2035 involves a world of AI gatekeepers and companions

Last month, we covered how artificial intelligence (AI) is already entering the workforce, and how companies need to train their employees in and adapt their workflow to the new technology. The results of a new report by Dentsu backs up these findings.

Dentsu is a global marketing and advertising agency, originally founded in Japan. In order to forecast how trends like AI and climate change will affect consumer behaviours in the next decade, Dentsu conducted its “Consumer Vision 2035” report. This report surveyed 30,000 consumers in 27 different countries about expected shifts in consumer behaviour. Dentsu also consulted 20 experts and futurists, like Paul Armstrong, the Tech, Start Ups & AI Director at TBD Group, and Zoe Scaman, fandom and community founder of strategy studio, Bodacious, to hear what their perspectives on disruptions and innovations in their field.

Technology and businesses

Technological advancements are often at the forefront of discussions about the future.

As many have discussed, technology like AI will change the workforce. According to the report, 88% of APAC consumers, the highest globally, are inclined to delegate work and personal scheduling duties to AI assistants.

Advancements in technological hardware will also affect the workforce. The report also speculates that businesses can leverage quantum computing to support their operations. 

Nearly 75% of global tech executives, investors and academics in the quantum computing space expect to see a quantum computer by 2035. This hardware will use quantum mechanics to solve complex problems faster than classical computers, meaning that in ten years, businesses can use quantum computing for supply chain optimisation, financial modelling, and cybersecurity.

With these advancements in software and hardware, brands will have to determine which aspects of the company are better managed by humans, and which should be allotted to technology. Simultaneously, these companies should transparently communicate with their employees and consumers how the new technology will impact them. 

While businesses invest in technology, they should also focus on upskilling their employees so that these technologies can be adequately optimised to improve their workflow. 

Technology and consumers

Ever since ChatGPT was launched in 2022, brands have been increasing their use of customer-facing AI. As a result, consumers are more open to delegating a number of tasks and aspects of their daily lives to technology.

According to the report, 49% of people globally wish they had an AI clone by 2035 to handle their shopping, administrative, and communication tasks. This would include running errands such as grocery shopping or booking doctor appointments.

This notion was even more popular with APAC consumers, with 62% of consumers expressing a desire for that AI. 

It seems that AI will increasingly integrate into people’s lives, especially for those in the APAC region. As AI evolves in the direction of helping people with their daily tasks, these AI will also be filtering which products are shown to individuals. 

Brands will increasingly have to market themselves to these AI clones.

For example, people may outsource travel planning to AI, getting the software to filter through flights, book hotels, and plan the itinerary before presenting the person with options. This means that brands will have to leverage specific customer data to anticipate what these AI gatekeepers are filtering for, to ensure that their company’s products make it through to the human behind the AI. 

AI as your best friend

AI can not only help people with tasks, but also reduce their loneliness. In the present day, a global average of 27% of consumers feel at personal risk of loneliness, with more than 10% of Gen Z expressing this sentiment. This higher proportion of Gen Z loneliness is likely related to the pandemic and how a portion of their schooling years was spent socially isolating.

Unfortunately, the World Health organisation predicts a loneliness epidemic in the future. The report believes that consumers of the future will turn to AI companions to stave off this loneliness. 

The report claims that 70% of APAC consumers think that, by 2035, relationships with AI companions can be as emotionally fulfilling as human relationships. Therefore, the report purports that it would be beneficial for companies to push forward this perspective in the present day, to prepare for the increasing number of AI companions in the future. 

Centering the human 

Because of the increasing role that AI has in people’s everyday lives, from work to home, the report speculates that consumers of 2035 will place a greater importance on human creativity. User-generated content will rise in popularity, as opposed to traditional entertainment companies like Hollywood or Netflix.

This can already be seen in the present day; in 2023, the YouTuber Mr Beast collected 30% more viewing hours than The Night Agent, the most watched show on Netflix. Mr Beast was also featured on the cover of Time Magazine, indicating how the influence of content creators is increasingly being recognised. 

In the future, the report asserts that brands will have to reconsider their entertainment and celebrity partnerships. While those involved in traditional entertainment will still remain influential, partnering with independent creators who are perceived as trusted sources of their fan base may be useful in introducing the brand’s products to a new audience. 

Human focus for best impact

Consumers also see themselves as being increasingly concerned with the impact that brands have on the world around them.

The stark impact of climate change can already be felt in the present day, and is only projected to get worse in the next decade. It is not surprising then, that by 2035, 9 in 10 global consumers will prefer to shop for brands that not only minimise the negative impact they have on the natural environment, but also restore and create a positive impact. 

In other words, companies must deploy regenerative solutions to meet emerging consumer expectations and drive their businesses forward.

Dominic Powers, the Chief Growth Officer of Dentsu APAC, remarked, “As we navigate toward an AI-filtered future, businesses must proactively adapt to meet evolving consumer needs. These insights serve as a compass for people-centred transformation, fostering long-term brand resilience and innovation.”

For brands to succeed in the future, the report advocates for brands to pivot from insight to foresight. While being focussed on present day struggles, brands must also anticipate the way technology will increasingly intertwine with people’s daily lives, and lay the foundation for the mediums they will need to ensure they remain relevant amidst an AI-filtered reality.