's true not just for creativity but for fields like healthcare, too. But while everyone from CEOs to my nine-year-old is using AI now, just using AI doesn't make you creative. Simply putting a pink flying cat over a desert doesn't mean you're the next creative guru.
I'm inspired by my nine-year-old, who uses Runway and Midjourney, creating things and taking them to school where everyone's impressed. I want him to explore and learn that his ideas have no limits – that's fine for a nine-year-old. But when my team tries to sell me on a pink cat flying through the desert as the next creative campaign for Vodafone, I need to ask: what's the purpose? We need to stop creating AI for the sake of it and focus on the 'why.' We're all running so fast to a finish line that's constantly moving. We have amazing tools that enable us to bring our ideas and visions to life quickly, but we need to take a step back. Don't just grab all the shiny toys thrown at you – pick one, stick with it, and learn to grow with it.
How would you characterise the difference between AI creativity and human creativity? Does it matter?
The answer might seem simple at first – humans create what might be possible, while AI creates from what already exists. But if we take a step back and are really honest with ourselves, when was the last time any of us truly created something unique? We create fresh ideas, exciting ideas, and different ideas, but how do we get to these? We learn from what already exists.
This means the gap between AI and human creativity is closer than we might think. Yes, right now, AI just learns from what exists, but it might get to that point of imagining what might be. What makes us human is our ability to understand the 'why' – we grasp emotional resonance and cultural differences in ways AI currently doesn't. We can make decisions and understand what's good and what isn't. While AI is excellent at creating variations from existing work, we shouldn't blame it for the 'sea of sameness' we see today. It wasn't AI that created identical buildings, similar cars, or homes all designed in the same style. We even all take the same selfie pictures when travelling. That's human behaviour – we can't blame the tool for our outputs.
Which AI tools have you chosen to focus on in your work?
As someone with ADHD, it's challenging because there are so many new tools – I want to play with them all! But in my role heading up a Creative studio at Vodafone Group, working with different markets, I've had to be selective. I've always been a visual person, and my team knows I struggle with illustrating or writing down my ideas. Even today, in Teams meetings, I'll scribble something down and hold it up to the screen, asking, "Can we do this?"
That's why my team is extremely thankful that we now have tools where I can visualise my thoughts quickly. I'm particularly drawn to Midjourney and Runway, where we can bring ideas to life in ways we couldn't before. We have both senior video editors and juniors on the team, and they feel empowered by these tools. We encourage them to experiment because while there's still inconsistency in the outputs, they're growing alongside these tools, and they're excited about the opportunity to learn.
Where do you think AI belongs in the creative process?
It belongs wherever you want it to – there isn't a right or wrong approach. We all have different workflows and environments. The key is to figure out where you spend most of your time, or, perhaps more importantly, where you lose most of it. Look for those repetitive tasks that drain your energy – that's potentially the first and most successful point where you can consider implementing technology.
We need to distinguish between automation and AI, though they're often conflated. We can use AI within automation, but they're not quite the same thing. In our studio, AI sits at our table during ideation – we're not afraid to have ChatGPT next to us, throwing ideas into the mix because it can potentially give you a fresh and exciting viewpoint you hadn't considered. I'm not saying to use every output, but it's worth considering. We're also using it for scalability. I've never heard a designer say, "I love creating 500 banners in 10 different languages!" That's where AI comes in, allowing our team to focus on thinking and creativity rather than repetitive tasks. The key is to identify your pain points, as they might look different for each team or organisation.
Is AI a selling point or a red flag in marketing – both for B2B and B2C contexts?
It can be both. In B2B contexts, AI can be a compelling selling point – it demonstrates innovation and enables scalability. But when it comes to B2C, we're seeing that consumers are more critical than ever before. They want to trust a brand, and they're paying close attention to what we're putting out.
The key is transparency. Don't try to fool your audiences by replacing that human touch, and don't just use AI for the sake of it being the output. When you're honest about how you're using these tools, they can enhance rather than detract from your relationship with consumers.
Thought starters
Beyond the tool stack
As creative teams become more selective with AI tools, how might this reshape the hiring and training landscape? If mastery of specific AI tools becomes a differentiator, what does this mean for creative education and talent development? Consider how the next generation of creative professionals might need to balance technical proficiency with traditional creative skills. How will creative departments need to evolve their structure when AI expertise becomes as crucial as design fundamentals?
The authenticity paradox
If transparency about AI usage becomes standard practice, how will this affect the metrics we use to judge creative work? When everyone is open about their AI implementation, what becomes the new differentiator between brands? As consumers become more AI-literate, might we see a swing back to explicitly human-made creative work as a premium offering, or will human-AI collaboration become its own category of creative excellence?
Redefining purpose in the AI era
As AI tools become more sophisticated at answering 'what' and 'how,' might this push creative professionals to focus more deeply on 'why'? How will the role of creative directors evolve when ideation and execution become increasingly automated? Could this shift lead to new creative roles focused solely on purpose and strategy, leaving execution to AI-human collaborative teams? What happens to creative intuition in an increasingly data-driven landscape?
