There is no shortcut to great work

AI accelerates. Automates. Delivers output at an impressive scale. That much is universally acknowledged. But those who use AI solely to work faster or cheaper are thinking too small. The true value lies not in replacing time with technology, but in collaborating with it.

Recent research in the Chinese food industry shows this in black and white: the greatest efficiency gains do not come from AI alone, but from the combination of creative brand development and AI-driven optimisation. In other words: it is human imagination, enriched by algorithmic precision, that makes the real difference.

For communications strategists, this means something fundamental. AI is not a shortcut — it is a partner. A second brain that helps explore more ideas, test more alternatives, and make sharper decisions. But the direction, the nuance, the meaning — those still come from us.

So no, there is no shortcut to great work. But there is a lever. And it lies precisely at the intersection of human and machine.