Generative AI is developing at an unprecedented pace. While this year AI is mainly seen as an additional tool for curious makers, in 2026 it will become the creative co-creator of your work with new trends. For marketers, communications consultants, copywriters, photographers adn designers, this doesn’t change what you create, but how you work.
The shift from performer to director is at the heart of AI creativity for professionals (affiliate), the latest book by marketer patrick Petersen. He convincingly describes that AI doesn’t replace creativity, but rather enhances it. It’s a down-to-earth, practical guide for anyone who understands that as a professional you can’t lag behind in a field that is digitizing so quickly.
Human craftsmanship continues to make the difference
Despite the speed and versatility of AI, human creativity remains indispensable. Recent analyses on Frankwatching already showed this: AI texts can be accurate and efficient, but still lack the layering, subtlety and emotional intelligence that a good copywriter adds.
Petersen agrees.According to him,the power of AI lies in offering options. You, as a professional, monitor the context, determine the nuance and provide meaning.
AI as a creative co-creator: faster, broader and richer
In the book, Petersen portrays AI as a co-creator that supports and accelerates the creative process. Not by replacing the work of the professional, but by stimulating different forms of creativity:
- Artistic creativity with AI: for example generating visuals with tools such as Leonardo, Sora and DALL·E.
- Analytical creativity with AI: recognise patterns or optimize the customer journey through data analysis with tools such as Userpilot.
- Lateral thinking: using AI to explore unexpected angles, just off the beaten track.
- thinking in two di