How 7 AI-powered creative tools are democratizing the work

In digital marketing, creative automation supported by data has allowed marketers to rapidly iterate and optimize. With the explosion of AI-powered creative tools in the last two years, we have seen an increased democratization of what were historically specialized skill sets. New tools have lowered the learning curve allowing for faster and more novel experimentation. As a result, large creative services agencies have been faced with rapid change as traditional processes for going to market are disrupted by the proliferation of AI-enabled tools, all competing for attention and market share. The challenge in the coming years will be the long-term normalization and adoption of AI tools, which begs the question: Which SaaS companies will rise to the top, consolidate and become the next generation of tools everyone uses—in the same way Figma became the go-to for team creative collaboration? Ad Age Gen Z Contributor Column We welcome Gen Zers to submit fresh takes exploring Gen Z within the ad industry Learn more here Today, we are running into the same problem streaming services face: too many monthly incremental costs that add up. This is especially challenging for agency teams that are seeing pricing and plans per seat increase exponentially. Young creatives can’t afford some tools once they leave school and are moving to free open-source solutions even if they are more cumbersome and difficult to learn. Here are seven solutions that are beginner-friendly, powerful and cost-effective—and purpose-built to keep pace with rapid marketing cycles and social media consumption. Canva Despite its clunky UI, Canva's free account is exceptionally powerful, allowing non-designers to easily make templates, add videos, collaborate and more. Modyfi Modyfi is a single platform to design, generate and animate so that designers do not have to switch between applications. Payment is credit-based: $5 for 500 credits. Runway Runway is an all-in-one suite for video generation and manipulation. The unlimited plan is $76 a month. Visual Electric Visual Electric, the first image generator built for designers, promises to kill the stock photo by allowing the creation of photo-realistic images using AI that do not look like AI. It features bespoke tools allowing teams to automate. The Ultra plan is $96 per month. Frame.io Cloud-based collaboration platform Frame.io enables teams to seamlessly review, share and manage video projects with real-time feedback and secure file storage. The team plan is $25 a month per person. Cavalry Cavalry offers 2D animation and motion design software that combines procedural workflows with real-time rendering, offering powerful tools for animators and designers. The starter plan is free forever. The Pro plan costs £16 per month. Glossi Glossi is a browser-based 3D content creation platform that enables users to import 3D models, customize lighting and camera settings and render high-quality visuals in real time without the need for specialized hardware or expertise. Plans start at $29 per month. Rise of the enterprise amateur We are in the era of the rise of enterprise creative amateurs—those who can leverage the ever-growing suite of AI-enabled creative tools and open-source solutions to lower cost, decrease time to market and beat agencies to the punch. The result is more polished content and an increased speed but at a shallower depth of thinking with fewer truly interesting ideas. Over the next few years, as AI tools and integrations are consolidated and standardized, the enterprise amateurs of today will be the agile CMOs of tomorrow. Gen Z Career Forum Get practical advice on launching your career and excelling in the industry Register today Better tools, more liberating rules As technology continues to fundamentally reshape how brands approach marketing, identity and creativity, the winners will be the brands that master flexibility and adaptability in creative expression while preserving brand equity and governance. To achieve this, we will see the creation of more brand-specific, generative creative tools powered by AI, flexible templating and sophisticated automation—all accessible in a browser to a globally connected workforce. Those organizations that embrace this new mindset and ways of working will transform the creative process, streamline workflows and redefine how brands develop and maintain their visual identities and marketing tool kits. Animation, audio, personalization and motion design are emerging as fundamental components of brand systems, ensuring that identities remain dynamic and engaging. Ensuring deeper collaboration across marketing, brand and creative technology teams is more critical than ever. It is at this intersection where the future of true agency value lies.

How 7 AI-powered creative tools are democratizing the work

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