A real relationship is the only thing no algorithm can copy

Brands are walking on quicksand. Accenture's Consumer Pulse Research 2026 (25,590 people, 16 countries, Spain included) puts numbers to a shift we already sensed: consumers have started to delegate their purchases to artificial intelligence agents. 74% would trust one of these agents more than their best friend to decide on a purchase. One in three would already hand over the entire decision to it.

The boundary between the human and the technological, which we have seen blurring for years, has just taken a leap. And it brings us a worrying situation for many companiesu2026 when the one comparing is a machine, the papier-mu00e2chu00e9 differences fall apart. An agent breaks down what you offer, contrasts what you promise with what you deliver, and chooses in milliseconds, without its pulse trembling for a "good" advert. Brands that were only distinguished by being close at hand or sounding familiar become interchangeable.

So far, the diagnosis we already knew. The interesting part starts when one wonders what remains standing when everything else is automated and comparable. And the answer, curiously, is also in the report. People delegate what weighs on them (washing powder, insurance that auto-renews, etc.) but zealously reserve what has to do with who they are and what they feel. 64% say that AI already helps them feel understood, and they demand the same from Brands: that they know the person behind the customer and offer them a genuine experience, rather than chasing them with adverts. It is no coincidence that 31% believe that the physical shop will be worth more tomorrow than today, not less. The more the routine is automated, the more the human is appreciated.

Here is where a word that is so widely used and so little understood comes into play: AUTHENTICITY. An authentic Brand is not one that repeats its values on a website. It is one that has something that makes it unique and actually does what it says. An authentic Brand builds an authentic relationship. And an authentic relationship is the only thing an algorithm does not know how to manufacture. It can compare prices and features, verify promises across different channels, and optimise an online basket. It cannot invent the bond between a brand and someone who has chosen it because it means something to them.

But let us not stay in the romantic, because this has a very practical side. An actual relationship is, moreover, the most profitable asset a company can have. It is what sustains loyalty when it is something that is no longer inherited (37% of loyal customers would let their agent switch brands for a better option, according to the report). It is what justifies a price that is not the lowest. It is what makes people recommend you, remember you, and choose you again. Accenture puts it this way: "trust earned emotionally and operationally ultimately converts into loyalty". In other words, authenticity does not just live on a poster or in an internal meeting to motivate the team. It is good for your bottom line.

That is why I advocate something that might seem counterintuitive: in a world where the line between the human and technology is erased and companies lose their ability to differentiate themselves, the brand is not worth less. It is worth more than ever. It is the only thing that is not commodified. The future does not belong to the brands that best optimise themselves for an agent. It belongs to those capable of creating imagery, generating culture, and sustaining human relationships with humans. The rest will be done by a machine, and it will do it better.

Building that cannot be improvised. It requires knowing who you are, what your place in the world is, and how to truly connect with the people to whom that matters. And then sustaining it in everything you do. It is slower than a good advert and harder than a campaign, yes. But it is the only thing that, when the machine finishes comparing, will still be there.