Lisa De Bonis' Huge AI Opportunity for 'Intelligent Experiences'

It's been three years since Lisa De Bonis joined IPG's specialist design and technology agency Huge, a move that has seen her shimmy up the greasy pole from chief experience officer to chief product officer just one year later.

At the beginning of this year she shifted into the global CEO chair, taking responsibility for Huge's operations and its near 1,000 staff. Chidi Achara - who had previously worked at agencies including BBH and brands such as Nike - subsequently joined the company to take on her former chief product role.

It was clear that De Bonis, who had previously worked at Accenture Interactive and Work Club, could see an opportunity to take the business to the next level. She says: "At Huge, we believe we're at the cusp of the next wave of customer experience, driven by advancements in AI, especially Gen AI. We call this wave 'intelligent experiences' —creative, efficient, and effective solutions that fuel growth and transformation."

Among its most prominent recent work that brings this 'intelligent experiences' proposition to life was its creation of “OLI,” an AI-powered chat that helped viewers find when, where and how to watch their favorite live events and programming throughout NBCU’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympics. You can read more about it here.

Creative Salon sat down with De Bonis and Achara to talk about how they're supercharging the agency with their own transformation and innovation:

Creative Salon: Lisa, so why did you choose to join Huge?

Lisa De Bonis: I joined Huge three years ago because I saw the potential in advertising and digital work, despite industry limitations. Huge represented an opportunity to break traditional models and create more impactful work. I became CEO because I was the natural successor and believed there was still work to be done [De Bonis succeeded Mat Baxter who had led Huge’s structural reorganization, productization model and nascent investments in AI].

Our organisation has matured, becoming more client- and outcome-centric, thanks to our previous transformation initiatives. A key change I made was restructuring leadership to better align creative, tech, and strategy with product development, which I believe leads to better results.

Creative Salon: Chidi, what attracted you to Huge after leaving the agency world?

Chidi Achara: After working in startups [he is a former chief brand officer at fintech Stash and president of AI and interface company Brain.ai], I was excited by the opportunity to apply learnings from AI to drive large-scale solutions for major companies. Agencies, unlike startups, excel at delivering consumer-facing experiences at scale. This role lets me combine creativity with AI-driven efficiencies.

Creative Salon: Lisa, could you explain the company’s proprietary AI-powered Living Intelligence Value Engine (LIVE)?

Lisa De Bonis: We built the platform to accelerate our strategic and creative thinking, particularly in gaining insights faster and more accurately. It’s an internal tool designed to enhance our work but not sold or licensed externally.

Creative Salon: How has artificial intelligence (AI) impacted Huge?

Lisa De Bonis: AI has helped us improve the quality of our work and opened up new opportunities. It's more about enhancing our thinking than just increasing speed.

Chidi Achara: AI will automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more strategic work. It will also drive efficiencies in design and development processes.

Creative Salon: Where do you see the intersection of creativity and tech heading next?

Chidi Achara: We are at the start of a new wave, where brands are exploring how to integrate Gen AI responsibly. We see enormous potential in creating deeper, more immersive experiences, moving beyond simple chatbots.

Creative Salon: What's next for Huge?

Lisa De Bonis: We aim to grow as a global community of talent, focusing on AI-fluent capabilities. While we will continue to deepen our expertise and global reach, we’re focused on maintaining our end-to-end digital marketing offerings without diluting ourselves into traditional advertising.