Beyond the Chat Box: AI Demands a Root-and-Branch Reimagining of Business Strategy

In a fast-evolving marketplace, artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented industry shifts, forcing companies to look beyond the hype. At a recent Cannes Lions panel discussion, industry leaders gathered to dissect what AI truly means for creative agencies, tech giants, and global consumer brands.

The session’s moderator, John Piccone, opened the stage by framing the breadth of the current disruption. “Today we’re going to focus on the impact of AI for everything from media to measurement to creative,” Piccone noted, setting the stage for a candid evaluation of corporate readiness and technological potential.

Redefining the Agency and Marketing Workflows

For agencies navigating this landscape, the pressure to deliver instantaneous insights has skyrocketed. James Stephens, North America Lead at Monks, emphasized that agencies must serve as a stabilizing, thoughtful force amid the noise. He defined their evolving role as being a “...trusted partner to sort of recommend and how you get through all this complexity get to those answers fast but with sort of thoughtfulness and not over rushed mindset.” However, Stephens warned that internal corporate structures are severely lagging behind technological capabilities, stating, “I think we as an industry are tremendously siloed. I think that is a great risk to be able to actually work at the speed...”

Jeff Jacobs, a Partner at McKinsey, built on this by identifying a massive disconnect between corporate enthusiasm and actual return on investment. While McKinsey data shows roughly 85% of marketers are excited about AI, only 10% are realizing true value. “It is about fundamentally rethinking marketing,” Jacobs explained. “It is about understanding what are the workflows, what are the skills, what are the tasks, how can AI help.”

The Evolution of User Experience and Corporate Strategy

The conversation quickly turned to user experience, dispelling the myth that the internet will devolve into a singular, text-based prompt field. Eric Matisoff, Global Evangelist at Adobe, firmly rejected the idea that traditional design will vanish.

“We don’t want every website in the world or every app or experience to just be a blank chat box,” Matisoff argued. “I think that sounds like a really boring world to me and it’s not one that I want to live in.” Instead, Matisoff pointed to a future where agentic functionality is woven seamlessly into existing digital platforms, bridging the historical gap between adtech and martech data.

Liz Bacelar, Global Head of AI for Under Armour, took the critique a step further, calling for an end to “ignorant hysteria” and pushing the responsibility directly to top corporate leadership. Bacelar asserted that AI implementation is not a backend technical issue. “This is a total digital transformation strategy CEO level conversation,” Bacelar stated directly. “CEOs need to wake up to that. It’s their problem. It’s not a CTO problem.” She noted that while finance and healthcare lead AI adoption due to strict regulations, retail currently sits at the bottom of the spectrum.

Practical AI: The Personal “Second Brain”

When asked how they personally leverage AI to optimize their daily workloads, the panelists revealed highly customized setups:

• James Stephens utilizes models to “co-write, co-collaborate” for immediate feedback and dialogue.
• Eric Matisoff coded a custom Chrome extension via Claude to scrape analytics data and track trends without an API.
• Jeff Jacobs built a comprehensive “second brain” using Cursor to manage follow-ups, emails, and meeting talking points.
• Liz Bacelar automated tasks she dislikes—from calendar appointments to family grocery lists—and even built a private health app tracking her body data that “signals to me when I’m sick before I know it.”

Ultimately, the panel concluded that the future belongs to those who view AI as an enabler of human capability rather than a simple replacement. As Bacelar summarized, professionals who pair these tools with genuine “quality” and “taste” will inevitably thrive.