Strata’s Michael Wyrley-Birch says live events can rebuild brand trust in the AI era

Michael Wyrley-Birch of Strata argues that real-life events offer brands a rare way to build trust at a time when consumers are already tired of, and suspicious about, brands’ use of AI.

He opens with a line from Margaret Atwood: “Touch comes before sight, before speech. It is the first language and the last, and it always tells the truth.” In 2026, he writes, consumers feel uneasy about cybercrime, data mining and fakes generated by AI. Trust once underpinned every click, swipe and sign-in, but it has eroded and will be hard to rebuild. When trust weakens, he argues, people turn to things they can touch, such as in-person experiences.

Wyrley-Birch cites The Harris Poll’s Return of Touch Report, which found that consumers, especially younger ones, are going back to physical shops while also using AI agents to shop online. The two trends fit together, he argues. Shoppers tired of personalised or ‘surveillance’ pricing visit stores to see products, get advice and find clear prices before buying online.

They are also tired of researching online, so they let AI agents shorten the process by summarising many touchpoints and suggesting products based on their preferences and constraints. Both behaviours, he says, show consumers want clarity, control and credibility without wading through endless results and targeted ads.

Designing for trust

AI companies themselves recognise the need to build trust, Wyrley-Birch notes, spending heavily on prime advertising. OpenAI, Claude and Meta AI all featured during Super Bowl 2026.

AI agents surface brands based on how well they have communicated their USP and reputation rather than on how polished their homepage is, he argues. Reputation has become the guiding priority, with opinions formed in tools such as Google Gemini before a user clicks a link. Brand investment has always paid off over time, but AI now demands absolute clarity for brands to be surfaced at all.

Physical experiences counter online fatigue and build trust, he says, and the effect is measurable. According to one study, 90% of people whose trust in a brand grew after attending its event went on to make a purchase, while purchase intent fell to 34% where trust did not increase.

He argues that trust can be built into events from the start: by offering genuine face time with leaders, creators and teams; by keeping tone, visuals and sensory elements consistent; and by understanding audiences’ needs, behaviour and priorities so that experience design moves them from engagement and connection to trust and action.

Radically analogue

Agentic AI creates opportunities for brands, Wyrley-Birch says, but consumers are clear that paying to influence AI results would damage trust. Three-quarters, or 75%, say paid influence by brands over AI agents’ recommendations would cost those agents their trust.

His suggestion is a “radically analog” approach. He points to Bottega Veneta, which deleted its Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts in 2021 to pursue a more exclusive and authentic style of marketing, and to the rise of daytime raves, nostalgic experiences and board game cafes as models for creating real-world connection and positive sentiment.

To mark 80 years of JCB, the brand and ON Event Production Co created an outdoor installation in which a full-size JCB sat inside a giant replica cardboard box. It harked back to childhoods when nothing was more thrilling than a digger, and got adults and children talking.

He concludes that trust has become a currency to be cultivated, especially for brands that are scaling or repositioning, and he urges them to invest in tangible, memorable experiences.