At Storyboard18’s Global Pioneers Summit, Kunal Shah, the founder and CEO of CRED, offered an introspective take on artificial intelligence, positioning himself as a lifelong learner in an era of technological acceleration.
“The advantage of being ‘dumb’ in life is that you have unlimited questions,” Shah remarked candidly. “When you have unlimited questions about things you don’t understand, AI becomes magical. For people like me, who are clueless about many things, AI lets us explore, stay curious, and learn—without the fear of expertise being challenged.”
Shah’s humility, however, belies his keen insights into the shifting technological landscape. “Ironically, many experts are in denial of AI,” he observed. “But people like me, who never claimed to be experts, are embracing it. It’s a great time—we’re all leveling up in different ways. Personally, I ask around 100 questions a day. AI just fuels that curiosity.”
Shah believes artificial intelligence will redefine creativity, producing a new generation of “hybrids”—individuals who use AI to amplify their thinking. “If you’re truly creative, AI is a catalyst,” he noted. “It gives you feedback, prompts, and new dimensions to explore. But those who merely follow formulas to survive will struggle. AI will expose them.”
When asked whether AI has democratized mediocrity, Shah responded with a nuanced take: “Originality is a curious person’s ability to connect dots—more dots, across a wider, deeper spectrum than most people. No one is born original. They just explore more. AI increases the efficiency of collecting dots. So, those who connect them well will thrive. But it’s overwhelming. You realize how little you know, and you must level up constantly.”
He pointed to the shifting creative landscape: “Earlier, you needed a good agency to make a decent print ad. Today, an intern with AI can do 80 to 85 percent of that job. And soon, we’ll have tools to audit creativity, filter bad work, and help us develop better taste.”
Reflecting on the advertising industry’s evolution, Shah noted that the very nature of iconic campaigns has changed. “Back when I grew up, iconic ads stood out because we weren’t overwhelmed with short videos. Now, everything is a short video—ads, reels, YouTube. Hours of content are consumed daily. Our memory for standout moments has shrunk.”
He sees today’s youth as a uniquely challenged audience. “Younger people today are perpetually bored. They’ve seen it all. Their threshold for emotion is extremely high. For example, a five-year-old can laugh at the same cartoon repeatedly because they don’t recognize patterns yet. But older audiences have been exposed to every kind of content—Korean shows, global memes, formats, themes.”
At CRED, this insight shaped their approach. “We deliberately didn’t follow the ad formula. People didn’t even know what CRED did initially—and that confusion sparked conversations. CMOs were discussing us in their WhatsApp groups. That was success.”
Shah also highlighted a fundamental shift in household decision-making. “Every household now has a Chief Technology Officer between the ages of 10 and 18. They’re becoming the Chief Procurement Officers too. They onboarded you to quick commerce, vaccine apps, movie trailers. Businesses will soon cater to them. Their tastes, expectations, and boredom thresholds are unlike anything we’ve seen.”
This shift in behavior, Shah believes, will also redefine how we spend our time and money. “Humans do two types of transactions: boring—paying bills, buying bread, charging phones. And interesting—vacations, time with family, movies.”
AI, he suggested, will increasingly automate the boring ones, allowing people to redirect time and money toward emotionally fulfilling, high-engagement experiences.
While many tech companies aim to serve the masses, Shah pointed out that in India, a small but influential consumer base wields outsized influence. “Twenty to thirty million customers drive 70 to 80 percent of consumption—whether it’s e-commerce, food delivery, or financial products. A relatively small group dominates.”
AI, he believes, will amplify this divide. “The top 30 million will behave like global citizens. Their content preferences are already aligned globally. They’re watching the same Netflix shows as U.S. audiences. This opens up exciting possibilities—we can build Indian brands that sell to global markets. But engaging these consumers is getting harder. They have access to everything.”
Shah envisions a future where traditional advertisements may become obsolete. “Imagine a tool that mutes ads during IPL matches and plays music instead—then resumes the match. That’s 15 minutes away from becoming mainstream. TVs will soon come with this built-in. Or imagine AI agents doing your shopping without seeing a single ad—they’re instructed to buy specific brands and ignore the rest. That changes everything.”
He speculates, “We may not need ads in the future.”
Beyond technology, Shah is focused on the human ability to adapt. “The pace of tech is outstripping our ability to keep up. We’re moving from ChatGPT to generative images to AI agents—fast. The biggest disruption will be how humans adapt. High-commitment actions—like having kids—might decline. People may choose perpetual excitement over long-term responsibility.”
“The largest employer in the world is inefficiency. And AI is eliminating that—rapidly. Most people aren’t built to constantly re-learn and re-adapt. But some are. Some thrive in chaos and change. We’ll have to choose which type of person we want to be.”
With AI reshaping industries, creativity, and human behavior, Shah’s reflections offer a glimpse into a future where the ability to question, adapt, and innovate will be more critical than ever.
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More about the Storyboard18 Global Pioneers Summit
The Global Pioneers Summit is a celebration and exploration of the transformative potential of creativity, empowering individuals and businesses to think differently, act boldly, and craft a future that resonates with purpose and vision. Creativity is not just about artistic expression — it is a force for solving real-world problems, innovating products, and creating connections in ways that traditional methods cannot. And there are pioneers behind this shift, who have dared to think different.
The Global Pioneers Summit stands as a premier celebration of the visionary forces propelling businesses forward, spotlighting the global brands emerging from India — an ever-growing hub of creativity and innovation on the world stage.
From groundbreaking innovations to impactful storytelling, key decision-makers and innovators from business, marketing, advertising, tech, and academia exchange insights, build connections, and draw inspiration from some of the most compelling work driving industries forward globally.
In today’s rapidly evolving world, creativity can be a powerful force to drive business growth, shape industries, and influence societal behavior, culture, and values. Storyboard18 Global Pioneers Summit puts the spotlight on the true purpose and power of creativity and the pioneers leading the way.