Nihal Atawane graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication in 2019 with a master’s degree in advertising. A senior copywriter at FCB Chicago, he has worked with more than 300 brands, including Bank of America, McDonald’s, Boeing, Microsoft, Bud Light, MTV and Fireball Whisky, across three countries. He returned to his alma mater from March 24 to 28 as the 2025 Writer in Residence to share his experiences as a successful advertising copywriter and provide insight into today’s media.
During his plenary lecture, Atawane made the case that one thing humans have over AI is the ability to be “stupid” and he meant that in a good way. We sat down with Atawane for a tête-à-tête about how we can’t outsmart AI, but we can absolutely out-stupid it.
Let’s start with the power of stupidity you spoke about during your plenary lecture.
Every single day, I’m having conversations with people at work and with clients about AI. We’ve reached a point already where clients and leaders at work will say, “Hey, I think this is written by AI,” even if it’s not. We have the chance to beat the machines in a way that they’re fundamentally not trained to do. We have the opportunity to make a very clear distinction between what we can do and what the robots can do. And the robots are fundamentally incapable of being stupid.
“We have the chance to beat the machines in a way that they’re fundamentally not trained to do.”
There’s so much content out there, and the way to stand out is going to be to do more stupid work. Again, stupid not in a negative way, but stupid in a relatable, human, funny and occasionally crass way.
Do you also think appreciation for that sort of content is rising because of just the way the world is right now, given how serious it is and the level of conflict we’re witnessing?
Yes. I doom scroll a lot on TikTok and Instagram and my feed is is full of absurdist content. In a way that is stupid, but is also really entertaining and funny and that’s standing out because there’s so much mediocre content otherwise.
That brings us to meme culture. That’s a great example of stupidity, but there’s so much creativity as well and that’s something AI can’t create.
No, it can’t. It’s weird because I could be wrong, but I think this is also where culture and communications is headed in that we always people always look for safe spaces away from the machines and even brands. Take brands out of the equation like in the early 2010s when meme culture started really becoming popular in social media. It was a way to create a space on the internet that wasn’t occupied by brands.
“The moment AI or the machines or the algorithms start to co-opt our absurdism, we’ll move on to a new layer of stupidity.”
Rage comics, if you remember, was a format intentionally designed to be as crass and as crude, and unpolished, so that brands couldn’t use them and talk to people pretending to be human. The moment brands started doing it, we moved on to other formats and other kinds of memes. The moment AI or the machines or the algorithms start to co-opt our absurdism, we’ll move on to a new layer of stupidity. That’s why I don’t think they’ll ever be able to catch up with us.
Brands do jump in on that, though. They try to insert themselves into the conversation by adapting a piece of viral social media content.
I think there’s a way to do it right by being reactive to something that is happening in culture. It’s almost like a reward at the end of the story arc rather than forcefully, inserting yourself to sell products in the middle of the narrative. You’re not overtly trying to sell stuff, but rather be in on the joke in a way that you don’t take yourself too seriously. Ryanair is a good example, as is Duolingo with its social content that is adjacent or tangential to meme culture. So, there’s a way to do it that’s not boring and will not make people want to run away.
Do you think it’s worth it if a brand makes something that’s silly and absurd, and that attracts a some level of negativity on social media? Considering people then talk about it and they do get some screen time.
From a very personal point of view, I think if people are talking about your brand especially negatively, it’s not helping you. If anything, they’re looking down on what you’re doing. It’s one thing to create a campaign that gets people talking in terms of its content. Like the Coca-Cola commercial for Christmas was entirely AI generated and it got panned. I don’t think that’s good.
But the Puma ad, for example, used elements of AI and it got people talking about it. That I don’t mind so much because it’s more a topic of conversation than people hating on it. If people are talking negatively about your brand, even if they’re talking about it, they’re most likely not going to buy it.
You have to be smart to be stupid, right? Along the lines of how you have to be smart to cheat?
Yes. That’s a phenomenal way to put it. I spoke to professors at BU about AI and how they feel a lot of the students are using it to complete assignments. They can tell that the students have used AI, they just can’t prove it. My perspective is that if you are smart enough to not make it seem like you’ve used it, then more power to you. You know how to use technology. But if you’re using it so poorly that people can tell you’re using AI then I’m almost more annoyed.
Let’s talk favorites. Any ads, movies or music videos that come to mind?
KMart’s ship my pants is an all-time favorite. The Cadbury gorilla on drums is great too. There’s something about them that sticks with you because it’s so weird.
The Budweiser “Whassup?” commercial is great use of co-opting a sketch. Starburst Berries and Cream from the 2000s is another one. It’s unhinged, creepy even, but it gets in your head.
“That’s what I mean in terms of pulling simple emotions or simple attributes and traits in human behavior to the extreme. That’s where we want to be.”
I have a wide range of preferences when it comes to music videos and it’s not necessarily all stupid, but there are great ideas. The video for Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” is a classic. There’s “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar where everyone’s head’s on fire. I don’t know how they shot it, but it’s beautifully done. Broken Bells’ “After the Disco” is phenomenally shot. It looks like it’s done in a single take with a revolving set.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a great example of absurdism and creativity. “The Substance” is, again, a great example. Stupidity is a proxy for originality. You take any human emotion and pull it to the extreme. I don’t think AI can meet you there. AI is not going to be able to do the kind of body horror or the level of depravity that movies like “The Substance” show. I don’t think AI is going to be able to do “Talladega Nights” or “Step Brothers” level of stupidity either.
One of my favorite short stories/novellas is Ted Chiang’s Story of Your life. The film “Arrival” is based on it and it’s a phenomenal take on an old and cliched Hollywood trope. That’s what I mean in terms of pulling simple emotions or simple attributes and traits in human behavior to the extreme. That’s where we want to be.
For more information about the COM Writer in Residence Program, click here.
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