Apple's Tor Myhren Says 'AI Will Not Save Advertising' at Cannes Lions

Apple's Tor Myhren Says 'AI Will Not Save Advertising' in Rallying Cry for Human Creativity 

The marketing leader opened Cannes Lions by arguing for human craft as the industry's superpower.

Like advertisers from Coca-Cola to Google, Apple has previously caught backlash for seemingly elevating technology’s power above human creativity.

But on the first day of Cannes Lions, Apple marketing leader Tor Myhren made a case for human creativity as the industry’s savior and superpower.  

Like last year, AI will likely be a hot topic at Cannes Lions. There’s both good news and bad news when it comes to AI, according to Myhren, vice president of marketing communications at Apple, which is Cannes Lions’ 2025 Creative Marketer of the Year

“The good news is AI is not going to kill advertising,” Myhren said on stage Monday. “The bad news is AI is not going to save advertising. We’ve got to save ourselves, by believing in what’s always made this industry special: human creativity.”

Apple has long been a creatively esteemed brand, so Myhren’s talk drew a large crowd. But his comments were also notable after the company drew backlash last year for its “Crush” ad, which depicted a hydraulic press flattening artistic objects such as musical instruments, paint cans, and a camera.

Some critics called the ad “soul-crushing” for its portrayal of the destruction of creative tools, and it tapped into creative people’s fear about how tech like AI could jeopardize their professions. Myrhen apologized for “Crush” at the time, saying, “We missed the mark.”

In his Cannes remarks, Myrhen shifted the focus away from technology to the human talent at the heart of the industry. “Human touch is our superpower,” he said. “It’s the secret to building long-term brand love.”

For those still fearful about AI’s potential destructive power, Myhren ended his speech with a call to action: “AI will ride shotgun and be the best creative partner this industry has ever seen,” he said. “But we’ve got to drive.”

Headshot of Brittaney Kiefer

Brittaney Kiefer

Brittaney is Adweek's creative editor based in London.