What experiential marketers need to know about Generative AI

InsightsContent

October 1, 2026

AI moves fast. That’s why every quarter we distil the key shifts experiential marketers and brand leaders need to have on their radar.

What’s new

This quarter, the defining shift is from AI generating content to AI taking action. Models are increasingly able to use tools, work across files and software, delegate tasks and operate for longer with less supervision. But it raises a consequential question, not simply what AI can produce, but what it is allowed to do.

The following AI developments also caught our attention:

From answering to acting

AI agents are moving from “help me think” to “do this for me.” They can plan tasks, use software, write and run code, update files and pass work between specialist agents. This could remove substantial friction from routine work and allow people to focus on judgement, craft and decision-making.

But checking the final output is no longer enough. Once an AI can alter a file, access a system, publish content or trigger a transaction, governance has to cover access and action. Organisations need to define what an agent can see, what it can change, which steps require human approval, how its actions are recorded and who remains accountable.

Agents crossing boundaries

In July, during internal cybersecurity testing, OpenAI’s research agents bypassed controls designed to isolate them. An independent investigation found that 1,200 agents created illicit ways to communicate, with 700 working together to attack Hugging Face. They exploited vulnerabilities and attempted to manipulate logs to disguise their actions. These were unauthorised actions that, in human terms, would be considered deceptive and unethical. Investigator Ajeya Cotra called the incident a “major warning shot.” Read Cotra’s account of the investigation.

For our own approach, the implication is clear. The more agency we give an AI system, the more control we need around it. We have amended our ‘We apply additional care when using generative video, voice, and AI agents’ section of our guidelines because of this.

From prompt to premiere

AI filmmaking has left the lab and joined the festival circuit. Runway held its 2026 AI Film Festival, while the UN-backed AI for Good Film Festival attracted more than 1,300 submissions. Dreams of Violets, a 75-minute AI-generated film made for a reported $2,000, also entered the main programme at Tribeca.

Small teams can now attempt films that once required large budgets and crews. This opens the medium to new voices and allows ideas to be tested at speed. But easier production does not guarantee better work.

Our approach to using Generative AI

As regulation and creative possibilities continue to evolve rapidly, this approach reflects where we are today, shaped by experimentation, close collaboration with clients, and ongoing industry developments.

Generative AI is no longer speculative. It is embedded across ideation, prototyping, and production, and increasingly within live, customer-facing experiences. We’re sharing our approach openly to encourage collective learning, dialogue, and co-creation across the creative industry, while remaining mindful of the legal and ethical considerations involved.

Recognising that every project and client is different, this approach tries to provide guidance and clear boundaries without being prescriptive, leaving room for judgement, craft, and creativity.

We will treat Gen AI as a tool to extend our creativity

It’s not a replacement for our creativity, but it can allow us to work more efficiently, explore more broadly, communicate more richly and create more value for our clients. Wherever appropriate, we will be unafraid to use it to enhance our work.

AI will not be a substitute for our original work

We will never rely solely on AI-generated solutions; we will ensure that the final deliverable is the product of our creativity. We will ensure that our AI outputs are original and distinct, avoiding inputs that mimic or replicate third-party content or aim to create in another’s style. This maintains the IP, authenticity, uniqueness and value in our work.

We will not use AI as a source of truth

Generative AI is known to lie or “hallucinate”, stating fiction as though it is fact. We will always evaluate the outputs of generative AI with a critical eye and not rely on it as a single source of truth.

We will be transparent about how and when we use AI in our work

We will be open about how we use AI in our work. We will not use AI outputs as final, client- and market-facing deliverables without both written client and Imagination Legal team permission. As with all our work, wherever possible, we will give proper credit and obtain permission for any artist’s, musician’s or author’s work that we incorporate.

We will limit the information we share on open platforms

We know that many AI tools are cloud-based and may reuse the data we provide. We will not share personal data (including a person’s image or voice), project-specific data such as images or identifiable text from past projects, confidential information, or third-party intellectual property without consulting with the Imagination Legal team.

We will experiment, share and learn

We will share different tools, ideas, prototypes, successes and failures so we can all learn and improve, including which tools, prompts, and methods we are using to get the most out of these tools. We will ensure that anyone who is using AI tools for client work will be given the appropriate guidance and training.

We will be proactive in recognising and mitigating bias in AI

We create fair and inclusive work. We will be attentive to potential biases in AI outputs such as ethnicity, age or gender, and we will engineer prompts or other inputs to help mitigate this. Good input in, good input out.

We apply additional care when using generative video, voice, and AI agents

Generative video, synthetic voice, and conversational agents introduce heightened ethical, legal, and reputational considerations. When using these tools, we will be particularly mindful of consent, likeness and voice rights, transparency, and brand trust. We will not create or deploy synthetic representations of real people’s faces, voices, or identities without explicit permission and appropriate legal approval. Where generative video, voice, or agents are used in client-facing or public contexts, we will ensure their use is intentional, disclosed where appropriate, and aligned with the values of both Imagination and our clients. Where an agent can access systems or take action, we will limit its permissions, require human approval for significant actions, and ensure it can be monitored and stopped.

We know the landscape of this emerging technology is constantly shifting, and we’ll be posting more of our latest thinking, proof of concepts and insights. If you have any questions on the above or want to talk to us about running Gen AI workshops for your teams, please contact us at info@imagination.com.

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