Jacques Cilliers

Writing is the skill that underpins what I do. It’s how I learned to think, how I earn a living, and how I work things out in public. Most of it’s current, some of it’s archival, but all of it’s mine.

SYNTHETIC TASTE

My Substack on generative AI, creativity, and the gap between what technology promises and what it actually delivers. Since 2025.

Selected pieces:

The fantasy of senior creatives and AI: Why the industry’s favourite story about AI and seniority is mostly wrong, and what we should be considering instead.

The trade-offs no one’s talking about: A Framework for thinking about what AI actually costs, beyond the productivity narrative.

What happens when AI becomes regulated: On South Africa’s draft AI policy and what it means for the way brands and agencies will need to work.

Transparency as a standard: A case for considering disclosure as a trust-lever, not a post-rationalised thought.