‘There’s no room for purists’: Generative AI is altering the agency junior talent search

By Sam Bradley  •  January 2, 2026  •

Ivy Liu

Unsurprisingly, generative AI tools are the motivating factor.

“Technical literacy is table stakes at this point, and AI fluency is an expectation,” said Javier Santana, chief strategy officer at full-service agency Chemistry. “There’s no room for purists.”

“Agencies are forcing ourselves to move away from one dimensional, credential-based hiring,” added chief people officer Christofer Peterson.

Of the 190 roles PMG filled in 2025, 80 were for “early career” positions. Chief people officer Stacey Martin told Digiday the agency planned to hire a similar number in 2026, with 10 to 15 positions set to be filled in January. The agency focused on hiring for software development, engineering and AI automation-related jobs, according to talent enablement senior director Sarah Smith.

Full-service agency Kramer-Crasselt hired 25 staff in 2025, according to head of HR Alexa Bazanos. “We’re hiring people who have [the] experience, ability, curiosity, to utilize AI in the work,” she said.

AI is now a major focus of interviews with prospective candidates, as part of a broader reshuffle in the skills employers prioritize. 70% of workplace skills are predicted to change by 2030, according to a January study published by LinkedIn. The same study found 88% of C-suite execs believe that accelerating AI adoption within their organizations was a priority.

Bazanos said applicants would be expected to answer questions about their AI expertise, as well as solid use cases that demonstrated their knowledge.

Almost as important as familiarity with AI tools, however, is the judgement required to use them. 

“Even in the non technical media roles they’ll do vibe coding. They’re using AI to prototype and automate solutions. It’s not about knowing to write perfect code. It’s about what good looks like,” said Smith.

“[AI] is forcing organizations to prioritize soft skills — which I would argue are not ’soft’ at all — like creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, handling conflict,” said Peterson.

As the skills agencies look to hire for in early career roles shift, so too are the places they’re looking for talent.

Martin said that while the agency still considers applicants from traditional portfolio schools, it’s leaning harder into colleges with dedicated AI modules on their courses. Martin said the University of Texas was one such institution (PMG has offices in Dallas and Austin).

“We are now leaning more heavily towards schools [that] are more forward thinking, rather than teaching the ways of the past,” added Smith.

That’s not to say that AI is sidelining the skills agencies previously screened for. Smith noted that applicants relying too much on AI tools was a “red flag” during interviews. “At the end of some of these [interviews]… all they were doing was using AI. They didn’t bring a point of view,” she said.

A calmer 12 months in the economy may see the adland jobs market recover in turn. But employers across the ad industry know that the economies of scale enabled by AI and automation also enable them to get by with smaller teams.

Applying candidates might reasonably worry that the same impulse could mean junior positions dry up first, as employers rethink investments in training early career staff. 36% of CMOs expect AI tech, among other factors, to result in a fall in staff head count over the next 12-24 months according to a December survey from headhunting firm Spencer Stuart.

“AI hasn’t impacted the number of positions that we would be hiring at a junior level,” said Bazanos. That doesn’t mean agency demand for junior talent will necessarily hold steady forever, though. “I think we’re going to see that happen much more in the next couple years,” said Bazanos.