WPP, and the front-end cloud platform provider for web apps, Vercel, have expanded their partnership. It will now include the latter's AI technologies—v0 (an AI-powered frontend code generation tool) and AI SDK (an open source toolkit for AI integration) across the global advertising and communications conglomerate's teams and client projects.
The duo expects the extended alliance to improve development efficiency by 25%. This estimate is based on internal pilots and a network-wide hackathon held earlier this year.
The new arrangement is likely to help WPP teams to use Vercel’s AI-powered tools that enable generating code from natural language prompts. This process, referred to as ‘vibe coding’, allows teams without coding expertise to create digital components, applications and websites using simple text instructions.
The generated code can be refined and integrated into projects, it can lead to rapid design, prototyping, testing, and deployment of marketing assets. With coding time and complexity drastically minimised, it will help WPP accelerate the delivery of digital experiences for its clients, according to a company press release.
Malte Ubl, chief technology officer, Vercel, said, “AI SDK helps WPP engineers quickly build the next generation of agentic AI, and v0 is empowering WPP designers to bring their ideas to life in minutes instead of months. Build the feature, not just the spec. Create the UI, not just a concept. Develop an agent, make customers more efficient. This speed will be transformational to how WPP clients engage with their consumers.”
Access to Vercel’s AI SDK open-source library help WPP developers build AI-powered products and agents. It will also enable WPP to shift its creative focus from manual coding tasks to crafting narratives, user flows, and visual designs, according to the press release. As part of the deal, WPP will also receive priority access to Vercel product updates, play an advisory role in product development, and jointly invest in new features and integrations for WPP Open, the company’s AI-enabled marketing platform.
This announcement follows WPP’s £300 million annual investment in AI, data and technology, and the launch of its global AI-powered brand campaign, ‘Transforming How We Create’.
Stephan Pretorius, chief technology officer, WPP, said, “The adoption of Vercel’s AI-powered tools will dissolve the traditional boundaries between functions, enabling our teams to move from prompt to prototype at speed.”
