WPP’s AI Playbook: Less Hype, More Smart Decisions

At The Drum’s Predictions 2025 event, WPP’s Chief AI Officer, Daniel Hulme, laid out the company’s approach to AI—one that prioritizes solving actual business problems over chasing shiny new tech. Hulme warned against the common pitfall of using AI to generate insights without a clear plan for decision-making. He emphasized that businesses often don’t suffer from a lack of insights but rather from ineffective decision-making. His definition of AI? Not just machines doing human tasks but “goal-directed adaptive behavior”—a system that learns, improves, and makes better decisions over time.

WPP’s AI strategy focuses on six key areas: task automation, content generation, human representation, insight extraction, complex decision-making, and human augmentation. While automation and generative AI are part of the mix, Hulme made it clear that brands shouldn’t just pump out content but instead focus on differentiated, high-quality outputs. WPP is also leveraging AI to predict audience reactions before launching campaigns, using machine learning models called “Audience Brains” to optimize creative decisions. The real game-changer, he noted, is explainability—not just predicting ad performance but understanding why an ad works (or flops).

Beyond execution, WPP is tackling AI governance and ethics. Hulme posed three essential questions: Is the intent appropriate? How does the algorithm make decisions? What happens if it goes too far? He even challenged the concept of “AI ethics,” arguing that AI itself lacks intent—humans must take responsibility for how it’s deployed. As AI evolves, marketers must prepare for a future where they’re not just persuading humans but also “marketing to AI”—as smart assistants and digital twins begin making purchase decisions on behalf of consumers. In other words, the real AI revolution isn’t just about making ads—it’s about reshaping the way we decide.

Full story at the Drum.