To ChatGPT, or not to ChatGPT: Navigating the paradoxes of generative AI in the advertising industry

Generative AI (GenAI) technology is evoking both excitement and fear about its potential impact across a host of industriesdincluding advertising, where it is expected to have a significant disruptive effect. This article utilizes the paradox lens to explore the implications of text-to-text GenAI in the form of ChatGPT for the advertising industry. Drawing on 48 interviews with advertising professionals, we identify three operational paradoxes that are associated with conducting research, creativity, efficiency, and one psychological paradox related to work identity. To gain a competitive advantage, we urge practitioners to adopt a confrontation-based coping strategy to navigate these paradoxes. This can be mobilized via an ambidexterity or contingency paradox management approach. We outline specific tactics in this article. (c) 2024 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/).