AI as a Thinking Partner: Iva in Conversation with the IPA

In a recent article for the IPA, our Chief Strategy Officer Iva Johan joins Alex Dalman, Managing Partner at Faith, VCCP’s AI creative studio, to explore what it really means to be an AI-native agency.

Moving beyond industry hype, their conversation reframes AI not as a production shortcut, but as a foundational capability – and a technology that signals a shift from simple optimisation towards measurable creative expansion.

When applied with intent, AI doesn’t just make work faster. It increases the quality, accuracy and consistency of output across channels, opening the door to new forms of digital experience. And, while much of the industry buzz still centres on efficiency, Iva argues that the real opportunity lies ahead, in enabling entirely new service models that were not previously viable.

The question she poses is not how to automate more, but how to expand what is creatively and commercially possible.

Alex builds on this by addressing the importance of tool mastery. When everyone has access to the same platforms, competitive advantage comes from how deeply and intelligently they are used. Without craft and curiosity, AI risks producing average output at scale.

Together, they reflect on how AI is reshaping strategic thinking itself. For Iva, what once began as a search increasingly becomes an ongoing dialogue. That shift carries implications not only for creativity, but for how brands are discovered, shaped and experienced.

The article offers a grounded view of how Bernadette and Faith collaborate. Not simply to move faster, but to ensure curiosity, experimentation and ambition remain central to the work.

You can read the full IPA article here.