The AI-Powered Creative Boom

The Rapid Expansion of Creative AI Tools in Design and Marketing

In the modern creative landscape, AI isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a transformative force. The rise of generative AI has accelerated workflows, empowered non-designers, and reshaped marketing and design industries practically overnight. Platforms like Freepik stand at the forefront, introducing AI-powered solutions that are redefining how we create.

AI tools are revolutionizing creative workflows—speeding up production, cutting costs, and breaking down technical barriers. For MP Nerds’ clients, this means a golden opportunity: leveraging AI can boost productivity and innovation. But with innovation comes responsibility. Legal and ethical considerations, especially with evolving regulations like the EU AI Act, add layers of complexity. MP Nerds can serve as the guide—offering AI-integrated documentation, explainers, and best-practice guides to help businesses navigate this new terrain effectively and responsibly.

In a recent TechRadar interview, Freepik CEO Joaquín Cuenca Abela emphasized the explosive growth of creative AI. He sees that AI-generated tools are just beginning to reshape creative industries through unprecedented speed and productivity, while still contending with issues like energy use and intellectual property concerns.

Key highlights include:

• AI's rapid growth: The market for creative AI products is expanding, driven by real benefits for users at record speed.
   
• Sustainability through efficiency: Freepik's hardware speeds have tripled energy efficiency in just months—now generating one high-quality image per second on 1 kW of power, down from three times that just three months earlier.
   
• Licensing is critical: Enterprises are drawn to Freepik’s Enterprise plan partly for the built-in legal indemnity—providing peace of mind amid complex IP landscapes.
   
• Regulatory friction in Europe: The EU’s preference for opt-out dataset licensing—requiring companies to disclose datasets—is stoking resistance. By contrast, US rulings favor fair use, making the regulatory environment there more favorable.TechRadar
   
• AI as co‑pilot for creativity: Freepik integrates AI models like ChatGPT to enhance its tools, with future plans aiming for seamless model selection and even video-stream understanding.
   

In July 2025, Freepik launched unlimited AI image and video generation for its Premium+ and Pro users—freeing creators from time-consuming credit systems.TechRadar

CEO Cuenca Abela framed this move as less about monetization and more about user empowerment:

• Frictionless access breeds creativity.
   
• Freepik absorbs model costs to cultivate loyalty and long-term relationships.
   
• Paid tiers (starting at $24.50/month) offer faster access to advanced models like Imagen 4 and Veo 3, as well as early previews of new features.
   

The EU AI Act, effective from August 1, 2024, marks an unprecedented step in AI regulation—demanding compliance, transparency, and openness from companies deploying AI systems.arxiv.org+1

Some industry concerns:

• The opt‑out model, requiring disclosure of datasets, threatens trade secrets.
   
• Full compliance may be untenable for companies unwilling to reveal proprietary training data.
   
• Scholars argue the Act, while important, still has gaps—for instance, in balancing risk-based regulation and supporting safe innovation environments.arxiv.org+1
   

MP Nerds can provide unparalleled value by offering:

1. AI-Integrated Documentation & Explain­­ers
    
   • Walk clients through choosing AI tools, understanding licensing options, and evaluating energy/environmental impacts.
      

1. Best-Practice Guides for Compliance
    
   • Help clients comply with the EU AI Act via clear steps: using risk-based assessments, managing dataset transparency, and preparing FRIA/DPIA documentation (in line with EU standards).X (formerly Twitter)+8arxiv.org+8Complete AI Training+8WikipediaComplete AI Trainingarxiv.org+1
      

1. Customized Training & Adoption Materials
    
   • Empower teams to navigate AI tools intuitively and responsibly.
      
   • Illustrate workflow redesign—e.g., swapping studio shoots with AI-generated visual campaigns.
      

1. Ethics + Policy Advisory
    
   • Mediate between innovation and legal exposure.
      
   • Counsel clients on operating in European vs. US markets given the evolving regulatory frameworks.
      

Creative AI is redefining how design and marketing happen—from faster turnarounds to individualized content. Platforms like Freepik are pioneering this charge, offering powerful tools and flaunting user-centric value (unlimited generation, legal safety, and efficiency). Yet, businesses must tread carefully through evolving AI governance.

That’s where MP Nerds shines—by guiding clients through technology adoption with strategic insight, regulatory clarity, and ethical foresight.