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Every day, headlines warn that AI is replacing humans in the workforce. But in the strategic consulting world, AI-human collaboration is flipping that narrative on its head. Rather than being replaced, strategists are using AI to unleash capabilities they never thought possible.
ONE Strategy Studio sits at the forefront of this transformation. Our experienced strategists don't just use AI—they guide it, shape it, and combine its computational power with human insight to solve complex business challenges. The result? Work that would have taken weeks now happens in days without sacrificing quality.
In this article, we'll explore how ONE Strategy's human strategists drive successful AI-human collaboration—from crafting precise briefs to iterating on insights to ensuring real business impact. Their work demonstrates the power of AI and human expertise working in sync to achieve more than either could alone.
How AI-human collaboration has changed client engagement
Traditionally, agency pitches were lengthy, complex processes where consultancies would spend weeks developing proposals. Strategist Matt Spencer, drawing from years of client-side experience, recalls a frustrating pattern.
"Every agency would come in and want to talk to you and pitch to you... Without fail, every single one would make a reference to AI...but what I never actually saw was a really good tangible application of that AI capability," he explains. "I never once saw an improvement in speed of delivery or quality of delivery or any efficiencies."
At ONE Strategy, we do things differently. We use GenAI to reinvent the insight, innovation, and strategy experience in a way that produces real results. Strategist Charlotte "Charlie" White, who pitched to clients for years at strategic agencies, has seen a clear shift in how clients respond now. At the end of a pitch, clients would say variations of the same things: 'Oh, that's interesting'. 'So glad you're on our radar'. 'We'll get back to you'. Now they want to get started right away.
"The engagement and the speed with which clients want to jump on board and do something, even if they're not quite sure yet whether it's the right setup or methodology — they just want to go and play in this space because it's new, exciting and transformational," says Charlie.
ONE Strategy has shown what's possible in the space and now once skeptical clients are excited to embark on this journey with us. This excitement in the initial meeting sets the precedent for the client/strategist relationship.
A new kind of client relationship
In traditional settings, client interactions often felt tense. After all, agencies spent weeks, if not months, carefully crafting presentations, deeply invested in delivering high-quality work, and hoping to meet client expectations. Needless to say, each proposal carried a lot of pressure. AI changes this dynamic as it takes the grunt work out of the picture.
Strategists can test different approaches quickly with the models, so there's less pressure to be perfect immediately. Strategist Ferdie Simon sees a significant difference from his years working at a branding design agency.
"It allows you to be wrong because you're on the same side, just collaborating to get the results that you need," Ferdie notes. "In some ways it almost makes us the client and the models the agency. We are the kind of tough, hard-nosed account manager who's like whipping the models into shape."
ONE Strategy delivers insights in mere hours. While exciting and incredibly beneficial, strategists have found that for clients, they are working at an unprecedented pace. Clients need support to adapt to this quick, iterative process. Many clients are used to slower, more methodical work.
"We can work very fast, but sometimes we need to take a breath, slow down and get more into their cadence," Matt explains. "Because whilst they don't want to do it in eight weeks, ten weeks like they used to, they also don't really want to do it in 24 hours unless there's a real reason behind that."
This is just another way that AI-human collaboration has changed the client/strategist relationship. Strategists now wear an additional hat as a 'client liason"—not just for the work being done but the process in itself.
The brief—where strategists shine in AI-human collaboration
The AI models are powerful but the strategists are crucial to the operation. One of the parts of the process in which the strategists shine is the brief stage as it requires human strategic thinking. Strategist Camilla Pugh, who brings experience from both the client and agency side, recognizes the importance of the human strategist, especially at this step.
"The humans add the most value at the first stage," Camilla explains. "It's about getting a really sharp brief from the client, knowing what questions to ask, and knowing how to extract the right information."
But strategic work gets complicated. Clients don't always know exactly what they need. That would have been an issue in a more traditional setting. After all, the brief serves as the foundation for six to eight weeks of work. But at ONE Strategy, the stakes are quite low.
"The client might be not 100% sure about what their brief is," Ferdie observes. "And the very liberating thing about One Strategy Studio is that the brief doesn't have to be right first time."
One Strategy Studio sees uncertainty as a chance to explore. The strategists can take the client's brief, write a proposal, and agree on how to brief the AI models. From there, they produce a first round of results in a day or two.
