If You Don’t Understand People, AI Won’t Save You

Last month, McKinsey said that European consumer businesses are pouring more money into AI while seeing little proof of impact, and the gap between ambition and execution is widening.

It’s a damning assessment. Despite AI’s potential, using it badly leaves many consumers feeling unseen. This is a timely reminder of the enduring power of truly understanding people.

The paradox McKinsey highlights is clear. AI – now embedded across everything from insight to innovation and supply chain to marketing – promises faster decisions, sharper targeting and more certainty. As a result, brand and innovation teams at consumer businesses have never been more data‑rich or technologically enabled.

Ashleigh Steinhobel is senior vice president, strategy at FutureBrand

Yet despite this, there’s a problem. Brands are struggling to genuinely connect to the people they exist to serve – especially in FMCG, where brands are, ironically, closest to people’s lives, homes and routines. This isn’t down to a lack of intelligence, but a growing distance between insight and genuine human understanding.

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