Sir John Hegarty: See AI as a partner, not a tool

Sir John Hegarty is a legend in the world of advertising after more than 50 years working in the industry.

He co-founded the firm Bartle Bogle Hegarty in 1982, where he was responsible for some world-famous TV and billboard campaigns. These included the celebrated 'Vorsprung durch Technik' ads for Audi and the 'Flat Eric' puppet ads for Levi's. His creative vision has made many brands world famous.

These days he is based at The Garage Soho, a creative agency and investment firm in London. He also runs the course The Business of Creativity, which helps companies unlock their creative potential through workshops.

"I think of artificial intelligence not as a tool, but as something you should collaborate with," says Hegarty. "AI is an incredible development that is going to democratise opportunity, you've got to engage with it, it's going to make whatever you do better."

But there is a fundamental caveat, he points out. AI can get you to "a certain point", but it then takes human imagination to take things further and make creative breakthroughs. He gives the example of Sir James Dyson reinventing the vacuum cleaner, when nobody quite realised the product even needed reinventing.

"Great brands are a piece of imaginary thinking," says Hegarty. "AI can help you as a collaborator, but it's your [human] imagination that will make the difference."