When Technology Becomes a Relationship: What Gen Alpha Is Teaching Us About AI and the Future of Marketing

“Unless I see the nail marks… I will not believe.”
—St. Thomas, the original skeptic

How This All Started

I’m not a tech reviewer. I’m a branding strategist, a father, and, when it comes to bold claims on tech and behavior, a bit of a modern St. Thomas. I don’t believe until I see, touch, and test for myself.

This time, the inspiration came from a casual scroll on LinkedIn. I spotted a thoughtful comment from my former NTU classmate Abby Ho [1], creator of the brilliant Fellow Kids newsletter, under a post by Sara Wilson[2], ex-Facebook strategist and founder of SW Projects. Sara described a delightful experiment: using ChatGPT voice mode to interact with her kids in real life, treating conversational AI not just as a tool, but like a smart assistant that wasn’t stuck in a screen.

I was intrigued. But also skeptical. These features are often US-only. Would this work in Europe? Would it feel magical only in English? And, more importantly, could this glimpse into Gen Alpha behavior reveal anything useful for brands?

To find out, I ran my own test. 

My Experiment: Conversational AI Meets My Kids

I opened the ChatGPT app, activated voice mode and video awareness, and introduced it to my kids, aged 3 and 5½, trying to replicate the same conversational AI experiment described by Sara.

I had four questions in mind:

1. Would it feel smooth enough for toddlers to enjoy?
2. Would it work not just in English, but also in Polish and Italian?
3. Could it spark curiosity, not just respond?
4. Could I spot clues for future customer engagement?

Their reaction?
They were hooked.

They asked questions, challenged answers, and even tried to make the AI laugh. When it replied, “I can’t see your eyes blinking”, they burst into giggles. The interaction felt playful, respectful, present. It asked about their drawings, their toys, and, most importantly, built on what they had shared earlier. Also, it was easily recognizing Oli and Vicky (my kids) and, after the initial test in English, it was able to follow my instructions without any difficulty, switching smoothly between questions in Italian to Oli and in Polish to Vicky.

They didn’t treat it like Siri. They treated it like a new sibling.

In English, it flowed naturally. In Polish and Italian, it was still showing some weaknesses. Despite technically correct, it sometimes had issues in recognizing my kids’ answers and it missed some warmth.

Key Insight: Multilingual voice AI still loses emotional intelligence unless trained deeply on local context.

The Bigger Picture: From Feed Fatigue to AI Companionship

We’re entering an age where digital feels smoother than ever, while the real world cracks under pressure.

As Kyla Scanlon writes in her May 2025 newsletter, titled “The Most Valuable Commodity in the World is Friction”, the true issue isn’t too much friction. It’s where that friction gets redistributed.

1. Digital World — Frictionless by Design

AI and platforms like Meta are engineered for seamlessness. Mark Zuckerberg calls AI companions “emotional infrastructure” to bridge the friendship gap. But this frictionless experience hides deeper costs: blurred boundaries, parasocial relationships, and “ambient, platform-approved cognitive offloading.”

2. Physical World — Breaking Down

While digital gets smoother, real-world systems (schools, transport, infrastructure, etc.) are buckling under years of neglect. As Kyla notes: “We’ve stopped expecting the real world to work. We assume it will be slow, broken, or possibly on fire.”

3. Curated World — Styling Friction as Luxury

In elite enclaves, friction isn’t eliminated. It’s outsourced. From wellness brands to boutique colleges, the appearance of effort replaces substance. And here’s where Abby Ho’s sharpest insight hits: “Friction is now a luxury. Taste is a survival skill.”

In a world where everyone is overloaded, taste (knowing what to curate, trust, and act on) becomes the new form of intelligence. This aligns with what we’re seeing culturally: Gen Z doesn’t trust glossy ads; they trust micro-moments and messy, real-time content. The most followed creators aren’t always the most polished. They’re the most relatable, intentional, and community-first.

So what does all this mean for AI and marketing?

AI isn’t just helping us navigate friction. It’s becoming the friction manager. It smooths, redirects, and even simulates relationships. That changes everything.

