South Africa, April 21 -- The paradox sits in plain sight. Dentsu's own research reveals that 53% of consumers now use AI-enabled chat platforms daily. Fine. But 50% of those same consumers are actively trying to reduce their screen time. Searches for 'digital detox' are up 400% year-on-year. And 55% of global respondents told Dentsu they are, quote, tired of the algorithm recommending more and more of the same. The consumer is simultaneously more reachable and more resistant than at any point in modern advertising history. That is not a coincidence. It is cause and effect.

Let me be blunt: the advertising industry has confused volume with value. We have built an extraordinarily sophisticated machine to follow people around the internet ...