At Storyboard18’s Global Pioneers Summit, Daniel Hulme, CEO of SATALIA and Chief AI Officer at WPP, offered a bold vision of artificial intelligence’s growing influence in marketing and business. Speaking to an audience of industry leaders, he underscored AI’s potential not only to transform marketing but also to optimize global energy consumption—potentially cutting it in half while maintaining abundance.
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“Companies don’t have insight problems — they have decision problems,” Hulme remarked. “Automation is useful—but by definition, it’s stupid. It does the same thing repeatedly and expects different results. That’s not intelligence.”
Hulme cautioned against fixating on AI definitions, urging businesses instead to focus on its applications. “The battleground isn’t generic content — it’s brand-specific, production-grade content,” he asserted. “You’re not going to create a prompt accurate enough to make a perfect ad. You might have an AI on your phone, but that’s not a co-pilot — that’s a digital you.”
Dismissing the idea of benchmarking machines against humans, Hulme argued that using human intelligence as the gold standard is flawed. “Even professors can’t solve a media plan,” he observed. “You’re building a digital twin, whether you realize it or not. The next challenge for marketing isn’t just reaching humans — it’s reaching AI agents.”
On the topic of ethics, Hulme made a striking assertion: “There’s no such thing as AI ethics. Humans have intent — AIs don’t. It’s human intent that needs scrutiny.”
He warned of the risks of AI reinforcing biases and social bubbles. “If your AI goes too far in one direction, it could end up selling only to clones of yourself — amplifying biases instead of broadening perspectives. The question to ask is: what happens if my AI succeeds too well?”
The conversation turned personal when Hulme revealed that the CEO of WPP had been digitally cloned last year—an attempt at fraud using an AI-generated likeness.
Hulme also touched on AI’s broader implications, suggesting that advances in machine learning could have existential consequences. “Some scientists believe the first person who won’t have to die is already alive today,” he noted. “We’re now working on machine consciousness—because this future is coming faster than we thought. When superintelligence arrives, look busy, be kind, and maybe it’ll go off to a different dimension.”
On the role of leadership in an AI-powered world, Hulme emphasized the importance of talent and decision-making. “Data makes AI smart. Talent makes it work. Leadership makes it scale,” he said. “You won’t beat your competitors without differentiated AI talent. Leadership isn’t a title — it’s knowing where to place the right bets in a world transformed by AI.”
As AI continues to evolve at a breathtaking pace, Hulme’s remarks served as both a caution and a call to action, urging business leaders to navigate the opportunities and challenges of an AI-driven future with foresight and responsibility.
The summit, held on March 28 in Mumbai under the theme Powering Change Through Creative Catalysts, examined the intersection of creativity and commerce, highlighting how innovative thinking is driving advancements in technology, marketing, and consumer engagement. This year’s event drew a distinguished lineup of speakers, including government officials, corporate executives, and marketing visionaries. Among them were Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region; Prabha Narasimhan, Managing Director and CEO of Colgate-Palmolive (India); and Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé India.
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.