Agencies understand disruption.
New channels. New platforms. New tools. New client expectations. For those of us who work, or have worked, in agencies, we feel it. We’ve adapted again and again, often faster than our clients.
But artificial intelligence is different.
AI isn’t just another capability to layer into your tech stack or a way to shave time off existing workflows. It’s a force reshaping how value is created across industries, roles, and especially professional services.
Right now, many agencies are using AI to work faster. That’s a smart place to start. But it’s not where the story ends.
Because the agencies that will win in the next decade won’t just use AI to optimize what already exists. They’ll use it to reimagine what’s possible.
Most organizations approach AI through a familiar lens:
These gains are real. And necessary.
But they’re also temporary.
When everyone has access to similar AI tools, efficiency becomes less of a differentiator. Speed becomes baseline. Cost savings equalize. For agencies, this raises a much bigger question:
If AI can help speed up and reduce the cost of the services we sell, what, exactly, are we selling next?
This is where the conversation needs to shift from optimization to innovation.
AI is already reshaping how organizations:
For agencies, this opens the door to entirely new possibilities:
AI isn’t just a way to improve margins; it’s a way to expand the role agencies play in their clients’ growth.
But reaching this potential requires more than experimentation with tools. It requires leadership, intentionality, and a clear framework for innovation.
At this moment, agency leaders are navigating a mix of excitement and uncertainty.
You may be asking:
These are leadership questions. Not technical ones.
And they’re exactly the questions Paul Roetzer addresses in his upcoming keynote at the AI for Agencies Summit.
In his session, “The AI Innovation Imperative for Agencies: From Optimization to Accelerated Growth,” Paul delivers an executive-level view of where AI is headed and what it means for agencies specifically.
Drawing on his experience as both an agency founder and AI educator, Paul will walk through how agency leaders can:
The goal isn’t to chase the latest tools. It’s to build an AI-forward agency, one that can adapt faster, innovate smarter, and create new value for clients.
AI capabilities are advancing at an extraordinary pace. The window for experimentation is closing, and the era of execution is beginning.
Agencies that treat AI as a side project risk falling behind. Agencies that treat it as a core strategic capability stand to redefine their future.
As Paul said in a recent LinkedIn post:
“Many marketing agencies are at a crossroads. AI is threatening to disrupt traditional service and pricing models, while presenting new growth opportunities for the firms that can reimagine their business and help clients drive AI transformation.”
That’s not fear-mongering. It’s a call to leadership.
Paul Roetzer will deliver this keynote at the AI for Agencies Summit, a free, virtual event designed for agency leaders and practitioners who want to move beyond experimentation and toward real, sustainable growth.
Register for the AI for Agencies Summit
The questions raised in this session are ones every agency leader should be thinking about right now.
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Paul Roetzer is the Founder & CEO of SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute, where he leads efforts to accelerate AI literacy and human-centered AI transformation in organizations.
He is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence, creator of the Marketing AI Conference (MAICON), and co-host of the popular podcast The Artificial Intelligence Show. Through SmarterX’s AI Academy, Paul has helped tens of thousands of professionals learn how to apply AI responsibly and strategically.
Before founding Marketing AI Institute, Paul launched PR 20/20—HubSpot’s first partner agency—which he sold in 2021 after establishing it as a pioneer in digital marketing.
This unique combination of agency experience and AI leadership gives Paul a pragmatic, story-driven approach to helping organizations rethink business models, reinvent industries, and build for what’s next.
The AI for Agencies Summit brings together agency leaders and practitioners to explore how AI is reshaping agency models, services, and growth.
Do you want to hear from Paul and five other agency leaders? Register for the free, virtual AI for Agencies Summit 2026, taking place Feb. 12, 2026.