AI's Missing Consumer Problem
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Consumer intelligence company CivicScience CEO and founder John Dick says in Cannes that marketers are celebrating AI while ignoring consumers who remain skeptical, scared, and worried about jobs, energy costs, and the economy. His argument reframes AI as a trust problem, making first-party data more valuable and pushing brands from performance obsession toward a more balanced brand-building strategy in media planning.
What the Industry Is Getting Wrong About AI, With John Dick, CivicScience | Cannes 2026
Thursday, June 25th, 2026 – 1:47 pm
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Everyone at Cannes is talking about AI — but CivicScience CEO and founder John Dick says the industry is missing its most important stakeholder: the consumer. Drawing on survey data, Dick argues AI may be among the most unpopular technologies ever introduced to the public, with the average person “somewhere between skeptical and terrified.” While ad tech insiders celebrate productivity gains, widespread fears about jobs, the economy, and energy costs drown out any positive narrative.
Dick joins AdExchanger Managing Editor Allison Schiff to explore what that consumer backlash means for marketers, why first-party data is now “a thousand times more important” than it was five years ago, and why he believes AI’s disruption of the performance funnel will push brand-to-performance spend ratios from 85/15 closer to 50/50.
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Artificial Intelligence //* Cannes Lions 2026 //* CivicScience //* John Dick
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