Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast #533 - PJ Pereira | On Taking the Brunt of AI Backlash From The Industry
Mar 4, 2026
PJ Pereira, founder of Silverside AI and co-founder of Pereira O'Dell, is an advertising innovator who pioneered AI-generated brand spots. He discusses anticipating backlash while defending AI work. He explains why Coca-Cola chose AI, testing and sales results, how rapid prototyping reshapes creativity, new roles pairing conceptors with directors, and why a creative renaissance may be coming.
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Curiosity Drove A Separate AI Agency
- PJ Pereira frames his career as perpetual curiosity and early adoption, tying his programming background to creative tech and AI experimentation.
- He spun Silverside AI out of Pereira O'Dell to treat AI work as a separate business and explore what advertising would look like if invented today.
Expect Backlash But Respond With Empathy
- Pereira expected backlash to AI work and recommends empathy toward those anxious about jobs, politics, and economic change.
- He argues the industry should own the technology rather than fear it, or else it will be used against creative people.
Reimagining The Coca-Cola Caravan For Scale
- Coca-Cola briefed Silverside to reimagine the caravan holiday idea, asking what to do with that distinctive brand asset today.
- Pereira chose scale over cute realism because AI couldn't match the original's warmth, and the test ad became one of Coca-Cola's best performing holiday spots.