Luis Miguel Messianu of MEL: “AI Can Give Us Back the Time to Dream, and Create Again”

As part of the third edition of Latino US Day during the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Luis Miguel Messianu, Founder, President & Chief Creative Officer of MEL, took part in the P&G Session: “The Human Difference: Marketing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” a conversation exploring how brands are balancing AI-driven scale, automation, and efficiency with the irreplaceable value of human insight, creativity, and cultural intelligence.

Following the session, Messianu spoke with PRODU about the current state of the industry, the impact of artificial intelligence, and the importance of approaching this transformation from a more human and optimistic perspective.

“I’m thrilled to be here once again. Third time’s the charm. It’s wonderful to come together, exchange ideas, and discuss the topics that are on everyone’s mind,” said Messianu, who previously founded and served as Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Alma before launching MEL.

The creative leader explained that his contribution to the session focused on the human side of artificial intelligence, a subject that has dominated conversations throughout Cannes Lions. For Messianu, the challenge is not resisting technology but learning how to integrate it without losing what makes marketing truly distinctive: the human ability to imagine, interpret, and develop meaningful ideas.

“Everyone is talking about AI and trying to build humanity around it. I believe we need to embrace it. Every time we’ve handed over some control and allowed machines to do part of the work for us, we’ve become better. It’s been a step forward, not backward,” he said.

Reflecting on Cannes Lions 2026, Messianu acknowledged that the industry is navigating a period of uncertainty, with opinions divided between those concerned about the future and those who see transformation as an opportunity.

“I’ve seen two sides: people who are genuinely apprehensive and wondering whether there’s a future, and others, like me, who are optimistic and want to focus on the positive side of things,” he said.

According to MEL’s Founder, President & Chief Creative Officer, while the industry’s conversations may shift—from AI and authenticity to humanity, large language models (LLMs), and AI agents—the core of the business remains unchanged.

“At the end of the day, this is still a business built on ideas, and that’s not going to change,” he said.

Messianu believes that, when used effectively, artificial intelligence can free creative teams from much of the operational pressure that currently consumes their time and energy. In his view, that efficiency can create space to reconnect with the deeper purpose of creative work.

“If AI can do one thing, it’s give us back some of the time—and some of the madness—we deal with every day, so we can dream, imagine, and hope again,” he said.

His participation in Latino US Day reinforced one of the event’s central themes: how Latino voices are helping redefine culture, creativity, and the industry’s global influence at a time shaped by artificial intelligence, the attention economy, and new ways of connecting with multicultural audiences.