What's new in Creative AI

In this episode, Spark's co-founders, Emma and Jules discuss the launch of the Spark AI Maturity Score. They walk through why it's worth doing, how the questions actually work, and what your results mean once you've got them. And of course, they delve into latest tool updates worth knowing about. See where you stand: https://www.wearespark.ai/spark-ai-maturity-score00:00:00 - Welcome & Summer Roundup00:02:15 - Launching The Spark AI Maturity Score00:04:30 - Usage Isn't Capability00:06:30 - Why This Model Is Different00:09:30 - Four Pillars & Four Stages00:14:00 - Score As A Team & Benchmarking00:16:30 - Tool Updates00:21:47 - Closing Thoughts & Show NotesSpark AI – AI training, consultancy and agent building for agencies and brands. Your AI performance partnerFind us here: Emma LinkedIn Jules LinkedInWearespark.ai Subscribe to the Spark Intelligence NewsletterResources mentioned: Omnicom, Adobe & Axiom creative-at-scale partnership: https://www.omc.com/newsroom/omnicom-expands-adobe-partnership-to-drive-industry-specific-ai-powered-marketing-transformation/Google NotebookLM: https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/05/keep-your-sources-up-to-date-with-automatic-Drive-syncing-in-NotebookLM.htmlGemini Sheets Canvas: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/workspace/sheets-canvas-for-google-sheets-spreadsheets/

Spark AI is a consultancy helping agencies and creative teams build organisation-wide AI capability. Together, we'll build the engine that changes not just how your team works – but what your organisation is capable of.Spark co-founders, Jules and Emma unpack what's actually changing in agency AI adoption right now: why culture change matters more than model choice, how creative AI has quietly gone mainstream, and why pricing models are finally shifting for real. Plus interviews with Toby Walsh of Made by Humans and Tracy Kylon, Microsoft's head of AI for advertising.Video chapters:00:00:00 - Intro & What's Ahead00:02:41 - Culture Change Over Tools00:09:43 - Made by Humans Interview00:18:37 - Workflow Redesign with AI00:23:22 - Microsoft Copilot & Claude Co-work00:37:05 - Brand Is the New Code00:43:09 - The 3Ds of AI Skills00:47:13 - AI Pricing ModelsHarness AI across your organisation – and deliver more for your clients, protect your margins and create opportunities that simply didn't exist before.https://www.wearespark.ai/Spark AI news and services:Subscribe to the Spark Intelligence Newsletter: https://spark-intelligence.beehiiv.com/subscribeJules LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juleslove/Emma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmawhartonlove/Resources mentioned:Made by Humans: https://www.madebyhumans.world/Microsoft Clarity AI Visibility: https://clarity.microsoft.com/ai-visibilityWorkflow redesign research: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6513481Discussion on webflows: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bima-house-cannes-2026-tickets-1987046323042?aff=oddtdtcreator

Spark AI is a consultancy helping agencies and creative teams build organisation-wide AI capability. Together, we'll build the engine that changes not just how your team works – but what your organisation is capable of.Jules and Emma dig into three findings from the Spring 2026 Spark Report: why agencies are saving time with AI but not seeing the benefit, the governance gap that's leaving teams exposed, and the growing distance between how confident people feel about AI and how capable they actually are. Plus a Spark team update and what Jules and Emma have been building.Resources mentioned:The Spring 2026 Spark Report – AI in Agencies: From Activity to Advantage: https://www.wearespark.ai/the-spark-report-ai-in-agencies-benchmarkMatthew's article in The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/generative-ai-creativity-governance-economy-content-renaissance-b2957183.htmlSpark Sessions – Chris Murphy, Tuncarp: https://www.wearespark.ai/spark-sessions-creative-ai-operating-system-with-tuncarp Book in to meet us in Cannes – https://www.wearespark.ai/cannes-2026Harness AI across your organisation – and deliver more for your clients, protect your margins and create opportunities that simply didn't exist before.https://www.wearespark.ai/

We've dedicated this entire episode to The Spark Report.Our fourth bi-annual benchmark on AI in agencies is out now. We surveyed 70+ agencies, combined that with qualitative research and interviews, and this edition – AI in Agencies: From Activity to Advantage – is about the gap between doing AI and building something lasting from it.Jules and Emma go through all six key findings: where recovered time is actually going, why Shadow AI has become a governance issue, what the 83% vs 15% confidence gap really means, and why the biggest divide in AI adoption now sits inside a single agency rather than between them.Practical, research-backed, and direct.📊 Download The Spark Report: https://www.wearespark.ai/the-spark-report-ai-in-agencies-benchmark📘 Grab our book Shift – AI for Agencies: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781339511/🧠 Subscribe to Spark Intelligence: https://www.wearespark.ai/spark-intelligence-ai-newsletter-for-creative-industries

