In conversation with Adgully, Amardeep Singh, Co-founder & President of Gutenberg, discusses the strategic thinking behind the company’s shift to an AI-native way of working and why traditional agency structures are no longer equipped to meet the evolving demands of modern CMOs. He explains how a human-led AI approach, enabled through its partnership with CambrianEdge.ai, is helping Gutenberg deliver speed, scale, and governance simultaneously. Singh also reflects on the broader industry inflection point marked by shrinking budgets, rising performance expectations, and the need for integrated, accountable marketing systems—while outlining how leaders can prepare for the next phase of AI-driven marketing. Gutenberg has completed a two-year journey toward becoming a fully AI-powered marketing organisation. What prompted this transformation, and why now? The transformation began when we recognised that traditional agency structures built around silos, manual handoffs, and linear workflows could no longer deliver the speed, consistency, or accountability enterprise CMOs need. We realised that adding AI tools to those structures wasn’t going to solve the problem. We needed to rethink the operating model itself.The timing is critical. AI capabilities have matured to a point where they can support complex, end-to-end marketing workflows, but most organisations still treat AI as a productivity add-on rather than an operating system. McKinsey’s research shows that while 72% of companies use AI in some form, only 6% achieve scalable, measurable impact. We made a deliberate decision to be in that 6%.Our partnership with CambrianEdge.ai made this possible. It allowed us to rebuild our workflows natively around AI, rather than bolting tools onto legacy processes.You’ve often said this announcement is about an industry inflection point, not just a partnership. What signals tell you that the marketing industry is undergoing a major structural shift?The signals are visible in the pressure marketing leaders are under. Gartner reports that 65% of CMOs expect AI to dramatically reshape their roles within two years, yet 71% are facing flat or declining budgets. At the same time, traditional agency economics are under strain, while expectations around speed, personalisation, and measurable outcomes continue to rise.This creates a structural tension. The challenge isn’t access to tools—it’s the lack of integrated operating models that can deliver scale with governance. Marketing is shifting from campaign-based execution to always-on, system-driven delivery. That requires new structures, new roles, and new accountability frameworks. This transformation for Gutenberg into the world’s first AI-powered marketing agency and our partnership with CambrianEdge.ai, is our response to that shift.What were the biggest learnings from rebuilding Gutenberg’s operating model around cross-functional pods and human-led automation?Our biggest learning was that transformation is fundamentally about people and culture—not tools. We found that initially, even with LLMs, our global teams were still working in silos. To change that, we reorganised into cross-functional pods that bring together strategy, creative, media, analytics, and Forward-Deployed Engineers (FDEs) into a single workflow.This eliminated the friction of handoffs and allowed us to move from concept to execution in days rather than weeks. But speed alone wasn’t the breakthrough—governance was. Human-led automation, where humans set strategy, judgment, and quality thresholds, allowed us to move faster without compromising brand integrity or trust.We trained 100+ employees across seven countries on AI literacy—not just tool usage, but prompt engineering, creative automation, and workflow design. Most importantly, we learned that meaningful AI transformation requires cultural change, not just process change.Most organisations adopt AI tools but fail to scale results. Why do you think AI still struggles to deliver measurable impact for marketing teams globally?The fundamental problem is that most organisations treat AI as a productivity layer rather than an operating model. Many teams deploy point solutions for copy, images, or analytics, but leave underlying workflows unchanged.AI struggles when it’s bolted onto fragmented processes without training, governance, or role redesign. That’s how organisations end up in “pilot purgatory”—lots of experimentation with very little transformation. Real impact only happens when people, processes, and platforms evolve together.Global research shows CMOs face shrinking budgets yet rising expectations around AI-driven outcomes. How does an AI-native model help solve this tension?This tension is exactly why AI transformation has become existential. You can’t solve a resource constraint by working harder—you must work differently. An AI-native model fundamentally changes marketing economics in three ways.First, it compresses the time from idea to execution—campaign cycles move from weeks to days.Second, it enables intelligent scale, allowing teams to manage complexity across multiple markets understanding local nuances.Third, it embeds data throughout the workflow, enabling optimisation while campaigns are live, instead of post-campaign analysis.Could you walk us through what ‘human-led AI’ actually looks like inside Gutenberg’s day-to-day operations?Human-led AI means humans define the strategy, narrative, and creative standards, while AI handles the operational complexity.A good example is our multi award-winning Indonesia Palm Oil Association campaign. The strategic challenge was repositioning palm oil sustainability for global audiences—a complex narrative requiring deep cultural sensitivity and regulatory awareness.Our human strategists defined the core narrative, audience framework, and brand guardrails—work rooted in judgment, context, and cultural understanding that can’t be automated.Once that foundation was set, AI accelerated execution. Using CambrianEdge.ai, we rapidly generated and adapted creative concepts, produced market-specific content and video variants, and optimized formats across channels—at scale, without diluting the strategy.Governance is central to this model. Every AI output passes through human checkpoints—creative approval, strategic validation, and performance review. Forward-Deployed Engineers within each pod continuously monitor workflows to ensure quality, consistency, and compliance.The result is work that’s faster, more scalable, and often stronger creatively—because humans spend their time on judgment and insight, while AI handles execution.How has retraining and reshaping the roles of 100+ employees changed the way your teams collaborate, create, and deliver for clients?Retraining was the most important investment we made. Over 24 months, we focused on AI literacy—not just tool usage, but workflow thinking, prompt engineering, and governance.Roles shifted from repetitive production to higher-value strategy and creative leadership. Teams now collaborate inside integrated pods rather than across departments. We can present multiple strategic options with execution-ready outputs in days and maintain brand consistency across global markets while allowing for local customization. That level of delivery simply wasn’t possible before.Marketing teams worldwide are stuck in what you call ‘pilot purgatory.’ What governance or structural barriers need to be dismantled to move beyond pilots to enterprise-wide AI adoption?Pilot purgatory happens when organisations treat AI transformation as a technology problem rather than an operational redesign challenge.The biggest barriers are unclear ownership, lack of guardrails, and fear-driven governance. Without defined accountability, embedded brand and legal controls, and leadership support for scaled experimentation, pilots remain isolated and risky.Moving beyond pilots requires treating AI as infrastructure—not experimentation—and redesigning workflows accordingly.How does the strategic partnership with CambrianEdge.ai strengthen Gutenberg’s AI-first operating model and help scale outcomes for global clients?CambrianEdge.ai provides a unified, AI-native marketing backbone designed specifically for real-world workflows. It integrates content, video, SEO/AEO, social media, analytics, and team collaboration into a single governed system.This eliminated the coordination overhead of disconnected tools and allowed us to scale AI responsibly, with human oversight built in. The result is consistent outcomes across markets without sacrificing quality or compliance.From your vantage point, what will the AI-powered marketing organisation look like by 2026, and how should leaders prepare for this shift?By 2026, marketing organisations will look less like departments and more like interconnected systems.A successful AI-powered marketing organisation will have several key characteristics. First, integrated workflows where strategy, creative, media, and analytics function as unified operations rather than departmental silos. Second, human-AI collaboration models where humans focus on judgment, creativity, and strategic direction while AI handles operational complexity and optimisation. Third, real-time performance feedback loops that enable continuous optimisation rather than post-campaign analysis.We’ll also see new roles become standard—Forward-Deployed Engineers, prompt specialists, and AI governance leads. For leaders, the priorities are clear: invest in AI literacy across teams, redesign structures for cross-functional collaboration, and choose integrated platforms over fragmented tools. The future belongs to organisations that combine human judgment with AI-powered operational excellence.
