MAD STARS 2026 announces creativity and AI conference sessions

MAD STARS 2026 has announced details for eight conference sessions focused on the evolution of creativity under the theme ‘AMPLIFY’. The sessions will address how artificial intelligence, technology, and shifting audience behaviors are reshaping the industry.

AKQA Australia & New Zealand’s Chief Creative Officer Tara McKenty and Managing Director Justine Leong will deliver a keynote titled ‘Creative Intelligence: Where Human Imagination Meets Technology’. They will argue that technology serves as an infrastructure that enables human imagination rather than replacing it, noting a shift from one-way broadcasting to participatory storytelling.

Other featured speakers include Noël Bunting of Publicis London, discussing the ethics of AI; Nkanyezi Masango of Ogilvy South Africa, exploring the role of curiosity; and Shinichi Kobayashi of ADK Marketing Solutions Inc., addressing why AI requires human creativity.