BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA – Every year, the Republic of Korea, through the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Busan Metropolitan City, plays host to MAD STARS.
Now on its 18th year, the global festival of marketing, advertising, and digital content runs from August 27 to 29, 2025, and zeroes in on one of today’s most polarizing topics: artificial intelligence (AI).
A subject that continues to spark debate across industries, AI cuts right into the heart of creativity, marketing, and advertising. For MAD STARS 2025, the aim is not just to better understand the tool, but to explore how it can be embraced and harnessed.
This year’s opening day at SIGNIEL Busan was driven by conversations on AI — its promise, its challenges, and its place in reshaping the industry. From how it can be effectively used, to how it blends with other technologies, to the ways it is already altering the creative landscape, the dialogue sets the tone for a festival intent on mapping the future.
Augmenting creativity: Where AR, AI, and culture meet
Samer Lahoud, Head of Creative Strategy for MENA at Snapchat, brought the lens on how AR, AI, and culture converge to push creativity forward. For Samer, we’ve reached a turning point where audiences no longer just want stories told to them — they want to live inside them. With tools like AR lenses, Spectacles, and creator-led content, he showed how Snap is shaping a new era where technology deepens connection and shifts creativity from storytelling to storyliving.
The entertaining power of AI
Ricardo Adolfo, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab Japan, explored AI’s growing role in entertainment and creativity. He pointed out how AI quickly learns our tastes, shaping what we watch, listen to, and follow online — but it still struggles to surprise us. For Ricardo, true creative magic comes from the unexpected, the experiences that sweep us off our feet, and that’s where human intuition remains irreplaceable.
What the creative industry is doing with Al and what Al is currently doing to the creative industry and its future
Rita-Maria Spielvogel, Creative Director and Board Member at DDB Wien, took a deep dive into what AI is doing to the creative industry — and what the industry is doing with AI. She acknowledged its undeniable advantages for brands and society, while also flagging its current limits in feasibility, accuracy, and ethics. For Rita, the real challenge lies in navigating these boundaries thoughtfully, as agencies and creatives explore how AI can strengthen connection, loyalty, and innovation.
Harmonizing AI and human creativity to become the ‘Ambidextrous Agency’
John Jonghyun Kim, Global President and Chief Executive Officer of Cheil Worldwide, closed the day with a sharp perspective on how agencies must adapt in the AI era. For John, the future lies in becoming the “Ambidextrous Agency” — where AI takes on optimization and efficiency while humans remain at the helm of creativity and insight. It’s not about fearing replacement or overhyping AI’s power, but about finding the balance that keeps client value at the center.
Day 1’s festivities concluded with the annual Opening Ceremony and a ceremonial toast at SIGNIEL Busan’s Grand Ballroom, graced by Lim Seong-hwan, Director General of the Media Policy Division at the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and Park Heong-joon, Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City and Chairperson of MAD STARS 2025.
adobo Magazine is an official media partner of MAD STARS 2025.
