[INTERVIEW] Martin Sorrell says AI adoption lags behind hype as companies experiment, not transform

Martin Sorrell said companies are still experimenting with AI rather than transforming their businesses, despite heavy investment and hype. He said adoption is slowed by weak economic pressure and bureaucratic concerns, while consumers are moving faster than companies. He expects AI to affect media planning and buying more than creative production, and said the technology could help global firms adapt more quickly to local markets.

Sorrell said businesses are testing, auditing and launching pilot programs instead of committing to large-scale AI transformation.

He said companies are less likely to change until there is economic pressure or an existential threat.

He said AI’s biggest disruption may come in media planning and buying, where algorithms can shape audience targeting, campaign allocation and media investment.

Published Sep 8, 2026 2:20 pm KST

Updated Sep 8, 2026 2:35 pm KST

Businesses are testing AI rather than transforming operations

Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital / Courtesy of Monks

Against a backdrop of soaring investment in artificial intelligence (AI), companies are still largely experimenting with the technology rather than overhauling their businesses, advertising veteran Martin Sorrell said, as a lack of economic pressure slows the shift toward widespread adoption.

Sorrell, executive chairman of S4 Capital and former CEO of WPP, said companies have been slower to adopt AI at scale than the market’s enthusiasm might suggest, with businesses reluctant to fundamentally change operations that are still performing well.

“The sad reality is that people only change when there's an existential threat,” he said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. “People don’t change voluntarily at this scale.”

Despite heavy investment in AI infrastructure, Sorrell said spending on the technology should not be mistaken for a fundamental shift in how companies operate. Most businesses remain focused on experimenting with AI rather than committing to large-scale transformation.

“My view is that you will not get huge implementation transformation until there's economic pressure to do it,” he said, adding that companies are not yet under sufficient economic pressure to make the shift.

“What (the companies are) doing is experimenting, they are testing, auditing and launching test programs to see whether there is a benefit and things can be improved.”

He said that companies facing existential threats are more likely to move aggressively, citing automakers under pressure from Chinese electric vehicle makers, financial firms challenged by fintech companies and consumer goods businesses squeezed by margin pressure, slowing growth and geopolitical uncertainty.

The picture is different among consumers, who are adopting AI much faster than companies. He noted that businesses face greater bureaucratic hurdles, as well as concerns over intellectual property, legal liability and the risks of deploying AI across complex organizations.

Sorrell, an ad mogul with decades of industry experience, said AI’s biggest disruption may come not in creative production but in media planning and buying.

“The real impact (of AI) is going to be on media because that's where the algorithms will have the most impact,” he said.

A screenshot of a new Mirae Asset Securities advertisement created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology / Courtesy of Mirae Asset Securities

Generative AI has drawn attention for its ability to produce images, video and copy. However, Sorrell said while AI tools are likely to lift the overall quality of creative work by eliminating more mediocre output, human creativity could become more valuable in producing exceptional work.

“Because everybody can use the tools, the brain, the human element, will become even more important,” he said.

But he expects AI to have a bigger impact on media planning and buying, where algorithmic systems can automate data-driven decisions on audience targeting, campaign allocation and media investment.

As advertising becomes increasingly digital, Sorrell said such decisions will increasingly resemble investment management, with algorithms playing a greater role in determining where and how advertising budgets are allocated.

Visitors shop at Olive Young’s section inside Sephora in New York, Aug. 21. Yonhap

Turning to Korea’s growing global cultural influence — from music and drama to beauty and food — Sorrell said he does not see the K-culture boom as a passing phenomenon.

“I don’t think it’s a one-time thing,” he said, adding that Korea has further room to expand globally across technology, cosmetics, food and entertainment.

For Korean companies seeking growth overseas, Sorrell said one of the biggest challenges will be balancing global scale with local relevance as geopolitical tensions and trade barriers make markets increasingly fragmented.

He said global companies will need to become “much less centralized,” giving regional and local operations more flexibility to respond to differences in culture, consumer behavior and market conditions.

Sorrell added AI could make that shift more practical by allowing global companies to adapt content and campaigns for individual markets at much greater speed and scale. Instead of creating separate campaigns from scratch for each market, companies can increasingly produce a core set of assets and tailor them to local languages and cultural nuances.

“The technology favors flexibility,” Sorrell noted.

