MASS DENIAL SYNDROME: Why 90% of creative roles are already obsolete (and the 5 future roles that will pay 6 figures by 2027)

candyandgrim
Nov 11, 2025
2 min read

Agentic AI pipelines are live in Adobe Enterprise. Here’s who wins—and who gets displaced by automation.

The Wake-Up Call

I keep seeing it on LinkedIn:

“AI can’t come up with the idea.”
“You still need a human to talk to the client.”
“Creativity is safe.”
“AI cannot emulate and portray human emotion!”
“AI is just a tool, like Photoshop was in 2000.”

Wrong!

Today, agentic AIs, like AutoGen, LangChain, and Adobe Sensei Agents already do this loop end-to-end:

Opportunity → Ideation → Generation → A/B Testing → Posting

In 2024, it’s a prototype.

In 2025, it’s Adobe Enterprise.

And with hundreds, if not thousands, of professionals being paid (often poorly) to train AI on platforms like Mercer, Crossing Hurdles, and Micro1, the results are only getting sharper, faster, and cheaper.

Where does that leave us?

Current norm: 80+ in-house creatives + 3–5 external agencies.

2027 norm: ~8 FTE across these 5 roles — 90% headcount cut, same output velocity.

Role deep-dive

1️⃣ AI Integration Strategist

The Architect – brand creative director reimagined

Builds once: Maps Firefly → LLM → Analytics → Zapier loop.
Headcount: 0.5–1 FTE per enterprise.
Example win: Cuts social asset cost from £3k → £300 per campaign.

2️⃣ Creative Technician

The Operator – a combination of IT, artworker, and multi-media designer

Runs daily: Tweaks prompts, versions assets, kills slop.
Headcount: 1 per 2 pipelines.
Skill stack: JSON rules, Figma plugins, basic vibe coding.

3️⃣ Creative Q&A or QC (quality control)

Quality Control and Compliance Overseer – a place for today's producers, project managers, and copywriters

Filters AI hallucinations and cultural misfires. Checks compliance and that the content conforms with regional IP law
Headcount: 2–3 FTE.
Non-negotiable in regulated industries.

4️⃣ Sustainability Officer

Keeping it green, lean, and efficient

Tracks the carbon footprint of 10,000+ renders, leveraging Adobe's Substance 3D Sustainability Calculator and Resource Saver tools to quantify emissions savings (e.g., up to 98% reduction vs. physical shoots).
Headcount: 1 FTE.
EU AI Act compliance built in.

5️⃣

The Fixer – for today’s creative polymath unicorns

Jumps in post-generation to fudge, refine, and salvage AI output in real time.
Headcount: 1–2 FTE.
AI-augmented ideation in real time.

What this means for creative agencies

Enterprise scaling math (2026–2028)

Agentic creative pipeline builders: PICK YOUR STACK

Enterprise? Go governed.

Agencies? Go agile.

Here are the platforms powering 2027 creative factories, split by scale.

Enterprise-only (governed, scalable, compliant)

See the enterprise builders table below

Agencies & individuals (agile, low-code, fast)

See the agency builders table below

Your move

Read the carousel for role cheat-sheets.
Vote in the poll
DM me if you’re starting to build your new AI creative pipeline and need an AI Integration Strategist or Creative Technicians. I am UK-based but can work +/- 6hrs remotely GMT.