WPP’s Andy Hood on why AI is nothing without the human touch

AI ethics guidelines embedded into the WP Open platform and WPP is very open with clients as to where they use genAI: “It’s a subject that requires clarity and understanding, particularly in this transition era,” said Hood.

He is keen to stress that AI doesn’t create the work, but rather people create the work using AI. “It’s more than creating an image or copy, AI floods through all tasks we do and helps us to do radical new things we couldn’t do before, pushing the boundaries and expanding our imagination,” he said. “It also helps transform how we do tasks from the mundane to the sophisticated.” 

WPP is also investing in people, through partnerships with Oxford University or the WPP creative technology apprenticeship to seek out creative talent with a passion for technology that come from a huge array of backgrounds. 

Hood explains that while genAI plays a huge role in the curriculum, the people are fundamental. “If we believed that generative AI was going to do all this work, there would be no reason for this programme to exist,” he concluded. “The best people, with the best tools, do the best work. We want to do radical new things, we want to transform how we do them and dramatically expand the types of people who do this kind of work, and genAI is at the heart of a lot of that.”