One of the most common questions we hear from agencies is, “What is everyone else doing with AI?” But the question behind the question is: How are we doing compared to our peers?
And right now, that question is getting louder. AI has become a bit of an arms race in advertising. Some agencies are pulling ahead—redefining roles, amplifying output, and unlocking new forms of value. Others are stumbling, unsure how to integrate AI meaningfully or struggling with internal resistance. This isn’t about company size or throwing a lot of money around. It’s a moment where leadership, strategy, culture – and a willingness to experiment – will separate the fast movers from the left-behinds.
To navigate it all, we need a new kind of map—one that charts not just where we are, but how to move forward. Enter the 4As AI Maturity Map, designed to do exactly that.
Five Core Principles to Ground the Journey
Before we get into frameworks and stages, let’s agree on a few fundamentals:
- AI should live inside your business strategy, not sit beside it. We don’t need a standalone “AI strategy” any more than we need a separate “electricity strategy.”
- Be transparent—with clients, managers, teammates and talent. They want to know how AI is being used. And clients are already beginning to expect it—and challenge fees based on it.
- Technology is the (relatively) easy part. AI is literally writing code now. The hard bits are leadership, change management and cultural alignment. These areas demand as much focus – if not more – than the tools and the tech.
- Always ask: what problem is this solving? Tech is a means, not the mission.
- The time & materials model is on borrowed time. AI will force a reinvention of how value is priced and delivered.
The Two Dimensions of AI Maturity
Our AI Maturity Map enables agencies to evaluate themselves through two core dimensions:
1. The Five Stages
Think of this like your agency’s AI persona—reflecting your current posture, mindset and approach:
- The Skeptic: Resistant, unconvinced, or dismissive
- The Dabbler: Experimenting, but in isolated and low-impact ways
- The Hustler: Talking a big game—and starting to back it up
- The Operator: AI is fully embedded in workflows
- The Alchemist: AI is transforming the agency’s structure, services, and strategy
2. The Four Pillars
These are the levers that help you advance, no matter what stage you’re in:
- Vision & Vibe: Is there an AI North Star? Is experimentation supported? Or is there leadership silence and “shadow AI” usage?
- Human + Machine Muscle: Are people trained, empowered, and collaborating with AI effectively, with each side (human and machine) playing to its strengths? Or… is AI either underused or overtrusted—treated as a shortcut, not a teammate—leaving humans doing what machines do best, and machines doing what they probably shouldn’t?
- Tool Stack & Tinkering: Who owns the process for selecting and implementing tools? Are you investing in scalable tools and infrastructure? Or is your tech stack a jumble of free trials, individual logins, and tools no one fully understands or maintains?
- AI Use Cases & “The Work”: What are our priority use cases and do they solve real problems? Are clients aligned on AI usage and are we building toward delivering next-gen value? Or is AI mostly used behind the scenes to do the same work faster—disconnected from client conversations, how we tell our value story, and missing the opportunity to reimagine what the work could be?
Together, these two lenses help you understand not just where you are, but how to chart your next best move.
Your stage may vary
When evaluating your current level, it’s important to note that you don’t need to be at the same stage across all four dimensions. Most agencies aren’t. In fact, the gaps between them can help you identify and prioritize areas for growth. Maybe your tooling is advanced, but your team lacks AI confidence. Or you’ve got vision but no client-aligned use cases.
The goal isn’t symmetry—it’s momentum. Use this framework to identify your next strategic step.
| Dimension→ Stage ↓ | Vision & Vibe | Human + Machine Muscle | Tool Stack & Tinkering | AI Use Cases & “The Work” |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Skeptic | No buy-in or urgency | No training, limited curiosity | AI tools discussed but actively avoided | No change to typical workflows |
| The Dabbler | Some enthusiasm, no direction | A few staffers practicing prompting on their own | Free tools used sporadically | One or two simple use cases – e.g. copywriting, brief assistance |
| The Hustler | Leaders talk AI openly and establish adoption roadmaps | Individuals use AI in some parts of their work | Some teams have access to paid tools | AI shows up in pitches and comps |
| The Operator | AI is part of the plan | Team-wide enablement, training + norms | Enterprise tools, custom workflows and toolchains | Client work consistently enhanced |
| The Alchemist | AI reshapes org vision | New roles, hybrid workforce, AI fluency at scale | Proprietary tools, scalable infrastructure | New services or IP powered by AI |
Our generative AI maturity self-assessment tool can help you quickly identify your stage across all four dimensions – and provides personalized “next step” recommendations based on your current stage(s). When you’re ready, click the link below to take our self-assessment quiz and get your tailored guidance on moving forward.
