As AI reshapes the way agencies work, Advertising Council Australia has partnered with Time Under Tension to launch AI Academy, an eight-week course designed to help client service teams, strategists, producers, project managers, and leaders build their AI capability. We caught up with Head of AI Learning Simon Hillier ahead of the first intake on June 16, co-hosted with Cat McGinn.
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Tell us a bit about Time Under Tension – what work are you doing to better prepare businesses for an AI future?
For the past three years, we have been fully focused on generative AI and helping Australian businesses understand what’s possible and how to act on it. That includes consultancy, design workshop facilitation, training and AI software development.
What are most agencies still getting wrong about AI?
Many are stuck in the experimentation stage. Individuals are trying tools in isolation rather than as part of a coordinated business approach. Often they’re using free versions without realising the paid tools are significantly more capable. As a result, agencies only scratch the surface of what’s possible, and risk falling behind. In almost every session I run, people are surprised by how much they didn’t know existed, or have access to.
Where are you already seeing AI create a competitive advantage?
Clients are starting to ask agencies how they use generative AI. If an agency doesn’t have a robust answer, that creates risk. There’s also growing price pressure as clients focus on AI-driven efficiency. Whether agencies use AI in creative or production is up to them, but client-facing teams need to have an informed point of view, and that starts with being AI-literate themselves.
What roles inside an agency should be paying the closest attention right now?
Every role can benefit from using AI effectively. The AI Academy curriculum for ACA members focuses on account service, strategy, producers, and leadership teams. It’s designed to help them with their day-to-day work. That said, it will also demonstrate what’s possible for creative and production teams.
What does AI Academy offer that no other AI course does? What will people walk away able to do that they can’t do today?
Most professionals feel overwhelmed by the noise around generative AI, even those who use it every day. AI Academy is designed to cut through that and provide practical guidance on the tools, tasks, and workflows that will benefit agencies. Participants will build confidence, learn best-practice ways of working, and leave with skills they can apply immediately to ensure they are not left behind. Unlike other AI courses, this program is delivered by a team that uses AI in real businesses every day. It’s practical, not theoretical, customised. You’ll get your hands dirty with AI…and love it.
What’s one thing someone could start doing with AI next week that would immediately make them better at their job?
At an agency level, standardise the AI tools you use and invest in paid versions. At an individual level, learn how to use these tools properly, then map their capabilities to your role to find the biggest unlocks.
What mindset separates the teams that will benefit from AI from the teams that will fall behind?
Abundance and curiosity. By using AI to complete some tasks five times faster, you can free up time to focus on the growth of the agency, improve the work, or better support your team. The other mindset is curiosity. Some of the best results come from combining your own expertise, thinking and knowledge with a Large Language Model and asking, “What can we create together?”
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Ready to move beyond experimentation? AI Academy starts on 16 June for ACA members. Secure your place here.