AI can now build your website. It can write the copy, design the layouts, even generate the code. It can run your ad campaigns, optimise your spend, and churn out content. Tools from Shopify, Google, and countless start-ups make execution look effortless.

The other day one of our team showed me Shopify’s new AI-powered tool. In seconds it was generating clean, reusable front-end code, spitting out page designs that looked polished and production-ready. I’ll admit, it was impressive.

For many businesses, seeing something like that will spark the thought: "...if software can build me a good-looking, functioning site in real time, why would I ever need to involve an agency again...?"

The dangerous assumption

On the surface, the promise is tempting: instant websites, instant marketing, instant growth. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: execution without strategy almost never works.

A website that looks polished but doesn’t capture your business, doesn’t reach the right audience, and doesn’t support your growth goals is just a pretty brochure. A campaign launched without a clear positioning and measurement framework is just money flowing into Google’s pockets.

The real question

If every agency disappeared tomorrow and all you had was AI tools, would you really get the outcome you need by typing your business description into a prompt?

If your goal is genuine transformation and measurable growth, the answer is almost certainly no.

Where the real risk lies

Let me give you a real example. Last year, a global, household-name business came to us with what they believed was a strong brief for a new digital platform. On the surface, it looked fine: a couple of pages of bullet points and statements describing what they thought they needed.

But as soon as we started digging, questions poured out:

How is that feature supposed to work in practice?
What about compliance in this area?
Have you thought about how that will integrate with existing systems?

Almost every answer came back as either, “we’re not sure,” or created further ambiguity. It wasn’t that they hadn’t tried—the brief was as detailed as they could make it—but they simply weren’t experts in planning web applications. Why would they be? Their expertise lies in their own industry, not in digital strategy.

What that project really required was a joint approach: two agencies, each bringing different expertise, working together through a full discovery process. Only then could the brief become something that would stand up to execution.

Now imagine putting that same “brief” into an AI tool. Would it have spotted the compliance issues? Would it have known where industry-specific integrations would break? Would it have challenged the client’s assumptions instead of just feeding them back with a polished veneer? Of course not. AI chatbots have a tendency to by sycophantic to a fault.

At best, it would have produced something that looked like a plan, but in reality, it would have been a collection of unchecked assumptions, impossible to execute without major rework.

And that’s the danger. AI is brilliant at making things sound right. But businesses don’t need something that merely sounds right—they need something that works.

What AI can’t replace

AI is already invaluable as a tool, but it cannot replace:

Challenging your assumptions and uncovering blind spots
Clarifying your brand positioning so customers understand why you’re different
Translating business goals into a coherent digital strategy
Deciding what not to do, and where not to waste money
Managing complex integrations that, if mishandled, can break operations

Think of it like healthcare: AI is already helping doctors with diagnostics and even assisting in surgery. But would you be comfortable being treated only by a machine? Of course not. You want the combination of human judgment, context, and accountability...augmented by the technology, not replaced by it.

Why this matters for growth

Your competitors aren’t winning because they’ve found the cheapest way to build a website. They’re winning because they’ve aligned their brand, their digital strategy, and their marketing execution in a way that moves the needle on their business goals.

That’s work AI can’t do for you. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

The agency value shift

Execution — design, code, campaign builds — will continue to get cheaper, faster, and more automated. But that’s not the value. The value sits above it:

Knowing what to implement in the first place
Structuring digital systems to move business KPIs, not just look impressive
Ensuring complex systems talk to each other without costly mistakes
Providing the rigour and accountability to keep things secure, stable, and evolving

The conclusion

So, do you still need an agency in 2025?

If you’re content with a website that just exists, or with campaigns that tick along without really driving change, then no, you probably don’t. AI will do that just fine.

But if you’re serious about growth, about transformation, about moving your business forward, then yes. You need experts who can ask the right questions, shape the right strategy, and ensure execution delivers outcomes worth investing in.

The closing challenge

The real question isn’t “can AI replace an agency?” It’s: are you prepared to bet your growth on execution without strategy?

Frequently asked questions

Can I just write my own website brief and hand it to a developer?

You can, but most briefs written internally raise more questions than they answer. Developers often need clarity on things like compliance, integrations, and business goals—areas your team may not have considered.

And remember, most developers are not business consultants, so you can't always rely on them to spot the gaps.

A good agency will help refine your brief into something actionable and aligned with your objectives.

What should a website brief include?

At minimum: your business goals, target audience, key functionality, and success metrics. But the real value comes from asking the hard questions about why you need certain features and how they’ll support growth.

That’s usually best done through a structured discovery process.

How long should a website brief be?

It’s not about length, it’s about quality and clarity. Two pages of vague statements can be less useful than a half-page of well-thought-out requirements. The strongest briefs are usually short, but built on detailed conversations and planning sessions.

Why do so many website briefs fall short?

Because businesses know their trade, not digital planning. Even large, global companies struggle to anticipate all the questions a digital project raises.

That’s why agencies add value...not just in execution, but in shaping the plan so execution delivers results.

Can AI help me write a better website brief?

AI can draft something that looks polished, but it won’t challenge your assumptions or spot gaps specific to your industry. At best, it can give you a starting point.

At worst, it can give you false confidence in a plan that doesn’t hold up when you try to build it.