Our AI Manifesto: Why We Use the Best Tools Available

There’s a conversation happening in the business community right now about AI. Specifically, about whether companies should disclose when they use it, whether it diminishes the value of creative work, and where the ethical lines sit. We think it’s worth being direct about where we stand.

We Use AI. And We’re Not Apologetic About It.

At Vireo Creative, our job is to deliver the best possible results for our clients. That has always meant using the best possible tools. A decade ago, that meant adopting responsive design frameworks before they were mainstream. Five years ago, it meant investing in modern static site generators and performance tooling. Today, it means integrating AI into our workflow where it genuinely improves outcomes.

We use AI to help with research, first drafts, code generation, image processing, and dozens of small tasks that used to eat into the time we could spend on strategy and craft. It makes us faster. It makes our output better. And it frees us to focus on the parts of the work that actually require human judgement — understanding your brand, making editorial decisions, and solving problems that don’t have a template.

The Transparency Question

There’s a growing expectation in some circles that businesses should label AI-assisted work the way food packaging labels ingredients. We understand the impulse, but we think it misses the point.

Nobody asks whether a designer used Photoshop’s generative fill or content-aware scaling. Nobody asks whether a developer used GitHub Copilot to autocomplete a function. Nobody asks whether a copywriter used a thesaurus. These are all tools. AI is a tool. A remarkably powerful one, but a tool nonetheless.

What matters is not which tools were involved. What matters is whether the final product is good — whether it serves the client, communicates clearly, performs well, and meets the brief. That’s what we stake our reputation on, and that’s what we hold ourselves accountable for.

Our Belief System

If we had to distil it down, here’s what we believe:

The best work comes from the best tools in skilled hands. AI without expertise produces mediocre, generic output. Expertise without modern tooling is slower than it needs to be. The combination of both is where the real value lives.

Quality is the measure, not method. We don’t charge for hours spent or tools used. We charge for outcomes. If AI helps us get to a better result, that’s a win for everyone.

Honesty matters more than disclosure theatre. We’re telling you plainly: AI is part of our toolkit. We’re not hiding it, but we’re also not going to plaster disclaimers on every deliverable. The work speaks for itself.

Human judgement is irreplaceable. AI doesn’t understand your business. It doesn’t know your customers. It can’t sit in a room and feel the culture of your brand. We can. AI handles the scaffolding. We handle the thinking.

Where This Goes

AI is not a phase. It’s not going away, and it’s not going to stop improving. Agencies and freelancers who refuse to adopt it will find themselves outpaced. Those who adopt it without skill or care will produce forgettable work. We intend to be neither.

We’ll keep using the best tools available — whatever those happen to be — and we’ll keep being straightforward about it. That’s the Vireo way.