Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming creative industries, redefining the processes of ideation and execution. Few companies embody this shift as boldly as Leonardo.Ai. Born from a moment of inspiration at a wedding speech, the platform was founded with a mission to bridge the gap between imagination and execution.

Marketing Mag sat down with co-founder and chief product officer Jachin Bhasme to get his insights on the company’s origins, its unique approach to AI and how the technology is empowering human creativity, rather than replacing it. 

From working with global brands like Coca-Cola to redefining content marketing, Leonardo.Ai is setting new standards for AI-driven artistry.

Marketing Mag: What motivated you to launch Leonardo.Ai?

Jachin Bhasme: Leonardo.Ai came about in an unusually personal way. I was actually giving my wedding speech, thanking my former employers (now co-founders) JJ and Chris for the opportunities they’d given me, right before the stars aligned. Later that evening, JJ approached me about starting an AI company together. We’d both been independently exploring this technology, and the timing just clicked. Despite having just gotten married and taken on a mortgage, I knew this wasn’t an opportunity I could pass up. It was a super risky decision for me personally, but I knew I’d regret it in the future [if I didn’t take it]. It was one of those rare ‘aha’ moments where you can see the future unfolding before you. But what drove us to build Leonardo.Ai was recognising that we needed to move beyond the initial “magic” of AI to create something truly transformative for creators. 

The platform was born out of a desire to reduce the friction between ideation and creation. Creativity is a deeply human trait, but the tools available to bring ideas to life have traditionally been complex, expensive or slow. We saw an opportunity to use AI to empower creators – not replace them – by making high-quality creative tools more accessible and intuitive. 

Initially, we focused on serving the gaming and concept art communities, but as the technology evolved we realised its potential across industries, from marketing and design to film and beyond. But what became clear very quickly was that while the “black box” nature of early AI tools was fascinating, professional creators needed more reliability, control and confidence in their outputs. The goal has always been to put creators in the driver’s seat, giving them true control over their creative process rather than presenting AI as a mysterious oracle. 

This understanding shaped our approach to building Leonardo.Ai, focusing on making AI more transparent, reliable and genuinely useful for professional creative workflows. 

MM: What is your background, and how did you come to be ahead of the curve in founding an AI company? 

JB: My journey into AI wasn’t traditional. I didn’t come from a machine learning or deep tech background. I studied Business and IT, focusing on data analytics, but my real passion has always been at the intersection of art and technology, especially through music and photography. I started my career as an admin assistant at a fintech company (Founded by Chris and JJ), working my way up to become a product owner. Looking back, this experience was invaluable. It taught me how to identify problems worth solving and build solutions that really serve users’ needs. 

The real catalyst came in late 2021 when I discovered emerging research in generative AI. I found myself staying up late, tinkering with Google Colab notebooks, generating images that took 40 minutes each to create. They were abstract and sometimes barely resembled what I’d asked for, but I had this profound sense that I was looking at something revolutionary. I started creating AI-generated videos on TikTok, exploring philosophical concepts like ‘AI’s interpretation of Love or Fear.’ While many people, including my parents, didn’t quite get it at first (“Why not just Google the image?”), I knew we were onto something transformative. 

What really sets Leonardo.Ai apart is our approach to team building. Instead of exclusively seeking traditional AI credentials, we prioritised finding problem solvers – people who were tinkerers and builders obsessed with pushing creative boundaries. The field was moving so quickly, particularly in the open-source community, that conventional experience wasn’t always the best indicator of capability. This unconventional mindset has been key to our ability to stay ahead of the curve and build something truly innovative. 

MM: What do you say to those who suggest that apps like Leonardo.Ai will take creative jobs?

JB: I understand the concern. The pace of AI advancement is breathtaking, and change can be intimidating. But I encourage creators to view this as an opportunity rather than a threat. The question isn’t whether AI will replace creative jobs, but how it will transform and enhance them. 

AI is becoming an amplifier for human creativity. Take film production, for instance. Traditionally, directors would cobble together mood boards from various unrelated sources to communicate their vision. Now, they can generate precise visual representations of their ideas, making it infinitely easier to align stakeholders and teams around a unified creative vision. It’s not replacing the creative process – it’s removing the friction that often stands between imagination and execution. 

We’re also seeing creators use AI in ways we never anticipated. Artists are incorporating their own work and styles into the AI process, essentially creating personalised creative accelerators. It’s like giving an artist a superpower – they maintain their unique style and creative voice while dramatically expanding their capability to iterate, explore and produce at scale.

The key is to lean into this transformation. Ask yourself: What does this technology enable you to do that wasn’t possible before? How can it help you achieve your creative goals more efficiently? What new creative territories can you explore now? The creative professionals who are thriving with AI are those who see it as a tool for enhancement rather than a replacement – a way to elevate their work while focusing more time on the truly human aspects of creativity: storytelling, emotional resonance and innovative thinking.

MM: How can content marketers get the most from Leonardo.Ai? 

JB: Leonardo.Ai can be leveraged in ways going far beyond basic image generation. Our platform offers several cutting-edge features that transform how marketers create and scale their visual content. 