When they share these with clients, sometimes the direction needs to change—for example, a client might realize they want activation opportunities instead of occasions. That's not a problem—the strategists can simply rebrief the models and iterate as needed.
Making iteration work
ONE Strategy builds everything on iteration. In traditional agency work, strategists had to see the project through no matter what discoveries were made along the way. With the power of AI-human collaboration, strategists are free to pivot as needed to get the best results. Iteration isn't just accepted; it's celebrated. Charlie enjoys the process—noting:
"Where I can add value is in the iteration and critiquing," says Charlie. "My time is spent getting outputs into a better place—making them more interesting, more stretchy, and really helping clients push the boundaries of where they could go and how fast they can get there."
However, the iteration doesn't stop upon delivery. The strategists take outputs to clients for feedback, then work directly with the AI models to implement changes. The strategists have a sophisticated understanding of how to "coach" the models to achieve desired results.
"Taking client feedback and knowing how to translate that and push the models in the right direction is not always an easy task. I was working on a project and it took me about 3 or 4 iterations, but I got what I wanted out of it," says Camilla.
Another key difference between traditional agencies and ONE Strategy is the fee structure. Our strategists aren't limited by billable hours. They are free to keep refining until they—and the client—are happy. In fact, the hardest part is deciding when to stop.
The best clients recognize and celebrate this iterative approach. They understand that each pass brings more depth and insight. By embracing iteration, One Strategy has turned what was once a linear, high-stakes process into a dynamic, exploratory journey of strategic discovery.
Creating real impact
Success isn't measured by speed alone. Strategists know how vital it is to deliver actionable insights that will create real impact. Matt, with his years of client experience, knows what happens to projects that don't drive action.
"If I've just done a whole project and all I've got is a load of content and material and nobody does anything with it, it's not valuable to the business," Matt emphasizes. "It doesn't actually generate any action or inform any decision-making."
The strategists excel at turning AI outputs into business results. Camilla knows both sides of the equation—having delivered insights during her time at TNS and Added Value (both now Kantar). She's also no stranger to turning insights into action during her time at Samsung. This dual perspective helps her ensure clients can actually use what they receive.
"Once you have all the opportunities, it's about helping the client prioritize and know which ones are going to drive the business, be the most effective," Camilla explains. "Then it's about shaping that output to land with impact in the organization."
This shaping process is highly customized. The team adapts outputs according to each client's specific needs—whether that's creating visual presentations for workshops, developing mood boards to bring concepts to life, or structuring deliverables to resonate with different stakeholders.
The unlimited potential of AI-human collaboration
For the ONE Strategy team, AI-human collaboration creates unprecedented opportunities for growth and impact. Just like the clients they've created so much value for, they've seen what's possible and are excited for what's to come.
“At the moment, we're playing in the strategy, insight, innovation space,” Charlie points out. "What's becoming increasingly clear is our AI models' capabilities open them up to other challenges a client might have. That's exciting because you always want to stretch and grow."
The rapid, dynamic nature of the work is energizing. Ferdie, for instance, enjoys the pace, noting, "I've done jobs in the past where you're stuck on something for months actually. Here, you're never going to be stuck on something for longer than a few days." The AI-human collaboration allows the strategists to stay motivated, executing in their zone of expertise.
Lastly, the team shares a drive to constantly improve. Nobody settles for "good enough." Everyone stays curious, tries new things, and pushes each other to find better answers.
This combination of expanding capabilities, rapid execution, and relentless drive creates an environment of constant discovery and growth. The strategists continually explore new possibilities, push boundaries, and help clients achieve outcomes that weren't possible before.
Final thoughts on AI-human collaboration
At One Strategy Studio, AI-human collaboration is a powerful approach that elevates how businesses solve problems. By combining cutting-edge technology with strategic insight, the team turns complex challenges into clear opportunities. Strategists do more than use AI—they guide it, creating insights that help companies move forward in innovative ways.
As technology continues to evolve, the true potential lies in how humans and AI work together. The ONE Strategy team demonstrates that the most impactful solutions emerge from blending human creativity with artificial intelligence. At One Strategy Studio, AI-human collaboration isn't just changing how work gets done—it's redefining what's possible in strategic thinking.
