Trust, Not Just Tech.
Why Choosing the Right AI Ready Agency is a Procurement Decision
Paul Williams
Global Client Commercials, Managing Partner
Havas
Ravi Pau
Operations Director
Havas.ai
Speed wins headlines. Trust wins long-term partnerships. In the battle for AI driven creative, procurement must choose wisely.
You’ve heard the promise. AI powered scale, automation and creative acceleration. But amid the excitement, have you paused to ask whether faster really means better or more responsible? How do you balance the hunger for efficiency with the need to manage risk?
This is where procurement plays a critical role.
AI in marketing is no longer a novelty. According to McKinsey, three-quarters (72%) of organisations use AI in at least one business function. Yet adoption does not necessarily equal maturity.
The biggest trap is false confidence. AI might generate more content, hit timelines and keep dashboards green. That is a trap. But if there is no data provenance, no human oversight or hidden biases in the machine, then these risks can stay hidden until they erupt into reputational crises or legal battles.
When a misplaced AI generated asset goes live, you’re not just facing editing costs but also shareholder questions, regulatory fines, and a collapse in consumer trust. Our Meaningful AI approach flips that threat into a competitive edge by weaving safety into every step.
Meaningful AI is not a box of trendy tools (though we have those too). It is a clear-eyed strategic system where creativity and ethics live front and centre.
For example, every new tool is first piloted under controlled conditions so that we measure its impact against real client use cases and refine our approach. This ensures we only scale what truly works in practice, rather than chasing every emerging trend.
Once a tool has proven its value, we deploy it selectively. For example, it could automate a repetitive task, speed up localisation or surface sharper insights, while also keeping creative judgement front and centre. That blend of experimentation and intentional deployment makes our AI both powerful and disciplined.
Fact-checking sits at the heart of this process. After initial deployment, every major AI generated asset passes through human verification to catch hallucinations, biases or factual errors. While only 3 in 10 (27%) of companies review Gen AI outputs before going live, we make this a non-negotiable checkpoint for every key deliverable. By combining rigorous pilots, selective rollout and mandatory human checks, we give procurement teams the confidence that creative automation never comes at the expense of accuracy or brand safety.
Our global AI governance framework powers hundreds of Havas agencies with a single set of guardrails. It adapts to each client’s risk appetite, whether you prize speed and cost or operate in tightly regulated markets. Every tool we deploy delivers impact and carries client sign-off.
We require full transparency on model training and data sources from every partner. We track performance, gather ongoing feedback on any issues, from bias flags to quality concerns, and feed these insights back into our governance loop. This lets us continuously improve partnerships, ensure alignment with our Meaningful AI policy and maintain confidence that every asset meets our standards for responsible use.
These AI powered workflows free our creative teams to explore more concepts, test fresh ideas, and refine campaigns with deeper insight. That freedom lets our people focus on storytelling, emotional resonance, and brand innovation, using data-driven signals to craft compelling narratives that truly engage audiences.
But with AI speeding workflows, trust becomes the key differentiator. It is not optional. It is your only lasting competitive advantage.
That is why procurement’s role has never been more vital. It is not about picking the agency with the most tools but choosing the partner with the clearest judgment, and one who protects your brand while driving it boldly forward.
