Creative teams are at a breaking point. Demand is up. Burnout hasn’t improved. And while AI was supposed to ease the pressure, it’s often raising expectations instead. 2026 is a turning point — and the teams that rethink workflows, enablement and success metrics now will be the ones that scale sustainably.
Creative teams have always been under pressure to churn out bold, innovative work on tight deadlines and AI has raised expectations even more.
But how does this technology really impact the creative process?
To answer that question and better understand how teams are working today, Superside asked more than 300 creative and marketing leaders at enterprise companies about their workloads, the pressure to boost productivity, and of course, how AI is impacting it all.
We discovered a few trends that carried over from our last report: Demand is still up, teams are still operating at or beyond capacity, and burnout persists. And while there’s reason to believe that AI will be a game-changer, right now, there’s a sizable gap between expectations and reality.
Still, the future is bright. Here’s everything you need to know about the state of creative in 2026 and a look at what’s to come.
Creative teams are at a breaking point
The pressure is real, the opportunity is too.
Get insights from 300+ leaders on
beating burnout, using AI wisely
and navigating 2026’s inflection point.
What’s driving burnout — and how AI impacts it
Last year’s Overcommitted Report revealed that 76% of creative professionals felt burnt out and 78% of their teams felt the same way but AI promised to relieve some of that pressure. It just hasn’t happened…yet.
In the meantime, some of the issues creative teams are facing include:
Unrealistic expectations
Creative teams embraced AI early, and they’re planning to increase their usage moving forward, in part because of pressure from the c-suite to adopt the technology ASAP. More than 4 in 5 (85%) leaders say their executive team’s expectations have shifted because of AI, with 92% saying executives are asking for higher quality work, and 94% adding that they expect it faster.
So, it’s not surprising that 9 in 10 leaders say they’ll use AI more frequently this year, and 52% say they’ll use it much more. But it’s not just because their bosses are telling them to; about 96% say they believe that AI will help them move faster and handle more projects, and 93% anticipate that it will improve the quality of their work.
However, using AI hasn’t been seamless. About 39% of leaders say they worry about AI quality, 33% expressed concern about legal and/or IP risk, and 32% cited lack of training as an issue. Put simply, it’s all so new, and teams are figuring it out.
“There’s a lot of AI smoke and mirrors, just like with any new tech that people are excited about. Managers and leaders are expecting a magic solution, but it's not that easy.”
Limited time
It’s also difficult to learn new technologies if you’re constantly pressed for time — and most creative teams are. In fact, about 4 in 5 creative professionals say they want to create bolder work, but they’re always racing against the clock, and 77% say they feel bogged down with too many lower-priority tasks.
One way to help relieve some of this pressure? Encouraging experimentation with AI, Júlio says. If not, it threatens to create a new kind of burnout.
“People can’t work and experiment at the same time. We need to lower expectations — not by compromising quality, but by giving people time and space to get used to this technology,” he explains. “It’s a human problem, not a technology problem.”
Too many high-priority requests
While it’s tempting to use AI across your business, Júlio says the better course of action is to consider where it can make the biggest difference. It’s also important to set clear priorities.
Right now, that’s not happening.
About 86% of respondents say their team is either at or over capacity, and because 51% of creative teams’ projects are considered high priority, it can feel impossible to keep up with demand.
Outdated KPIs
Making matters more complicated, success metrics remain rooted in productivity and efficiency, not value, so carving out the time to think things through can feel counterintuitive.
Currently, creative leaders say their organization measures creative success by profitability or ROI (71%), satisfaction scores (42%), and engagement rates (41%). Finding new ways to reward great, creative work can be a driver for growth.
If your team is excited, you’re halfway to success. When people are motivated, invested, and optimistic about the future, incredible things happen.
Why 2026 represents a breaking point (and how Superside can help)
Creative teams are at a critical inflection point: Either they address the burnout issues now or risk making them worse as they add AI to their workflows. And while it’s seemingly a high-stakes problem, there is a surprisingly uncomplicated solution.
Think of it as four parts:
- Determine the best way to use AI for your business.
- Build a culture where teams feel empowered to experiment with AI and take risks.
- Give your team time to create bold work.
- Measure impact, not just productivity or efficiency.
At Superside, AI is fully integrated across everything we do. We combine human creative excellence with AI-enhanced workflows, making the impossible possible. That means broader ideation, 40% faster design timelines, and up to 50% more cost efficiency.
We help teams move from experimentation to operationalized AI that actually scales creative output — and we can help you, too.
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