AI Era Ad Teams Only Need 1 Brain + 100 Pairs of Hands
A Quick Note
Let me give you a straight answer to the title question: 90% of traditional media buyers aren’t worth much anymore.
What’s the current state of media buying?
We used to be “technical masters”: granular operations, exploiting bugs, running hundreds of audience A/B tests.
Now? ASC (Advantage+ Shopping) arrives and Meta practically wants to tie your hands and turn off your brain. Targeting keeps getting broader — sometimes you don’t even need targeting.
Today’s ad system looks exactly like AI’s endgame: AI creates and calculates, humans wash dishes and scrub toilets.
Bosses everywhere are asking the existential question:
“If the system runs more accurately on its own, why am I paying someone tens of thousands to… press the ‘Publish’ button?”
This isn’t just a career crisis — it’s a fundamental restructuring of advertising logic.
01
Meta Ads’ “Three Generations” of Evolution
To see the future clearly, first understand history. Meta ads really only went through three phases:
Phase 1: The Media-Buying Era
- Keywords
: Black-hat tricks, bug exploitation, thousands of test groups.
- Core Logic
: Who knows platform parameters best wins. FB’s backend was like flying a plane — master it, you’re king.
- Talent Profile
: “Thoroughbred-level” buyers. One god-tier buyer could double ROI, and bosses begged to give commissions.
Back then, if you could “buy,” you were a money printer.
Phase 2: The Creative Era
- Keywords
: Creative arms race, aesthetic competition, production battles.
- Core Logic
: Best creatives win. Broad targeting erased technical advantages — parameters stopped mattering.
- Talent Profile
: “Mid-tier workhorses.” Media buyers became execution layer; spotlight shifted to creative strategists and production teams.
Back then, knowing how to “buy” was useless — you needed budget for big productions.
Phase 3: The AI Era ← We Are Here
- Keywords
: ASC, full automation, AI generation.
- Core Logic
: Brand + Data + Infrastructure.
- Current State
: Zuckerberg’s ultimate vision realized — throw creatives at the system, platform finds the audience.
In front of AI, execution barriers disappear.
You write scripts? ChatGPT is faster.
You create graphics? Nanobanana is better.
Only know “how to buy ads”? You’re losing money every day you wake up.
02
Endgame Projection: The Future Profit Formula
“One thoroughbred leading a Silk Road of workhorses across the globe.”
This is what I believe is the cruelest — and truest — team configuration reality of the AI era.
Since “operations” are automated, manpower must migrate from “execution” to “strategy.”
Future teams have only two types:
1. Entry-Level Workhorses (Cyber Textile Workers)
- Source
: Cheap, compliant, capable fresh graduates.
- Work
: Use AI to generate creatives (Prompt + light editing), monitor automated campaigns.
- Essence
: Workers on the AI assembly line. Train for two weeks, plug them in, swap if needed — ultra-low cost.
2. Thoroughbreds (Growth Architects)
- Source
: Rare experts who understand business, product, data, and the full AI stack.
- Work
: No repetitive labor. They design growth models, define brand positioning, build AI workflows (SOPs).
- Essence
: System designers.
💰 New Profit Formula:
1 Thoroughbred (Strategic Brain) + AI Tools (Efficiency Leverage) + 100 Entry-Level Workhorses (Execution Hands)
The expert builds the “workflow,” then hires cheap people to fill slots. Even beginners following SOPs with AI tools can produce 80-point results.
While we’re here, check out my Facebook ad analysis case study from a previous client:
Vibe Coding in Practice: Facebook Ad Deep Analysis Case Study
03
The Boss’s Achilles Heel: Can You Afford a “Thoroughbred”?
Reading this, many bosses will say: “Got it, I’ll go hire a full-stack growth expert!”
Don’t be naive. You can’t hire one, and you can’t afford one.
A true “thoroughbred” who understands AI workflows, brand, and data commands $100K - $200K+ annual salary. And these people usually don’t want to be cogs at SMBs.
This is why most companies fail at transformation:
-
Can’t afford top experts, so they hire mediocre buyers.
-
Result: A bunch of people using cutting-edge AI tools to deliver mediocre ROI.
So are SMBs just supposed to wait for death?
No.
Open your mind: You don’t need to “own” them — you just need to “use” them.
After SaaS (Software as a Service), EaaS (Expert as a Service) is the next wave.
Instead of spending $100K+ on an expert plus benefits, “lease” a full-stack growth architect.
I’m Mr. Guo — Growth Consultant, Indie Developer, Digital Marketing Expert, Product Manager, Entrepreneur
I don’t offer “agency services.” I offer “Growth Architecture Rental”:
- I provide the brain
: Help you build AI workflows, define brand strategy, design data feedback loops.
- You provide the hands
: Use your existing cheap team (or I’ll teach you to hire interns) to execute.
- Result
: Get a top-tier team’s growth engine at 1/10 the cost.
The FB media buyer career hasn’t disappeared, but “pure buyers” are worthless now.
Future winners are those smart enough to “rent the brain, build the hands in-house.”
DM me if you want to chat privately.