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The advertising and communications industry in Germany is undergoing profound change due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Technologies such as generative AI (e.g., text and image generators like ChatGPT, Elevenlabs, and Midjourney), programmatic advertising (automated media buying), and AI-powered chatbots and avatars (e.g., Delphi) are becoming increasingly integrated into the daily operations of marketing teams and agencies.
In 2024, German companies invested approximately €30.9 billion in digital marketing, and the industry employed around 268,000 people. Openness toward AI is also rising sharply: 57% of companies are now engaging with AI, and 20% are already using it actively. Against this backdrop, this article explores the current impact of AI on the advertising sector and offers a data-based outlook through to 2030. The focus lies on generative AI, programmatic advertising, and chatbots – especially in terms of how they reshape job profiles, compensation models, and salaries in agencies and marketing departments. The goal is to provide decision-makers in agencies and companies with a clear picture of the ongoing transformation.
By 2025, AI has become a standard part of marketing in many areas of advertising. Tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Runway are used for the automated generation of text, images, videos, and even music. We are currently in a phase of "un-hobbling," where task-specific, integrated AI solutions make these tools even easier to use and accessible to a broader range of users.
Programmatic advertising – the automated, data-driven buying and selling of ad space – has already established itself as a new industry standard. In 2024, about 74% of all display advertising revenue in Germany (around €4.54 billion) was generated via automated bookings. Chatbots are also on the rise: 35% of German companies now use them to automatically respond to customer inquiries. With the emergence of providers like Heygen and Delphi, virtual, human-like AI avatars are entering this space and enhancing user experience in AI-powered interactions. These developments signal the beginning of a new generation of AI companions – a shift that is set to fundamentally alter how brands, influencers, and companies communicate.
At the same time, workforce expectations are shifting. According to Bitkom, around 8% of current marketing job postings explicitly require AI skills. Demand is growing for specialists who can effectively use AI tools and harness their benefits. New job profiles are emerging – such as AI trainers and data ethicists. Traditional skills like creativity, marketing knowledge, and strategic thinking remain important and are now complemented, rather than replaced, by AI capabilities.
The current AI wave is delivering a leap in both efficiency and personalization – but it also requires companies and agencies to rethink workflows and invest in employee upskilling.
Generative AI – systems capable of creating original content – is revolutionizing creative work in advertising and marketing. Modern text generators (such as GPT models) can produce hundreds of headlines, product descriptions, or social media posts within seconds. Visual and video generators (e.g., Sora, Midjourney, Runway) generate campaign visuals or design variants at the click of a button.
These tools are already being used pragmatically in German agencies to develop first drafts and creative concepts. Since 2024, we've even seen fully AI-produced commercials on German television (e.g., Vodafone or Lacalut).
Leading agencies like Jung von Matt have developed proprietary generative AI models (e.g., JvM Stables), trained on 30 years of agency experience, to handle routine design tasks. This allows creative teams to focus more on conceptual work and quality control while the AI personalizes and scales outputs.
The impact on creative roles is mixed. Copywriters now often use AI as an assistant to generate ideas and first drafts, shifting their focus toward curating, refining, and editing content. Graphic designers and art directors benefit from the breadth of options AI visual tools provide and focus more on concept development and fine-tuning. These evolving roles now require more experience and judgment to manage AI-generated output effectively.
Initial skepticism about whether AI can be emotionally creative is diminishing as the models improve. Confidence in AI as a creative partner is growing steadily across both agencies and advertisers.
In media planning and buying, AI has already gained significant traction through programmatic advertising. This approach uses real-time, data-driven algorithms to serve the right ads to the right users at the right time. Over 70% of online display ads in Germany are now delivered programmatically – and the share continues to grow.
AI-powered campaign management tools optimize budgets across platforms in real time and automate many formerly manual tasks, such as placements, price negotiations, and bookings.
As a result, the traditional role of media buyers is evolving. Today’s professionals are expected to be part data analysts, part tech experts. Their focus is shifting to strategic tasks such as target audience analysis, channel selection, and the configuration of optimization rules for the algorithms.
