Sir Martin Sorrell, founder of S4Capital and former WPP CEO, said the key AI skill for the future is sharing knowledge, stating, “Good people who share will be the real kings and queens.” Sorrell, 81, who served 33 years as a FTSE 100 CEO, described AI as a “democratization of knowledge” that flattens organizations by making information available to everyone, changing dynamics where people previously built power bases by controlling information. In 2024, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman suggested that 95% of roles in marketing, including content and campaign creation, could be replaced by AI. Sorrell disagreed with that figure, saying, “I don’t think 95% will go, but some will go,” while acknowledging huge efficiency gains are coming. He noted the advertising industry remains surprisingly manual, with 250,000 people, mainly 25-year-old media planners and buyers, working semi-manually or wholly manually, which “can’t work” in a hyperscaler-driven world where tasks will be done algorithmically. Sorrell compared the industry to asset management, where computerized workflows are the norm, and cited machine trading on Wall Street as highly automated. He also said making ads is now cheaper, requiring agencies to change their model to be cheaper and more efficient, rather than prolonging projects or making campaigns in the most expensive locations.