We've dedicated this entire episode to The Spark Report.Our fourth bi-annual benchmark on AI in agencies is out now. 70+ agencies, combined that with qualitative research and interviews, and this edition – AI in Agencies: From Activity to Advantage – is about the gap between doing AI and building something lasting from it.Jules and Emma go through all six key findings: where recovered time is actually going, why Shadow AI has become a governance issue, what the 83% vs 15% confidence gap really means, and why the biggest divide in AI adoption now sits inside a single agency rather than between them.Practical, research-backed, and direct.📊 Download The Spark Report📘 Grab our book Shift – AI for Agencies 🧠 Subscribe to Spark Intelligence

In this episode of What's New in Creative AI, Jules and Emma, co founders of Spark AI connect three threads: new research on what AI fluency actually looks like and how to measure it, hard data on where AI creates real commercial value for agencies (and where it doesn't), and a growing burnout problem that nobody's addressing properly. Plus updates on what's happening at Spark AI. What we cover:The 11-Point Fluency Check: How to measure if your team is actually skilled or just frequent users.The Valuation Hit: Why only 1 in 4 agencies have updated their contracts - and how that’s giving acquirers a negotiation lever to lower your multiple.The Exhaustion Paradox: Why AI is saving time but leaving teams more tired than ever (The "workslop" cycle).All the links we refer to in the pod: Spark AI news and servicesAI Accelerator:https://www.wearespark.ai/ai-acceleratorBook: Shift – AI for Agencies:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shift-Agencies-adoption-operating-transformation/dp/1915483161Subscribe to the Spark Intelligence Newsletter:https://spark-intelligence.beehiiv.com/subscribeFuture of Skills & Hiring Report:https://www.wearespark.ai/future-of-skills-hiring-ai-agenciesJules LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juleslove/Emma LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmawhartonlove/Section 1: AI FluencyAnthropic’s AI Fluency Index Research:https://www.anthropic.com/news/ai-fluency-indexEthan Mollick’s One Useful Thing:https://www.oneusefulthing.org/Section 2: AI & agency commercials and performanceWebinar: AI Strategy, Profit, and M&A with Rory Spence:https://www.wearespark.ai/ai-strategy-agencies-2026-profit-m-aThe Wow Company:https://www.thewowcompany.com/Section 3: AI BurnoutHBR: AI Doesn't Reduce Work – It Intensifies It:https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-it

🚨 We're back! And there's a lot to catch up on.In the latest episode of What’s New in Creative AI, we dig into the biggest shifts shaping the future of marketing, content and creative work - and share some major Spark AI news. 👇🎙️ In this episode, we cover:The launch of our book Shift AI for Agencies - now an Amazon #1 bestsellerWhy the cost of AI content is collapsing (and what that means for creative value)The “infinite content” problem - and 4 things that will stay scarceHow brand experiences are evolving What happens when content, code and labour all become basically freeWhat WPP Open Pro and Figma’s Weevy deal tell us about the new agency landscape3 mega-shifts in media, including agentic buying and AI-powered browsersClaude Skills, Synthesia video agents, and Copilot’s latest upgradesIf you lead a creative team or agency, this is your quick, clear and critical update on what matters now in AI - and what’s coming next.📕 Grab the book: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781339511/]🧠 Join our newsletter: [https://www.wearespark.ai/spark-intelligence-ai-newsletter-for-creative-industries]

We’re back from Cannes Lions with a lot to unpack.Spark's regular 30 minute podcast on what's new in creative AI - everything you need to know to grow your creative business and career in a world with AI. We cover: — Latest updates to AI tools and new launches — AI news and gossip relevant to creatives — AI creative campaigns out in the wild — How we are using AI within our business Featuring Spark AI co-founders Jules Love and Emma Wharton Love.Learn more about how we support teams, run workshops, and create clarity in a fast-moving space:👉 ⁠wearespark.ai

Spark's regular 30 minute podcast on what's new in creative AI - everything you need to know to grow your creative business and career in a world with AI. We cover:— Latest updates to AI tools and new launches— AI news and gossip relevant to creatives— AI creative campaigns out in the wild— How we are using AI within our businessFeaturing Jules Love and Emma Wharton Love-------------------------------------------------------------------At Spark, our mission is to empower marketing and creative agencies to confidently adopt and apply AI – turning uncertainty into inspiration. We help you cut through the noise, stay ahead of change, and build bold, creative work with AI in your toolkit.Learn more about how we support teams, run workshops, and create clarity in a fast-moving space:👉 wearespark.ai

Spark's regular 30 minute podcast on what's new in creative AI - everything you need to know to grow your creative business and career in a world with AI. We cover:— Latest updates to AI tools and new launches— AI news and gossip relevant to creatives— AI creative campaigns out in the wild— How we are using AI within our businessFeaturing Jules Love and Emma Wharton Love------------------------------------------------------------------- At Spark, our mission is to empower marketing and creative agencies to confidently adopt and apply AI – turning uncertainty into inspiration. We help you cut through the noise, stay ahead of change, and build bold, creative work with AI in your toolkit.Learn more about how we support teams, run workshops, and create clarity in a fast-moving space:👉 wearespark.ai