Cannes Turns Dystopian, Day Two Sessions Warn Of Cataclysmic AI Scenarios

CANNES, France -- For all the giddy buzz about the promise of AI, the Lions Festival took on a dystopian tone here during some high-profile panel discussions inside the Palais, especially one featuring powerful signals from Edelman's Trust Barometer.

“In fact, people see AI as globalization 2.0," Edelman CEO Richard Edelman quipped, referring to predictions that over the next three to five years, AI will contribute to massive unemployment as the technology supplants many human jobs.

The observation, which followed Edelman's presentation of data indicating that consumers worldwide have already been battered by a confluence of disruptive changes -- the COVID pandemic/isolation, mounting distrust in experts, geopolitical unrest, and economic inflation -- have actually elevated commercial brands to the most-trusted position of any institutions.

It has also shifted consumer sentiment to an acutely self-centered "me" perspective, especially in terms of what brands can do for individuals, their families, their jobs, and to a lesser extent, their communities.

"It's a stunning rise in the last five years," he said, leading into a panel discussion that evoked even more dystopian angst about the disruptive potential AI will have for society overall.