Paul Kemp-Robertson: Between the red sofa and visions of the future
Creativity in the Age of AI – Paul Kemp-Robertson, Chief Content Officer of the Cannes Lions Festival, talks with m&k about new formats, human intervention, and the power of serendipity.
What remains when Cannes falls silent? Perhaps a red sofa that symbolizes what machines cannot (yet) do: recognize the moment. Paul Kemp-Robertson, Chief Content Officer of the Lions, spoke to Anna Kohler and Beat Hürlimann from m&k in a speed interview about the festival's new self-image, the role of AI and the "How to Win in 2030" format.
This year's edition of Cannes Lions 2025 shows a festival in upheaval. Not only because the definition of creativity is changing fundamentally. But also because the organizers are taking a conscious step forward: away from the pure world of advertising and towards an expanded business context.
Kemp-Robertson, something like the creative memory of the festival, put it in a nutshell on the terrace of the press center: "We want to prove that creative ideas not only strengthen brands, but can also influence growth and EBITDA." This is why a new forum for managers has been set up that explicitly addresses CEOs - with clear business relevance of creative services.
But what does creativity mean today, when artificial intelligence has become a co-author? "The industry is on the cusp of a massive transformation," says Robertson. AI is less of a tool than a collaborator. The trick is to maintain a balance between machine scaling and human intuition. Or, as Robertson illustrated with a concrete example: a viral Calvin Klein commercial showed an actor on a red sofa. However, he was not the star, but the piece of furniture. A resourceful agency discovered this detail, tracked down the sofa - and turned it into a new campaign. A typical case of serendipity, says Kemp-Robertson. And proof that human intervention can still be unbeatable.
This thesis was also scrutinized in this year's "How to Win in 2030" format. Presented by Alex Jenkins (Contagious), theses from recent years were examined for their relevance - with some worrying results. For example, the statement "humans plus AI always beats AI" is increasingly being questioned. The new thesis: humans can also slow down. This is a call not to romanticize creative personal achievement, but to develop it critically.
