AI Series: Human-Plus: A Future of Advertising to Algorithms

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the practice of marketing. So far, it has done so by transforming the power and productivity of how marketers engage consumers in the shopping journey. But the future of marketing will be shaped by more than better, AI-enabled tools. The biggest change ahead is smarter, AI-enabled consumers, for whom today’s shopping journey will be an anachronism.

Kantar calls this future Human-Plus. It is not enough for marketers to get better at how things are done today. It is imperative to get ready for the rapidly unfolding future in which shopping will be done entirely differently. The question of what AI means for marketing must be answered by understanding what AI will mean for consumers. Which requires a human-centric view of AI, one informed by—not governed by—tech-centric and business-centric views of AI. Kantar’s Human-Plus view of AI is an evolving perspective on consumer needs, marketing opportunities and investment strategies. (In parallel, though not discussed in this white paper, Kantar has completed work on what AI means for the future of insights.) Kantar’s work with clients and with new technologies is active, ongoing and open to all. This initial work has yielded the Human-Plus framework shared here.

To put this in proper context for planning, key findings from Kantar’s long-running MONITOR tracking of global values and lifestyles identify several important constraints and considerations. Additionally, a fresh look at the prediction Kantar made in 2014, as smart technologies were first emerging, about a future of “advertising to algorithms” makes plain what Human-Plus means for marketing. When so much remains in development, it is chancy, even presumptuous, to set forth the eventual shape of an AI-enabled marketplace. Where the future will wind up is yet to be seen. But the path to get there is in view. It is Human-Plus.