The platforms of the future won’t just deliver content. They’ll deliver presence.
And for brands, that means designing not just what you say, but how you show up, adapt, and care. Exactly what ChatGPT did with the experiment with my kids.

From Parenting Trick to Brand Strategy Insight

What began as a bedtime experiment turned into something more: a glimpse into the next evolution of branding.

If conversational AI can become a trusted companion to a 3-year-old, what could that mean for brands?

Too often we talk about AI in terms of automation and efficiency. But the real power of conversational AI lies in presence and emotional resonance.

This is no longer about “voice mode” as a feature. It’s about context-aware, emotionally adaptive interaction.

Imagine:

• Brands that read mood and setting to tailor communication in real time
• Retailers that guide shopping like a trusted friend, not a chatbot
• Educational content that adapts to curiosity, not curriculum
• Customer experiences that blend past preferences with live reactions

The future of branding isn’t push. It’s presence. 

Market Signals: Where AI is Already Gaining Trust

At Human Centric Group, we’ve invested in access to GWI, the world’s largest ongoing single-source database of digital consumers, to track how trust in AI and technology is evolving across generations, categories, and cultures. And what the data reveals is this:

AI isn’t a future promise. It’s a present expectation, especially among Gen Z and Millennials.

Where People Want AI Help the Most – by Generation (HCG Elaboration of GWI Zeitgeist Data, UK + USA, June 2025).

Gen Z is not the only generation embracing AI. Millennials and Gen X aren’t far behind. But where Gen Z clearly stands out is in categories tied to identity and taste, like fashion (24% vs. 6% Boomers) and education (22% vs. 5%).

Meanwhile, Boomers remain cautious, even in categories like food delivery (17%) and personal finance (9%).

The generational divide isn’t just about age. It’s about expectations from tech.
Gen Z expects personalization. Boomers still prefer control.

From Observing to Designing: What This Means for Brands

Here’s what all this means if you’re in branding, product, or customer experience:

1. Design for conversation, not clicks.
   AI isn’t a feature. It’s a voice. A persona. A presence.
2. Build trust through micro-interactions.
   Forget perfect. Focus on responsive, relevant, and real-time.
3. Understand friction as signal, not failure.
   Where customers struggle, there’s unmet need. That’s your design brief.
4. Think multi-dimensional personalization.
   Past data isn’t enough. You need real-time cues, emotional understanding, and cultural context.
5. Curate, don’t just serve.
   Taste is the new UX. The brands that help people filter, elevate, and connect will win.

Final Thought

This wasn’t a formal study. It was one evening. One smartphone. One conversation with my kids.

But that’s the point.

We’re entering an era where the smallest experiments reveal the biggest truths. Where conversational AI doesn’t just respond. It adapts, remembers, asks back. Where children intuitively treat technology as a presence, not just a tool.

The next frontier of branding isn’t just tech-driven. It’s human-centric.

We don’t need louder ads or faster content.
We need smarter friction. More meaningful touchpoints. Brands that listen, evolve, and feel like they belong.

Because in this new world, technology doesn’t replace relationships. It becomes one.

About the author

Luca Bertocci is a co-founder and co-owner of Human Centric Group, where he partners with boards, founders, and C-level executives to transform brands into strategic business assets. He leads the agency’s analytical department, applying a data-driven approach to unlock sustainable, long-term value for global clients such as Carlsberg, PepsiCo, Danone, Mitsubishi Electric, and Carrefour, across more than 30 countries.

Before Human Centric Group, Luca was an equity partner at Garrison Group and held key roles at Pirelli Tyres and Desk Promos (special agency of the Italian Chamber of Commerce) during Expo Shanghai 2010.

Beyond consulting, Luca is a lecturer at Krakow School of Business (International MBA), and AGH Business School (EMBA and Tech MBA). He also serves as a mentor for Bocconi University and for several startups in Poland, combining entrepreneurial spirit with academic rigor.

[1] VP Digital & Social for Disney Branded Television and creator of the brilliant Fellow Kids newsletter on Gen Z and Gen Alpha culture and trends

[2] Ex-Facebook strategist and founder of SW Projects, as well as former writer and editor for The Huffington Post, The Economist, People magazine, The Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Magazine and other publications.

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