Our suite of AI models, including our flagship Phoenix 1.0, delivers quality and precise prompt adherence, which is essential for realising a creative vision. But what sets us apart are our features providing more control, such as our image guidance system. Marketers can use reference images to influence style, maintain character consistency or preserve specific compositional elements. This means you can ensure your visual content maintains a cohesive brand identity across hundreds of assets.

One of our most powerful features for marketers is element training, which allows you to train models on your own images or datasets. This is game-changing for brand consistency. Imagine training a model on your brand’s visual style or specific products, enabling you to generate on-brand content at scale. Combined with our state-of-the-art upscaling technology, you can create ultra-high-quality photorealistic images that stand out. 

For creative exploration, our Flow State feature streams multiple variations based on your prompts, perfect for rapid concept exploration and finding fresh approaches to visual storytelling. And for enterprises, our API enables exciting possibilities like automated, localised content generation. Picture creating demographically targeted ad campaigns where the imagery automatically adapts to resonate with specific audiences, showing characters reflecting local demographics while maintaining brand consistency. 

Whether you’re creating blog headers, social media content or full-scale marketing campaigns, these tools put enterprise-grade AI capabilities at your fingertips, allowing you to create more engaging, personalised, and scalable visual content than ever before.

MM: What are your predictions for the future of content creation and content marketing? 

JB: I believe we’re entering an era where the boundaries between imagination and execution will continue to blur. The future of content creation isn’t just about making things faster or easier – it’s about unlocking entirely new possibilities for creative expression and personalisation. 

We’re going to see a shift from mass-produced content to hyper-personalised experiences. Imagine marketing campaigns adapting their visual language based on cultural context, personal preferences and real-time data. The technology is already heading in this direction, but what’s exciting is how it will enable creators to focus more on strategy and creative direction rather than repetitive production tasks. 

Another trend I’m seeing is the convergence of different creative media. The line between static and motion content will become increasingly fluid, with creators able to seamlessly transform concepts across different formats – from still images to animation to interactive experiences. This will fundamentally change how brands tell their stories and engage with audiences.

But perhaps most importantly, I see a future where AI tools become as natural to creative workflows as Photoshop is today. The conversation will shift from “Should we use AI?” to “How are we leveraging these tools to push creative boundaries?” The winners in this space will be those who master the art of human-AI collaboration, using technology to amplify their creative vision rather than replace it. 

The democratisation of high-quality content creation will continue, but paradoxically, this will make original creative thinking and strategic insight more valuable than ever. When everyone has access to powerful creative tools, the differentiator will be the unique human perspective and storytelling ability that guides these tools.

MM: What advice do you have for those who are hesitant to work with platforms like yours? 

Start small and stay curious. If you’re hesitant about AI tools, that’s completely natural, any transformative technology comes with a learning curve and some uncertainty. But rather than view it as an all-or-nothing proposition, think of it as adding a new tool to your creative toolkit. 

Begin by experimenting with simple projects where there’s low pressure. Use the platform to generate quick concepts or explore different visual directions for personal projects. This helps you understand the technology’s capabilities and limitations without the stress of immediate professional application. 

One approach I often recommend is to start with AI as an ideation tool. Use it to quickly visualise different concepts or directions before committing to a final approach. This can make your creative process more efficient while maintaining full control over the final output. Many of our most successful users started this way – using the platform as a brainstorming partner before gradually discovering more advanced applications.

Also, remember these tools are designed to augment rather than replace your existing workflow. You don’t need to revolutionise your entire process overnight. The most effective approach is often to identify specific parts of your workflow where AI can add value, whether that’s rapid prototyping, creating variations, or scaling the production of certain assets.

The creative industry is evolving, and staying competitive means being open to new tools and approaches. The question isn’t whether to adopt AI tools, but how to adopt them in a way that enhances your unique creative process.

MM: What’s the coolest or most impressive example of content created for mass consumption using Leonardo.Ai that you can think of? Can you tell us what makes this one stand out? 

JB: One of our proudest moments was partnering with Coca-Cola for their 2024 Christmas campaign. It’s particularly special because Coca-Cola has such a rich history with Christmas advertising – they practically created the modern image of Santa Claus – so being part of their holiday innovation story was incredibly exciting.

The campaign allowed consumers to chat with Santa about their fondest Christmas memories, and this is where the magic happened. We developed a complex workflow that could interpret these personal stories and instantly transform them into beautiful, personalised snow globe scenes. Each visual was perfectly crafted with a signature tilt-shift effect and seamlessly incorporated Coca-Cola’s iconic branding elements. We even added animation to bring these memories to life.

What makes this stand out is how it revolutionised personalised marketing at scale. Traditionally, creating custom artwork of this quality would require hours of work from human artists for each piece. Instead, we enabled Coca-Cola to give millions of people their own unique, high-quality, animated visualisation of their Christmas memory, all while maintaining perfect brand consistency and professional polish.

The campaign’s success, which engaged millions of people, demonstrated how AI can enhance rather than replace the emotional connection brands have with their audiences. It showed when you combine iconic brand heritage with cutting-edge technology, you can create something truly magical, personalised experiences that would have been impossible just a few years ago. 

Read more about AI prompting in Marketing Mag.