Using AI to Help Brief Your Agency

Briefs are on my mind these days. I recently wrote about The Real Price of a Vague Brief, but there are opportunities to avoid a vague brief by using AI effectively.

Client briefs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are detailed documents that cover almost every requirement and eventuality of a project or digital marketing campaign. Others you could write on the back of a postage stamp! And sometimes we receive no brief at all, just a meeting or a call, and we work closely with the client to build one.

No matter the approach, a written brief will almost always be needed at the end of the process, whether the agency writes it or the client does. It’s the point of truth for a project. It forms the basis for what gets done and what doesn’t, and it gives everyone a shared direction.

Recently we’ve noticed more and more clients using AI to help write their briefs, along with occasional AI-generated mockups landing in our inbox. You might be surprised to hear that we usually welcome this. The quality of the briefs we receive has generally improved.

AI is not a context shortcut

AI can put structure on a brief, but it’s only as good as the detail you feed it. Garbage in, garbage out. Detail and context still matter. Whether you write the brief yourself or get AI to help, your goals, audience, budget and constraints still have to be well documented. AI can’t invent what it doesn’t know.

AI can add real value as a communication tool. The output might never be used as-is, but it helps us understand what you’re looking for, and that gives us something to work from. AI can help you articulate your requirements, goals and motivations. It can make suggestions, but it can’t make the decisions or provide direction that isn’t your own.

A clearer brief will usually mean a tighter scope, and that can lead to lower fees and a faster turnaround.

AI mockups can help too. They show a visual direction without you having to describe it in words that could be read ten different ways. We treat them as a reference point, not a direct instruction.

What an agency adds

Magic An AI-assisted brief or mockup might feel like it meets your goals, but your agency can take it much further, align it with your brand and make sure it works for your users.

AI won’t always have context, like your brand guidelines, your audience demographics, accessibility standards or usability and UX best practice. It won’t have your agency’s expertise, judgement, taste or creativity. That’s why you hire an agency.

An unchecked AI brief can carry misdirection and confusion. That wastes time and money, and it can lead to conflict and costly delays. Attention to detail is everything in a brief. Don’t let AI take control. Check it, double-check it and keep feeding it with context.

How to brief well using AI

Feed AI as much context as you can: notes, requirements, research, goals and objectives.
Ask your agency for input before you lock anything in – your agency will be more than happy to tell you what they need in a brief – feed it into your AI model.
Instruct your AI not to make assumptions. Ask it to challenge and question you to fill in the gaps.
Check the brief yourself, then get someone else to check it.
Treat AI mockups as a reference, not a finished design. It might look good, but it will probably have issues that are hard to spot without expertise.

It’s good to talk

AI improves the conversation, but it doesn’t replace it.

We all spend too much time typing messages and sitting on video calls. An hour in the room with your agency does a lot of heavy lifting towards giving everyone the context they need. It builds relationships and trust, and it encourages collaboration. Those incidental conversations that never happen over email are often where the extra context comes from, and no AI-written brief can replace that.

So use AI. Then set up a meeting – your project, agency and outcome will thank you.

If you want an agency that can support you through creating the right brief, get in touch with us today.