The ad industry ended 2025 down 3,700 jobs compared to the year before. Now, as agencies figure out who they need to hire in 2026, one thing is clear: if you can't work with AI, you might not work at all.

"Technical literacy is table stakes at this point, and AI fluency is an expectation," said Javier Santana, Chief Experience Officer at full-service agency Chemistry. "There's no room for purists."

No room for purists. Let that sink in.

The New Job Requirements

PMG filled 190 roles in 2025, with 80 of those being "early career" positions. They're planning similar numbers for 2026. But the roles have changed. The focus now: software development, engineering, and AI automation. Not account management. Not traditional creative.

At Cramer-Krasselt, head of HR Alexa Bazanos confirmed that AI expertise has become a standard interview topic. Candidates need to demonstrate not just familiarity with AI tools, but solid use cases that prove they actually know how to use them.

70% of workplace skills are predicted to change by 2030, according to a recent LinkedIn study. In agencies, that change is already happening.

The Judgment Question

But here's the twist: being good at AI isn't just about knowing the tools. It's about knowing when to use them — and when not to.

Sarah Smith, PMG's talent enablement senior director, noted that "vibe coding" is now common even in non-technical roles. Candidates are using AI to prototype and automate solutions. "It's not about knowing how to write perfect code," Smith explained. "It's about what good looks like."

And over-reliance on AI is a red flag. Smith described interviews where candidates leaned too heavily on AI tools without bringing their own perspective: "At the end of some of these interviews... all they were doing was using AI. They didn't bring a point of view."

There's an irony here. Agencies want candidates who can use AI fluently, but not candidates who use AI so much that their humanity disappears. The skill isn't prompt engineering. It's judgment.

Schools Are Scrambling

Traditional portfolio schools still feed the industry, but agencies are increasingly looking at colleges with dedicated AI modules. PMG's Stacey Martin singled out the University of Texas as an example of a school that's keeping up.

"We are now leaning more heavily towards schools that are more forward thinking, rather than teaching the ways of the past," Smith added.

This is a shot across the bow of every ad school and creative portfolio program that hasn't figured out how to integrate AI into their curriculum. The industry is moving faster than education can keep up.

The Junior Job Apocalypse?

Here's the dark cloud on the horizon. 36% of CMOs expect AI to result in reduced headcount over the next 12-24 months, according to Spencer Stuart research. If AI can do entry-level work, why hire entry-level people?

Bazanos at Cramer-Krasselt said AI hasn't impacted junior hiring yet. But she added the caveat everyone's thinking: "I think we're going to see that happen much more in the next couple years."

The traditional agency career path — start as a coordinator, learn the business, work your way up — may be getting compressed. AI can do the work that junior people used to cut their teeth on. If you don't come in with skills, you might not get in at all.

"There's no room for purists." That's not just about technology preferences. It's about survival.