Digital Anthropology Helps Unveil the Human Heart of AI

In case you haven’t heard, society is on the brink of collapse thanks to artificial intelligence. We’ve all seen the doomsday headlines: “AI will steal our jobs,” “AI is ruining our relationships,” “AI will destroy the world” and, my personal favorite, “AI is the end of brands as we know them.” Technology, it seems, has it out for us.

From electricity to the printing press to the internet, disruptive technologies and the inevitable hysterics that follow them are nothing new. For those old enough to remember Y2K (the computer bug, not the return of bucket hats in fashion), technology threatened the apocalypse then, too: Businesses in the United States spent an estimated $100 billion alone in response to the perceived threat. Consumer electronics retailer Best Buy even used it as a marketing ploy, advertising goods as “Y2K compliant.”

But, contrary to the conspiracy theories circulating at the time, the stroke of midnight didn’t see prison gates suddenly swing open, pacemakers abruptly still hearts, and city streets rapidly descend into riots. In fact, the most terrifying thing most people woke up to on Jan. 1, 2000, was your bog standard hangover.

So it begs the question: If we’ve been through this with technology time and time again, why do we still panic? And how, if at all, should brands respond?

Using tech to build more human brands

The answer lies in understanding the core of technophobia, which is less a fear about the advancement of technology than it is an anxiety around the loss of humanity.

Through this lens, it’s no surprise we’re predicting a digital armageddon. With over one-third of our lives spent at work, our jobs are deeply tied to our sense of self. We actively seek out social relationships to satisfy our need for acceptance and belonging. And our ability to discern reality and understand our place within it sits at the very heart of the human experience. 

Identity, community and meaning: all fundamental human needs AI is poised to upend and, coincidentally, all fundamental tenets of strong brands. Thankfully, as brand-builders, we have a powerful tool to navigate the disruptive wave of AI and ensure it enhances rather than dilutes human connections: digital anthropology.

Rooted in grounded qualitative research, anthropology is the study of humans, cultures and the layered and messy ways meaning is built into our lives. Digital anthropology extends this inquiry into the realm of technology, delving into how we navigate our lives in a world increasingly intertwined with digital tools and platforms, where smartphones are practically extensions of our limbs. 

By embracing a digital anthropology perspective, we gain a uniquely human-centered lens through which to examine the impact of AI on society and consumer behavior—a balance of disruption and desire.

Understanding disruption

Brands are rooted in fundamental human experiences—aspiration, love, freedom—but the ways we practice them change as technology advances, and our beliefs about them shift as society evolves. As cultural artifacts, brands are constantly negotiating meaning in the face of technological and cultural upheaval. 

One of the fundamental principles of digital anthropology is the recognition that technology, despite its disruptive potential, exists within a lived context. Companies like BeerCo, Procter & Gamble and Google have leveraged anthropology to unravel the complexities of consumer behavior and inform their strategic decisions.

But Lego might be the most compelling example: To combat their downturn, they explored fundamentally what it means to be human and to play. They found the most satisfying experience didn’t come from the fancy new instant-gratification toys, but the original open-ended play that enabled kids to explore, which led them to reinvest in their original bricks.

By understanding the why behind consumer actions, these companies have been able to create products, brands and experiences that resonate deeply with their target audiences, transcending the limitations of technological novelty.

Desire as a driving force

But the allure of disruption can sometimes overshadow the deeper human motivations that underpin technological innovation. As tech evolves at an unprecedented pace, it’s often heralded as a panacea, promising to solve problems, revolutionize industries and reshape our world.

Yet, as anthropologist Anna Tsing observes, the rhetoric of disruption often masks the vested interests of those promoting new technologies, leading to a cycle of hype followed by disillusionment as audacious dreams give way to mundane realities.

So, as we hurtle, full speed ahead in the name of progress, we must resist the temptation to blindly follow the dictates of technological disruption without pausing to consider the human consequences. Take, for example, the rise of AI-driven marketing campaigns that personalize advertisements with alarming precision. While J.Lo inviting you by name to join her on Virgin Voyages may seem cutting-edge on the surface, activations like this often fail to resonate with consumers on a deeper level, serving disruption for disruption’s sake rather than addressing genuine desires or needs.

This is where desire comes into play. Drawing on insights from, you guessed it, anthropology, we understand consumption is fundamentally relational—it is not merely about acquiring products or services, but about fulfilling emotional and social needs. Brands that succeed in harnessing the disruptive potential of AI are those that recognize and cater to these desires, rather than imposing technological solutions in search of a problem.

From consumer-led digital ethnographies to AI-generated consumer personas, technology has the power to disrupt the way we research, target and test products and campaigns, leading to more meaningful, more engaging brand experiences. But as James Mackenzie, our resident digital anthropologist, says, “Only by studying people can we reveal the diverse, abundant desires that will make AI useful.”