Making It CreAItive: How Advertising Practitioners Normalize AI in Workflows

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in creative industries, this study investigates how advertising practitioners in China normalize AI within their practices, guided by Normalization Process Theory (NPT). Employing NPT’s four constructs, this research analyzes the interpretive, relational, operational, and evaluative dimensions of AI integration. Based on 20 interviews with practitioners across diverse advertising roles, this research adopts a deductive thematic analysis aligned with NPT. Findings reveal that practitioners first establish coherence by symbolically framing AI as a creative “assistant,” “junior colleague,” or “external brain,” strategically differentiating human dominance from machine outputs. Cognitive participation involves active negotiation and enrollment of team members, emphasizing human judgment and boundary-setting to maintain professional credibility and authority. Practitioners enact collective action through adaptive workflow practices, integrating AI into processes such as brainstorming, content drafting, and internal collaboration routines. Lastly, practitioners continuously engage in reflexive monitoring, critically assessing AI-generated content and dynamically adjusting practices based on AI’s evolving performance and perceived creative legitimacy. Theoretically, this research enriches NPT by not only extending its applicability to identity-sensitive creative contexts but also by deepening its explanatory power regarding symbolic framing and discursive negotiation as essential mechanisms of normalization. Practically, the study offers clear implications for communication leaders, emphasizing the importance of fostering symbolic coherence, collaborative negotiation, and adaptive workflows. These insights inform strategic management of AI integration, balancing technological innovation with preservation of professional values and creative standards.