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Will AI be the ruin of digital agencies? 

As we stand on the precipice of the biggest disruptor that digital agencies have ever seen, Luminary MD Adam Griffith ponders whether AI will replace or revolutionise traditional agency roles.

Adam Griffith

22 June 2025

5 minute read

It feels like we’re standing on the cusp of something big, doesn’t it? You hear the chatter everywhere – AI this, ChatGPT that. For those of us in the digital agency space, it’s particularly resonant. We’re seeing tools emerge that can create content, write code, suggest design layouts, and even generate complete websites. 

It’s got me thinking: Are we witnessing a modern-day Industrial Revolution, but for the digital world?

Cast your mind back a couple of centuries. Before the looms and steam engines, skilled artisans crafted goods by hand. Weavers, spinners, blacksmiths – these were highly specialised trades. Then came industrialisation, and suddenly machines could do much of the work, faster and on a massive scale. There was fear, understandably. Livelihoods were threatened, and the way things were ‘done’ was upended.

Sound familiar?

For years, building a website or a complex digital experience has been a craft. Our developers meticulously write lines of code – the back end, the front end. Our UX designers spend hours, days, weeks understanding user journeys, wireframing, and prototyping to create intuitive interfaces. It’s a process that combines technical skill with creative artistry, much like the artisans of old. We often talk about creating ‘beautiful code’ or ‘elegant designs’ – terms that speak to this craftsmanship.

Enter the digital looms: AI in our workflow

Now, AI tools are stepping onto our digital factory floor. We’ve got AI assistants that can:

  • generate boilerplate code in seconds
  • suggest design variations based on parameters we set
  • analyse vast datasets to inform UX decisions, and
  • even help with A/B testing by predicting user responses.

It’s like going from a hand loom to a power loom. The potential for increased efficiency and output is undeniable.

History repeating? Parallels and ponderings

The parallels with the Industrial Revolution are hard to ignore.

Efficiency and scale: Just as machines allowed for the mass production of textiles and other goods, AI is promising to accelerate the pace of digital development. Complex projects that might have taken months could potentially be delivered much faster. This isn't just about doing the same things quicker; it’s about potentially tackling much larger, more intricate digital ecosystems than we might have previously.

Shifting roles, not obsolescence: The artisans of the 18th and 19th centuries didn’t all disappear. Many adapted. Their roles changed. Perhaps they became machine operators, designing the patterns, or specialists in areas the machines couldn’t touch. I see a similar path for web professionals.

Will AI write all the code? Perhaps a lot of the repetitive, foundational stuff. But will it understand a client’s nuanced business objectives, empathise deeply with a specific user’s frustration, or be able to stitch together a complex array of legacy and modern digital platforms? That’s where the human element, the strategic thinking, and the advanced problem-solving skills of experienced strategists, designers and developers will become even more critical. Our focus is likely to shift from the ‘how’ of routine tasks to the ‘why’ and ‘what if’ of digital strategy and innovation.

The fear factor vs the opportunity: There’s a natural anxiety about job displacement. It was true then, and it’s a valid concern now. However, the Industrial Revolution also led to the creation of entirely new industries and job roles that couldn’t have been conceived of before. Could AI do the same for digital? By automating the mundane, it might free us up to explore new frontiers in digital experiences, creating roles that focus more on human-AI collaboration, ethical AI implementation, or crafting incredibly sophisticated, personalised digital experiences.

Quality, craftsmanship, and the ‘human touch’: After the initial wave of mass production, a market for bespoke, handcrafted goods often remained, sometimes even gaining prestige. Will we see a similar distinction in the digital realm? Perhaps ‘AI-assisted’ becomes the norm for speed and efficiency, while ‘human-crafted’ or ‘human-perfected’ digital experiences will be valued for their unique insight, creativity, and the depth of understanding embedded within them. At Luminary, our mission is ‘to make digital bright, and the human experience brighter’. That human experience part is key.

So, what’s our approach at Luminary?

Are we panicking? Not a chance. Curious? Absolutely. Cautiously optimistic? You bet.

We’ve been part of this industry for over 25 years, and the one constant is change itself. We’ve adapted from table-based layouts to responsive design, from simple HTML sites to complex Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs), not to mention the mobile and social media evolutions. AI is just the next evolution.

We’re already exploring how these tools can augment our teams, helping us to deliver value to our clients more effectively. Can AI help us analyse data for UX insights more quickly? Can it assist in generating initial concepts or code structures that our developers then refine and build upon? Almost certainly. What’s particularly exciting is the potential for AI to help us deliver even richer, more impactful digital experiences for users, and critically, allow our clients’ budgets to go further. The key is to see AI as a powerful new set of tools in our arsenal, not a replacement for the craftspeople.

The focus will likely shift more towards strategy, creative direction, solution architecture, and ensuring that the digital solutions we build genuinely meet human needs and business objectives. An AI might be able to build a website, but can it build your website, perfectly aligned with your unique vision and your customers’ specific needs, and integrate it seamlessly with a dozen other systems? That’s where agencies like ours, with deep expertise across strategy, UX, design, development, and technology platforms, will continue to shine, helping bring digital experiences to life for organisations that will need to differentiate from the AI slop that is unfortunately already filling the web. 

The future is… well, what we make it

The Industrial Revolution was disruptive, transformative, and ultimately, it reshaped the world. The AI revolution in our field has the potential to do the same. Rather than fearing the ‘robots’, perhaps the smarter move is to learn how to work with them, to guide them, and to leverage their power to achieve things we previously only dreamed of.

The transition won’t be without its bumps, just like its historical predecessor. But it also holds immense promise for those willing to adapt, learn, and embrace the new landscape. The core principles of good design, robust development, and a user-centric approach will remain. How we execute them is what’s about to get a serious upgrade.

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