As we look ahead to 2026, it seems everyone is jumping on the AI bandwagon. Tech billionaires continue to invest in persuading businesses that adopting AI is the way to be more successful, more efficient, more productive, and basically just more more more.
AI certainly has a place, and for businesses where resources are tight, or brands are yet to be developed; just being able to get marketing done has its benefits. But if you want to have a distinctive voice in the marketplace – is there power in using a human to market your business?
What’s the real cost of AI?
One of the main arguments for using AI is that it makes marketing more cost effective. And that’s certainly true if you focus on what you pay by the hour. The time it takes to type a prompt into ChatGPT is certainly a lot less than the time it takes a human to come up with ideas, research them, and write or produce them.
But in 2025, many businesses measure “cost” in units that are more important than dollars and cents. If your business has any kind of environmental or ethical credentials, can you afford to ignore the real cost of AI? And if it’s not appearing on your bottom line then who’s paying for it?
AI – a (not) green business investment
The environmental cost of AI is huge. Every piece of AI-generated content, every chatbot response, every algorithmic ad placement relies on massive data centres that require staggering amounts of electricity and water to operate.
Training just one large AI model can produce as much carbon dioxide as five cars over their entire lifetime. Once trained, these models continue to consume power daily – running on servers that must be kept cool by water-intensive air conditioning systems. Google’s own data revealed that its data centres consumed over 5 billion gallons of water in a single year to prevent overheating.
The carbon cost doesn’t stop at electricity. The hardware that’s used to build AIs – GPUs, processors, and server farms – incorporates rare earth minerals and metals, often sourced through environmentally destructive mining practices.
It’s true that adopting AI to support your business can reduce staffing costs and improve efficiency, but it comes at a cost that should not be hidden or ignored.
Are you willing to say goodbye to creativity?
Marketing has traditionally been an opportunity to get into the heads of your customers and come up with new and innovative ways to make their lives better. This innovation and creativity is lost with AI – where marketing instead becomes a process of regurgitating and repeating what’s been successful in the past, over and over again. AI doesn’t create – it replicates.
The result? Your marketing content starts to feel hollow, generic, and soulless. Your goals become how to feed algorithms rather than building genuine connections with customers. You lose the emotional power of connection with people through shared experiences, local stories, and human insight.
When businesses replace human creativity with AI convenience, they risk losing the authenticity that makes people care about them in the first place. In the long run, that’s not just bad for the planet – it’s bad for brand trust, loyalty, and local identity.
Read more about how big brands are rejecting AI in this article in Business Insider.
Invest in your local marketing talent and tell a unique story
Marketing expertise grows from human experience. Choosing writers, designers, strategists, photographers and creatives who have lived experience of marketing, gives your business access to unique ideas and new ways to tell your story and connect with your customers.
There’s an economic benefit to your community of investing in local marketing talent. Your local creative team feeds their earnings back into the Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay Community, helping to sustain the unique character and culture of New Zealand.
Find the best way forward for your business
Technology has its place. If AI is the right choice for your business then use it: but do it with an honest awareness of the true cost of the technology, on people and the planet.
If the environmental credentials of your business are important to you: now’s the time to find a sustainable path forward. Marketing your business does not need to focus on high volume and low quality: smart investment will help you plan and deliver high quality marketing that adds value to your customers and supports your local community.
Now’s the time to partner with local creatives who understand your story and your audience.
Waimata Creative is based in Gisborne and flexible to your business needs.
If your business model suits AI supported and generated content then we can work with you to create and edit content to ensure it builds your brand and grows your business.
If you’re keen to steer clear of AI and would rather use experience and insight to develop your identity: we’ve got over 25 years of experience in marketing across services, retail and FMCG.
Talk to us today about planning a strategy to suit your budget and your goals.
