AI Lunch & Learn 2025: Listening, Questioning and Engaging Over Lunch

When there’s an elephant in the room, it’s often easier to pretend it isn’t there. But the topic of AI in the arts has become so large, so all-encompassing, confusing, and culturally relevant that it’s impossible to ignore. 

‍

The future of the workforce is upon us, and our latest AI Lunch & Learn, Greg Bauch, Associate Director at Gelia, opened up a conversation about AI between other industry leaders that we don’t expect to close: not now, not in the next decade. 

Opening the Discussion

‍

Greg opened our session with his unmistakably radio-ready voice, introducing the concept of AI work in an agency setting and accounting for the vast number of AI tools that have become operational in only a couple of years. The standout moments of our session came when Greg opened up the floor to the audience, framing a question about the ethics of using AI to produce client work. That one question lead to a series of others, such as:

‍

1. Should a client be informed if AI is used to help produce agency work, and at what level? Most leaders agreed that if new content is produced, a client should be informed. But what about editorial work? What about an AI brush over a human-made graphic, or an AI generated idea used in a sentence of written copy? Where do we draw the line?
2. Should pre-existing agencies spend the time and capital to integrate AI into workflow, or is this a waste of capital for those who have proven they have the skills necessary to succeed?
3. How does the unmitigated use of AI in universities around the country impact the entry-level workforce looking to join agencies, but lacking the skills of their non-AI using colleagues? Or, can AI really replace the talents and efforts of previous generations?

‍

The Unanswered Questions

‍

It’s likely these questions won’t have definitive answers within the next decade, and with the tortoise pace of legislative decision-making around AI, it’s likely we won’t have legal guidelines to follow for quite some time. That’s why it’s all the more important for current industry leaders to come together and begin to set the standards from the inside. 

‍

We were thrilled to see a turnout of at least thirty-five professionals for Thursday’s Lunch and Learn from over twenty-seven different Teams accounts. Our hope here at AAF Buffalo is to continue to create platforms for industry leaders, employees, and students to come to shape the discourse around this particular elephant. 

‍

Interested in future events? 

‍

Join AAF Buffalo to engage in our events, meet industry professionals, and find your community here in the Queen City.