Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled a transformative vision that could redefine the advertising industry. In an interview with Ben Thompson of Stratechery, Zuckerberg described Meta’s plan to fully automate the advertising process using AI — a move that could render creative agencies, media planners, demographic analysts, and measurement firms obsolete.
According to Zuckerberg, the future of advertising lies in eliminating the need for businesses to create their own ads, define target audiences, or track performance. Instead, businesses would simply provide their objectives and link their bank accounts, and Meta’s AI would handle everything: ad creation, distribution across platforms, and performance analysis. He stated that companies would no longer need creative teams or audience targeting, as Meta would generate and optimize everything automatically.
This vision, referred to as “infinite creative,” imagines an AI-driven system that continuously produces and tests advertisements with minimal human involvement. While this offers increased efficiency and accessibility—particularly for small businesses—it poses a serious threat to the survival of traditional advertising agencies and brand strategists.
Industry response has been harsh. One agency CEO raised concerns about brand safety and transparency, warning that clients are unlikely to trust Meta’s self-reported results. “It’s like checking your own homework,” they said. A media executive was even more direct, describing Zuckerberg’s approach as a progression from “mild condescension to active antagonism to ‘we’ll kill you.’”
While Meta’s strategy may benefit small advertisers, it signals a seismic shift in power from agencies and brands to platforms. As AI-generated ads become more prevalent—faster and more cost-effective—they also bring a host of new challenges. The advertising world is on the cusp of a fundamental transformation, one that may prove as controversial as it is revolutionary.
