Between Prompts and People, the Future(s) of Creative Agencies in the Netherlands

The integration of artificial intelligence is prompting a sudden and fundamental shift and raising key questions about the value and organization of the creative industry. Nowhere is this transformation more evident than in creative agencies; organizations positioned at the intersection of creativity and innovation. The rapid pace of AI advancement offers enhanced productivity and creative augmentation. However, that rapidity challenges traditional job roles, team structures, collaboration, and normative practices within these agencies. This thesis explores how AI adoption is reshaping internal norms, job functions, team dynamics, and structures within creative agencies in the Netherlands, a country known for its globally influential design and culture. The central research question guiding this study is: How could AI adoption reshape normative institutional frameworks in the creative agencies in the Netherlands in the year 2035? Through scenario planning, a qualitative futures studies methodology, this study answered the explorative research question and constructed four potential scenarios for creative agencies to plan for the uncertain future and operate in a market that is rapidly evolving due to AI. Drawing from institutional theory, especially the lens of normative institutions, this study investigates both the micro-level changes inside agencies and macro-level pressures driving them. Thirteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted across agency founders, creative strategists, innovation consultants, and in-house creative professionals to gain a comprehensive understanding of the core problem and served as the primary source of data. Through the thematic analysis of the interviews, key stakeholders, uncertainties, and trends were identified regarding the future of AI adoption in creative agencies. Findings suggest that AI adoption is accelerating the transformation of job roles - from traditional design and writing profiles to hybrid roles requiring more technical knowledge and strategic oversight. Internal norms within the industry are evolving toward increased speed and data-informed creativity, while teams are becoming either more collaborative or fragmented based on the organizational strategy. While the contrasting nature of scenarios revealed that the agencies will have different normative functions, the core insight remained that the agencies' adaptability to constant change due to AI will be key in their survival in the Dutch creative market. Concerns around role displacement, unresolved ethical problems, and diminishing junior talent pipelines remain. In contrast, AI is a catalyst for institutional transformation within creative agencies. The study contributes to a more grounded understanding of how technology reshapes agency, workplace norms, and organizational resilience in the face of rapid innovation, particularly in the creative industries.