Chatbots and conversational AI systems have become a fixture in customer service and marketing. Consumers increasingly encounter virtual assistants on websites, e-commerce platforms, and social media – assisting with questions or product selection.
In Germany, one in three companies now uses chatbots to handle customer inquiries automatically. These bots are available 24/7, respond instantly, and can handle a wide range of standard questions. Providers like Heygen and Delphi are also introducing virtual AI avatars, making chatbot interactions more engaging and human-like.
These developments are transforming job profiles in customer service and sales. Tasks that were once handled by call center agents or community managers are now automated. However, human roles are evolving rather than disappearing: employees now manage complex or escalated cases. A new field – "Conversation Design" – is emerging, with specialists creating chatbot personas, tone of voice, and dialog flows.
The rise of AI companions is likely to extend these capabilities further into areas such as virtual consulting.
The use cases in content creation, media, and customer interaction clearly show that AI is transforming advertising work. Existing job profiles are shifting significantly, and entirely new roles are emerging. The trend is moving away from routine work toward higher-value activities. Human work increasingly centers on strategy, creativity, empathy, and the management of AI systems.
As roles and processes evolve, companies and agencies are rethinking how to value and compensate work in AI-supported advertising environments. Traditionally, agency compensation is based on hourly or daily rates, or flat project fees. With the introduction of generative AI, this logic is being challenged.
Industry experts are now exploring alternatives such as value-based compensation or performance-based models. Subscription and licensing models are also gaining traction.
For employee compensation, a divergence is emerging. Highly skilled professionals in AI and tech can demand significantly higher salaries, while creatives or consultants without AI expertise are less likely to see salary increases based solely on AI adoption.
The integration of AI into the creative process is also driving a profound cultural shift in the advertising industry. The traditional identity of creatives as the originators of brilliant ideas is evolving. The "creative genius" is becoming a "creative curator" – someone who orchestrates and elevates AI-generated results.
This shift requires new mindsets and alters the psychological makeup of many roles. Interacting with, directing, and ethically managing AI tools is becoming just as important as originality. Skills like critical thinking, digital curiosity, and systems thinking are in higher demand. For many creatives, this represents an emotional shift – from pride in their unique signature style to embracing a hybrid creative process where AI becomes a productive extension of their craft.
A new elite is emerging: professionals who embody both creative and technological excellence. This shift is also reshaping agency cultures, where cross-disciplinary collaboration, experimentation, and a learning-oriented mindset are becoming essential for long-term success in an AI-driven industry.
By 2030, AI will be deeply embedded in every facet of advertising. Many current experimental tools will become standard. Generative AI will have a permanent place in creative processes. Programmatic advertising will dominate media buying. Chatbots and conversational AI will be far more intelligent and human-like than they are today.
One trend not yet fully captured is the rise of AI agents, which will likely become a major force starting around 2026. Their growing influence will further accelerate automation, specialization, and reduce the need for certain human roles in the industry.
Overall, AI is set to bring increased productivity and creative potential to advertising – while simultaneously driving disruptive changes in work models and agency structures.
The growing integration of AI in advertising is bringing major transformation – from campaign ideation and media planning to customer interaction. Germany, like other markets, must proactively leverage this transition to remain globally competitive.
The current data shows that AI is already a growth driver, reshaping the skills landscape. This trend will intensify through 2030. While job profiles are changing, new opportunities are emerging for those willing to adapt.
Agencies and marketing teams are well advised to see AI as a tool that enhances human creativity and efficiency – not as a substitute for human insight. Compensation systems and employment models must evolve to fairly reflect the shared value creation between humans and machines.
In essence, AI enables advertising to become more relevant, personalized, and impactful. Consumers will receive more tailored messages, and companies will gain greater efficiency and reach. But this requires foresight: those who begin early, set ethical standards, and remain agile will become leaders in the AI-powered advertising world.
The coming years – perhaps even months – are a formative phase in which the successful integration of human creativity and artificial intelligence will be decided.
The future of advertising is hybrid: a smart symbiosis of collective human genius and machine intelligence.
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