The 2025 Cannes Lions awards were primarily marked by a major controversy involving the Brazilian agency DM9, which had a Grand Prix revoked after it was found to have used AI-manipulated and fabricated footage in its campaign case study videos. The controversy did more than embarrass a single agency. It cracked open a deeper, long-simmering debate about transparency, AI ethics, and the escalating pressure to win at all costs, forcing the industry to confront an uncomfortable truth: In a world where AI can fabricate credibility as easily as it can enhance creativity, what does ‘authentic work’ even mean anymore? In the wake of the Cannes Lions AI scandal, will this shift redefine what qualifies as ‘legitimate creative excellence’ going forward?

Mithila Saraf, chief executive officer, Famous Innovations

The Cannes Lions AI controversy didn’t just call out one agency; it exposed a fault line the industry has quietly tiptoed around for years. AI has become so deeply woven into our workflows that the lines between enhancement, manipulation, and fabrication can blur faster than our ethics can catch up. What DM9’s revoked Grand Prix really highlighted is the widening gap between the speed of technological possibility and the pace of our industry’s moral calibration. 

Going forward, ‘legitimate creative excellence’ won’t be defined by the absence of AI; it will be defined by the honesty of its use. Cannes and other global award shows will now be compelled to move beyond surface-level disclosure norms and establish far more rigorous frameworks for verifying work. Transparency won’t be a nice-to-have anymore; it will become a creative parameter in itself.

Authenticity will need a new definition too. It’s no longer just about real footage or real moments; it’s about real intent. Work that uses AI ethically, responsibly, and in service of a true idea will stand taller than work that uses it to inflate storytelling or fabricate impact. If anything, this moment is a reset button. It forces us to ask not “can AI do this?” but “should it?”

Ultimately, awards will evolve to reward not just creativity, but integrity. And that might be the most meaningful shift of all.

Josy Paul, chairperson and chief creative officer, BBDO India

We are witnessing a positive turning point. The conversations this year remind us that creativity is evolving faster than ever before. 

With AI entering the arena, our tools are changing, but our values don’t have to. In fact, moments like these give the industry a chance to reaffirm what truly matters: integrity, imagination, and the human ability to connect with other humans.

Authentic work, in my view, isn’t defined by whether technology is involved, it’s defined by intention. Creativity has always used the tools of its time.  What matters is the honesty of the story and the responsibility in how we tell it.

If anything, this moment will strengthen the industry. It opens the door to clearer standards and more informed conversations around AI. I’m hopeful and excited, like a lover. This moment marks the beginning of a new, more conscious era of creativity. I believe it is the rebirth of authenticity.

This was part of the year-ender feature which appeared in the December 2025 issue of Manifest. Get your copy here.

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