Rana Najjar, Arabic Creative Director, on AI
For Rana Najjar, Arabic Creative Director, AI “acts as a catalyst for reaching outcomes faster, whether by streamlining processes, improving precision, or allowing us to take on more complex challenges.” To her, it is a fact of today’s world, so much that she’s “incorporated various AI tools across a range of tasks. This includes strategic planning, generating copy, creating images, and even producing animations. Each of these tools brings unique advantages that allow us to explore ideas and execute concepts in ways that wouldn’t have been as practical or possible before.
Thankfully, for her, this is not some “one size fits all.” She would not advise all clients or push it down their throat. “It depends on the brand’s character. For instance, some AI has opened doors for fresh talent and innovation, allowing people to take on creative, strategic, or highly specialized roles that didn't exist before. Brands, particularly in sectors like food, place high value on authenticity and real-world appeal. For these brands, overusing AI can risk diluting their authentic look and feel. However, for other brands, AI can enhance their offerings and resonate well with their audience. It’s all about aligning the tool with the brand’s identity.” Machines and humans? For Najjar, it is a never-ending flux. She thinks that “machines have and will continue to take over certain tasks, but just as some roles change, new roles are created. AI has opened doors for fresh talent and innovation, allowing people to take on creative, strategic, or highly specialized roles that didn’t exist before. It’s not about a total replacement—it’s about evolving and shifting focus to where human intuition and creativity still shine brightest.” Cost-effectiveness will always appeal to clients, and thankfully, Najjar is very nuanced about the final output.
She deadpans that “AI is ultimately a tool, and like any tool, its impact depends on how it’s used. For some projects, it can streamline efforts and reduce costs; for others, it might be leveraged to enhance quality, adding value where precision or novelty is required.” Technology and its complex relation with freedom has always brought together strange bedfellows. For Najjar, “the promise of freedom is complex.” She also adds, “Technology, including AI, can empower people by giving them tools to express ideas, create value, and solve problems. But with it comes responsibility. How we choose to use these tools—whether to foster creativity and opportunity or to restrict it—defines the impact technology will have.”
She does end with a promising tone, though: “The promise of freedom still exists, but it requires thoughtful, intentional use of technology.”
