Platforms like TikTok are changing how consumers discover and buy products. By tightly linking content to purchasing through data capture and algorithmic learning they can steer decisions in real time and drive rapid growth. This increasingly shapes rational customer decision making and marketing approaches that prioritize what performs in the moment.

In this talk Jochem Hummel explores the tension between short-term optimization and long-term value creation. As more firms move into AI-driven platform environments they face a fundamental question: are they building genuine relationships with customers, or capturing moments of attention, and what does this imply for the products and services they ultimately offer? Drawing on recent research on platforms and AI the talk examines whether authenticity and brand-building can survive in systems increasingly shaped by algorithms and what this means for sustainable growth.