AI Expansion Puts Human Judgment in Focus

A Luma survey of 760 U.S. creative professionals found that 81% had released content made with AI assistance, while 62% were very or extremely concerned about relying too heavily on the technology at the expense of human creativity. The figures capture a divide emerging across creative work and business: organizations are adopting AI, but training, oversight and the role of human judgment remain central concerns.

Adoption and oversight

Luma released its inaugural “State of Creative Professionals and AI: 2026” report at Brandweek. Respondents worked across agencies, brands, production companies and freelance creative work. Seventy-one percent said AI creates more benefits than drawbacks for productivity, and 40% said it improves both efficiency and creative quality. Seventy-two percent rated their access to AI tools as good or excellent, though respondents reported that training and workflow integration lagged.

Organizations in the survey evaluated an average of 6.1 AI tools, adopted 4.3 and discontinued 2.9 over the past year. More than half of respondents said their organizations lacked a formal process for evaluating and approving AI tools. Among respondents categorized as “AI Leaders,” 78% had released video projects in which AI generated most or all of the content; the figure was 11% among “AI Laggards.” The report said leaders weren’t necessarily succeeding by using more tools. Instead, they integrated AI more deeply while keeping human oversight and creative direction.

“The question for creative teams is no longer whether to use AI. It's where AI creates value and where human judgment should stay firmly in control,” said Caroline Ingeborn, COO of Luma. She said creativity, taste, storytelling and judgment “remain fundamentally human.” Agency and brand expectations also differ: 55% of agency respondents expected AI to justify higher fees through increased creative output and capabilities, while 53% of brand-side respondents expected their organizations to reduce agency spending as internal AI tools made more work possible in-house.

Business decisions and workers

A paid program produced by Withum at the Orange County Executive Forum said technology investment should align with business priorities and measurable outcomes. It advised leaders to define the business problem before deciding whether AI is the right solution, then establish how they’ll use time savings, cost reductions or added capacity. The program said AI can help financial planning and analysis teams assess more scenarios and data sources, and support fraud detection, outlier detection and data analysis. It also warned that pilot results based on test data may not reflect operating conditions. Before scaling applications, organizations need reliable data sources, governance guidelines and leadership alignment.

At a separate Orange County panel, Eric Gallagher, identified as Partner at Withum, said leaders should ask what business problem they’re trying to solve rather than which AI tool to buy. Colin Fraser, identified as Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, said AI can amplify talent or become “a substitute for thinking.” He urged ongoing education, executive direction and employee involvement in organizational change. Fraser also warned that outdated contracts can create intellectual-property, liability and data-security risks as businesses grow.

The workforce challenge also reaches Southern California aerospace. SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Relativity Space and Anduril are expanding from Hawthorne and El Segundo through Long Beach and Orange County, alongside established contractors, startups and suppliers. Employers seek propulsion experts, avionics engineers, machinists, welders, manufacturing technicians, software developers, AI specialists and cybersecurity professionals. Some defense-related roles require government security clearances.

A 2026 Deloitte aerospace and defense analysis described workforce limits as a constraint on turning demand into production and revenue, and predicted stronger competition for AI-trained workers. Deloitte said engineering and skilled manufacturing positions remained among the hardest to fill. Apprentices in advanced manufacturing occupations nearly tripled between fiscal 2021 and 2023, reaching approximately 59,500. The report advocated cooperation among public-private partnerships, schools, technical colleges, universities and work-based learning programs.

Changing markets and customer relationships

Southern California consumer brands are moving beyond monthly boxes toward memberships, automatic replenishment, loyalty benefits, personalized recommendations and members-only product releases. The Los Angeles Times Studios article said these models use technology, including AI, to anticipate customer needs and spot possible cancellations. Mastercard data showed 44% of U.S. consumers spent more on subscriptions in 2025, averaging $1,887 annually, compared with $1,416 the previous year. Mastercard also found that 34% said they’d stay subscribed if they could pause rather than cancel.

In music, the traditional path from record deal to radio, album sales and touring has changed. Global recorded music revenue reached $31.7 billion in 2025, up 6.4%, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Streaming generated nearly 70% of that revenue, and paid subscription streaming accounted for 52.4%. A TikTok/Luminate study found that 84% of songs entering the Billboard Global 200 during 2024 had gone viral on TikTok first. The article also reported that AI is raising questions about creation, copyright, authenticity and streaming fraud.

A Greater Irvine Chamber program described an initiative examining how Orange County can strengthen its position as a hub for AI-ready talent. It identified critical thinking, judgment, creativity, communication, adaptability and ethics as human competencies that may become more consequential as AI expands. The Chamber's ASPIRE Professional Development Workshop was scheduled for November 12 at UCI Beall Applied Innovation @ the Cove.