At the design & business festival, Jacob Benbunan explored why craft is the biggest differentiator as AI reshapes creativity.

Plastic & Porcelain

The world is talking about how AI will replace us. Jacob Benbunan is optimistic about how, and why, it will not.
Brandays brought together people from Madrid’s business and creativity sectors to share honest ideas on strategic design, away from conventional corporate thinking. In relation to AI (widely considered the new Industrial Revolution), we ask ourselves: what happens when superhuman speed and endless content generation become the norm? Once everyone can make more, and faster, where do we find value?
It’s a conversation we’ve <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/journal/artificial-intelligence-natural-judgement" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">already been having</a>, and which Jacob pushed further onstage.

Plastic, he argued, represents the strengths of AI: efficient and adaptable. To put it plainly: “Speed is no longer a skill. AI owns speed.”
Porcelain, on the other hand, stands for something harder to industrialise: care, judgement, taste and mindful intention. It represents the nuance of human decision that makes brands feel personal and distinct instead of merely functional.
While AI can generate endless options, it still cannot decide on its own what matters emotionally or strategically in the real world. Perhaps it never truly will. As Jacob put it, “AI can generate options. But AI can’t decide.”
The conversation also touched on a broader shift in branding itself. Beyond static assets or one-off deliverables, brands today are more akin to living systems, shaped continuously through products, services and interactions. In simpler terms: “Brand is identity in action.”

Much like the Industrial Revolution, some of what is emerging now will undoubtedly change the course of life and work. The opportunity is not resisting that change, but understanding what is worth protecting because of it. When concepts are a dime a dozen, differentiation shifts towards brands with a clear point of view, one with the potential to move people, and the discipline to express it coherently across every interaction. That’s where human creativity still outshines the competition.

Blanc! Brandays Madrid

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