马丁·索雷尔表示，尽管人工智能领域投入巨大且宣传力度很大，但企业仍在尝试应用人工智能，而非真正将其应用于业务转型。他认为，经济压力疲软和官僚主义的阻碍拖慢了人工智能的普及速度，而消费者的接受速度却比企业更快。他预计人工智能对媒体策划和购买的影响将大于创意制作，并表示这项技术可以帮助全球企业更快地适应本地市场。

索雷尔表示，企业正在测试、审核和启动试点项目，而不是致力于大规模的人工智能转型。

他表示，除非面临经济压力或生存威胁，否则公司不太可能做出改变。

他表示，人工智能最大的颠覆性影响可能体现在媒体策划和购买方面，算法可以影响受众定位、广告投放分配和媒体投资。

发布于2026年9月8日下午2:20（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月8日下午2:35（韩国标准时间）

企业正在测试人工智能，而不是转型运营模式。

S4 Capital创始人兼执行主席Martin Sorrell / 图片由Monks提供

广告业资深人士马丁·索雷尔表示，尽管人工智能 (AI) 投资激增，但各公司仍主要在试验这项技术，而不是彻底改革其业务，因为缺乏经济压力减缓了人工智能向广泛采用的转变。

S4 Capital 执行主席兼 WPP 前首席执行官 Sorrell 表示，企业大规模采用人工智能的速度比市场热情所暗示的要慢，因为企业不愿从根本上改变目前运营状况良好的业务。

“令人遗憾的是，人们只有在面临生存威胁时才会改变，”他在最近接受《韩国时报》采访时表示。“人们不会自愿做出如此大规模的改变。”

尽管企业在人工智能基础设施方面投入巨资，但索雷尔表示，不应将对这项技术的投入误解为企业运营方式的根本性转变。大多数企业仍然专注于人工智能的试验，而不是致力于大规模转型。

“我认为，只有当经济压力迫使企业做出改变时，才会出现大规模的实施转型，”他说道，并补充说，目前企业还没有足够的经济压力来进行这种转变。

“这些公司正在做的是试验，他们进行测试、审核并推出测试项目，以了解是否有益处以及是否可以改进。”

他表示，面临生存威胁的公司更有可能采取激进的行动，例如受到中国电动汽车制造商压力的汽车制造商、受到金融科技公司挑战的金融公司以及受到利润率压力、增长放缓和地缘政治不确定性挤压的消费品企业。

消费者的情况则截然不同，他们接受人工智能的速度远超企业。他指出，企业面临着更大的官僚障碍，以及对知识产权、法律责任和在复杂组织中部署人工智能的风险的担忧。

拥有数十年行业经验的广告大亨索雷尔表示，人工智能最大的颠覆性影响可能不在于创意制作，而在于媒体策划和购买。

他说：“人工智能的真正影响将体现在媒体领域，因为算法将在媒体领域发挥最大的作用。”

这是未来资产证券运用人工智能（AI）技术制作的一则新广告的截图 / 图片由未来资产证券提供

生成式人工智能因其生成图像、视频和文案的能力而备受关注。然而，索雷尔表示，虽然人工智能工具可能通过减少平庸的作品来提升创意作品的整体质量，但人类的创造力在创作卓越作品方面可能更具价值。

“因为每个人都可以使用这些工具，所以大脑，也就是人的因素，将会变得更加重要，”他说。

但他预计人工智能将在媒体策划和购买方面产生更大的影响，算法系统可以自动做出数据驱动的决策，包括受众定位、广告活动分配和媒体投资。

索雷尔表示，随着广告越来越数字化，此类决策将越来越类似于投资管理，算法将在决定广告预算的分配地点和方式方面发挥更大的作用。

8月21日，顾客在纽约丝芙兰门店的Olive Young专柜购物。（韩联社）

谈到韩国日益增长的全球文化影响力——从音乐和戏剧到美容和美食——索雷尔表示，他不认为韩流文化热潮只是一种昙花一现的现象。

“我认为这不是一次性的事情，”他说道，并补充说，韩国在全球科技、化妆品、食品和娱乐领域还有进一步扩张的空间。

索雷尔表示，对于寻求海外发展的韩国企业而言，最大的挑战之一将是在全球规模与本地相关性之间取得平衡，因为地缘政治紧张局势和贸易壁垒使市场日益分散。

他表示，全球性公司需要变得“更加分散”，赋予区域和本地运营更大的灵活性，以应对文化、消费者行为和市场状况的差异。

索雷尔补充道，人工智能可以让这种转变更加切实可行，它能够帮助全球企业以更快的速度和更大的规模针对各个市场调整内容和营销活动。企业无需为每个市场从零开始创建单独的营销活动，而是可以制作一套核心素材，并根据当地语言和文化差异进行定制。

索雷尔指出：“这项技术有利于灵活性。”