WPP’s Rose Herceg and AKQA’s Tim Devine on AI, trust and judgement at Navigating Next
Industry leaders from WPP and AKQA discussed the impact of AI on consumer behavior, emphasizing a shift from active searching to AI-driven delegation. The panel argued that human judgment and data integrity are essential for brands to maintain relevance in an automated economy.
Why it matters
As AI agents increasingly influence purchasing decisions, businesses must adapt their strategies to ensure trust and utility rather than relying on ephemeral marketing stunts.
Rather than peddling optimistic tech-utopianism or doom-and-gloom recession talk, the panel cut straight into the friction points facing brand builders: how to command premium margins in an economy addicted to discounting, why consumers are shifting from searching to delegating, and why human judgment and “uncommon partnerships” are the only durable hedges against algorithmic commodification. Panellists were Rose Herceg, CEO, WPP ANZ; Tim Devine, global chief invention officer, AKQA; and Liam Dann, business editor at large, NZ Herald.
1. The death of novelty – moving from ‘search’ to ‘delegation’
The conversation kicked off with hard consumer realities: over 60% of Kiwis are already using AI tools to assist in purchases, while purchase decision windows for high-ticket items have stretched from 3 months to 6-9 months**.
Addressing a challenge submitted by the audience, around avoiding a fate similar to that of Kodak or Blockbuster, Devine pointed to a fundamental behavioural pivot.
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