Biometric data to be commoditized by 2030; WPP report charts a friction-filled future for Data and AI

The advertising world is on the cusp of a transformation unlike any before, with data, artificial intelligence, and consumer trust emerging as its defining battlegrounds. WPP Media’s latest report, Advertising in 2030, lays out stark scenarios that marketers, regulators, and consumers are likely to face by 2030. While many predictions seem inevitable, others reveal a sharp divide between technological possibilities and societal acceptance.

Read more: Traditional adex under pressure as TV grows by 1%, print down by 3% in 2025: WPP Media

At the heart of the report is the rise of biometric data. Already commonplace in smartphones, banking, and travel, biometrics such as facial recognition and fingerprint scans are projected to become the global standard for security and personalization within the decade.

An overwhelming 82% of experts surveyed believe biometric data will be commoditized by 2030. “Users want security to be easy. Bio markers are unique, and faster to use than passwords, key cards, etc.,” said Joshua Spanier, Google’s VP of Marketing.

Yet this convenience comes with a warning. Experts stress that privacy will remain a major hurdle, with global standardization likely to face cultural and regulatory pushback. As Pat Crowley of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia noted, “Privacy will be a large blocker of use of biometrics in marketing. Consent will be mandatory.”

Personalization - long the holy grail of marketing - is expected to intensify, powered by generative AI and increasingly granular data.

From product discovery on Netflix to eBay’s tailored shopping experiences, companies continue to flaunt personalization as a competitive edge. But extending this to genetic and medical data divides opinion.

While 61% of experts see it as plausible, many argue that consumer resistance and legal barriers will limit its adoption. “Not always a case for the extra costs of personalization,” cautioned Richard Kramer of Arete Research, stressing that mass-marketing still has a role to play in brand-building.

Read more: India adex to rise 8.4% to $21.3 billion in 2025, even as global growth slows to 6%: WPP Media

The most dystopian possibility in the report is the extent of data access by governments and corporations. More than half of experts believe it’s likely that entities will have vast control over biometric, DNA, GPS, and even communication data.

Still, total information dominance is seen as improbable due to encryption, data silos, and public resistance. A single global privacy regime, meanwhile, is almost unanimously dismissed as fantasy, with 76% of experts citing geopolitical fragmentation and the commercial disinterest of big tech.

"A luxury brand will not survive if it doesn’t have the human interaction"

If data defines the foundation of tomorrow’s advertising, AI is poised to shape its creative core.

A resounding 71% of experts believe that by 2030, AI will produce the majority of creative content, from advertising to entertainment. Netflix and ITV executives have already touted AI’s ability to lower production costs and democratize access to advanced visual effects. Still, industry leaders emphasize that human ideation remains indispensable. “The majority of conception will be done by humans… but actual production will largely be done by AI,” said Norm Johnston of News Corp.

Read more: “AI is supercharging creativity”: Omnicom CEO John Wren bets big on agentic AI to fuel next phase of growth

But the AI-driven future also raises profound questions about consumer interactions. Experts foresee bot-to-bot communication - AI assistants interfacing directly with customer-service bots - becoming mainstream, accounting for the bulk of brand-consumer interactions. While efficient, it risks alienating consumers who seek human connection, particularly in luxury markets.

As Serge Matta of LG Ads put it, “A luxury brand will not survive if it doesn’t have the human interaction.”

AR/VR devices consumption restricted due to cost

On the consumption side, WPP’s report pours cold water on the hype around emerging technologies.

AR glasses, VR headsets, and 3D printing are seen as unlikely to replace dominant consumer devices like smartphones or mass production by 2030, mainly due to cost, comfort, and limited use cases. Likewise, micropayments and subscription bundles for everyday products are viewed with skepticism, constrained by consumer fatigue and friction in payment adoption.

Perhaps the most sobering finding is the shift in consumer values. While sustainability once seemed destined to rival price as a purchase driver, the report finds the opposite: 74% of experts now say environmental impact will not be as important as cost in shaping buying decisions by 2030. Economic pressures and convenience, it appears, will continue to trump ethical considerations for the majority of consumers.

Advertising’s omnipresence, however, is not in doubt.

"It is easy for individual consumers to eliminate all exposure to advertising from their daily lives," the report noted. While there was a time when ad-blockers and ad-free streaming services struck some as an existential threat, experts now overwhelmingly agree that eliminating all exposure to advertising is highly unlikely (36 out of 62, or 58.1%, rated it 1-2).

Read more: Campaign turnaround down 70%, production costs cut by 85%: How Indian brands are letting AI take over creative wheel

Advertising is seen as pervasive across digital and physical environments. While ad-free paid options exist, ad-blockers are still available, and there are some corners of the gaming universe extremely resistant to advertising, completely eliminating all exposure is deemed practically impossible without significant lifestyle changes like going off-grid.

“Advertising will continue to be ubiquitous and the quality of the advertising will continue to be the prevailing factor in gaining consumer attention,” said Nicola Lewis of WPP Media.

The report further noted that publishers have embraced seamless micropayments as a meaningful alternative to subscription and advertising revenue. Experts are more pessimistic about this now than in 2020, with 67.7% viewing it as unlikely (42 out of 62). Friction, both practical and psychological, has been and will remain the main blocker.

“Ease of payment and willingness to pay are two very real barriers to entry.” James Hier of Wavemaker noted.

For publishers, advertising still pays the bill for many. And on the premium end, old-fashioned subscriptions are still the way to go. Some respondents said that micropayments would remain niche as long as premium subscriptions were continuing to pay the bills — the old, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra.

That said, it seems plausible that answer engines and AI chatbots, as part of their licensing arrangements with publishers, could facilitate micropayments, enabling audiences to click through and read sources cited by AI, even when behind a paywall. Publishers may be looking at this as part of the licensing deals they are pursuing with AI companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI.