Artificial intelligence dominated the stages, launches and conversations during the Cannes Lions 2026. But, after a week of debates at the largest creativity festival in the world, the perception shared by marketing leaders and industry executives was different: technology is no longer seen as a competitive differentiator in itself.
In interviews given to , representatives of major brands, digital platforms and technology companies pointed out that, as AI is incorporated into operations, attributes such as creativity, trust, connection with consumers and impact on business results become even more important.
For the director of Agencies and Branding Solutions at Google Brazil, Aline Modathe market is experiencing a change of stage in the adoption of technology.“We are leaving that ‘wow’ phase of artificial intelligence and entering the practical, applicability phase,” he stated.
According to her, to increase creativity, accelerate production processes, generate insights and increase productivity, in addition to improving campaign performance.
The assessment is similar to that of the vice-president of Meta for Latin America, Maren Four. She states that the incorporation of artificial intelligence to the company’s platforms has increased the efficiency of messages, making the targeting of messages more precise and improving conversions. At the same time, it highlights that technology alone does not solve a central problem in current advertising: relevance.
“No one wants to receive a advertising which is not of interest”, she stated. According to her, combining relevant content with more efficient segmentation is what allows brands to improve results.
On TikTok, artificial intelligence also appears as a tool to speed up processes, especially in the content creator economy.O Global Head of Creative Lab da plataforma, Moritz Bartschstated that AI should facilitate the connection between advertisers and creators by identifying which profiles produce the most suitable content for each campaign. “AI will help speed up this entire cycle,” he said.
Technology, however, appears as a starting point — not an arrival point. For the vice president of Brand, Communication and Creative Studios at Amazon Brazil, Camila Nunesa artificial intelligence should, in a short time, become part of the companies’ operational routine. Still, she says there is one element that remains irreplaceable.
“We will never lose this proximity to the consumer and this ability to create an emotional connection so that the person feels that the brand speaks to them”, he stated.
Vice President of Marketing and Innovation at Diageo Brasil, Guilherme Martins argues that brands need to recognize that the leading role belongs to people, not products.
“The protagonists are people. Artificial intelligence optimizes, enhances, accelerates. But it cannot capture this real human connection,” he stated.
The vision is shared by the Vice President of Marketing at Unilever Foods Latin America, Carolina Riotto. For her, content creators who share real stories and authentic experiences are able to establish stronger connections between brands and consumers.
“When creators tell this story truthfully, we create relevant content and connect our brands with consumers,” he said.
While artificial intelligence is now being treated as a , another theme appeared repeatedly among the executives interviewed by CNN: the return of creativity to the center of companies’ strategic decisions.
For Chipotle’s CMO, Fernando Machado, creativity is no longer treated just as an element of brand building and is now directly associated with companies’ financial performance.
“Today there is proof that creativity generates more sales, generates more profitability. Companies that believe and invest in creativity have better results”, he stated.
In the assessment of the CMO of Heineken Brasil, Cecilia Bottaithis discussion is no longer restricted to the areas of marketing and advertising. According to her, creativity has become part of the conversations of investors and shareholders, precisely because of its impact on building brand value in the long term.
“If you’re not creative, no one sees you, no one hears you, no one pays attention,” he said. “Creativity is now a shareholder conversation. Investing in a brand is a long-term investment.”
This transformation has also changed the role of marketing leaders themselves within companies.
For the CMO of TIM Brasil, Marcos Lacerdathe function is no longer focused solely on communication to assume a more strategic position.
“The role of the CMO has migrated from a more departmental area to an absolutely collaborative role for the company’s business. Today communication needs to generate value for the brand, but also concrete results for the business”, he stated.
The idea that creativity and business go together was reinforced by Luiz SanchesGlobal Chief Creative and Design Officer at Kimberly-Clark. After more than three decades leading agencies and now working on the advertisers’ side, he argues that creativity has returned to the center of corporate decisions.
“Creativity is what differentiates brands,” he said. For Sanches, the excess of information and content available makes consumers choose brands in the same way they choose music on a streaming platform.
“Brands have become selectable. They need to create an emotional connection with people,” he said. In the executive’s assessment, another asset tends to gain importance in the coming years.
“If I had to choose an asset for the future it would be trust,” he said. “In an increasingly fragmented world, building this bridge of trust means building an emotional bond with the brand.”
The president and CEO of AlmapBBDO, Felipe Bartholomeu sees artificial intelligence increasing the efficiency of companies, but not replacing human judgment.
“There is a big difference between efficiency and effectiveness. Machines will help us do things right. But it remains people’s responsibility to decide what are the right things to do,” he said. According to Bartholomeu, this change increases — and does not reduce — the value of creativity.
“Creativity will increasingly be society’s currency. We can delegate the rest to machines,” said Bartholomeu.
Over the course of a week in which artificial intelligence was present in many of the Cannes Lions panels, the technology appeared in the interviews given to CNN Brasil less as a promise for the future and more like a tool already incorporated into the daily lives of companies.
Among the executives interviewed, the consensus was not about the potential of AI, but about what it does not yet replace: creativity, trust, connection with consumers and the ability to transform these relationships into growth for brands.
