Identity, brand, future (IV)

A discussion with AI as an experiment.

In the previous three parts of the interview, we spoke with the Chinese chatbot DeepSeek. But there are a whole range of AI offerings, and the question arises as to whether there are differences between the responses of different chatbots. To conclude our experiment of learning from AI how topics such as “identity, brand, and future” will develop, we asked four different chatbots the same questions: What is a brand and what will its relevance be in the future?

If we assume that the different chatbots are trained using different methods and probably also take different sources into account, we will expect different answers. The question also arises as to how a US perspective compares with a Chinese one (and vice versa). Surprisingly, we found that the answers to our question were virtually identical. What distinguished them is more the linguistic style. We therefore decided to publish only the respective summaries of the four chatbots here.

ChatGPT OpenAI

Conclusion: A brand is not (just) what a company says, but what people feel. In the future, it will become an anchor of trust, a cultural carrier, and a community-building tool—especially in an increasingly complex, digital world.

Gemini (Google AI)

Conclusion: The future of brands lies in their ability to transform. Brands must evolve from mere product providers to authentic, value-based, and hyper-personalized experience creators. Ultimately, the brands that succeed will be those that manage to build a genuine, emotional connection with their target groups and involve them as part of a shared story and culture of values. It is a future in which customer relationships and brand relevance are defined by meaningful interactions.

Microsoft Copilot

Conclusion: A strong brand conveys values, creates trust and can arouse emotions, thereby building a loyal followership. In the future, brands will play an even greater role, especially in a world shaped by digitalization and artificial intelligence.

DeepSeek

Conclusion: The brand of the future is a living ecosystem—less monologue, more co-creation with customers. Those who manage to combine genuine emotional and functional added value will win in the long term.

What can we learn from this experiment?

If we assume that, at least in theory, artificial intelligence will have knowledge of “everything,” we might expect something like complete objectivity. This raises the question of whether AI responses can be “objective” or whether they are influenced by the invisible hand of their algorithmic architecture. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, because many AIs are trained on similar data (e.g., public texts, books, websites), but the filters and biases (incorrect data and/or its processing) of the developers are also decisive. What content was excluded (e.g., DeepSeek is trained on Chinese and Western sources, while other tools may be trained on English and German)? After basic training, specialized teams adapt AI for specific purposes, such as “neutral tone” or a particular style of language. For example, an AI program for engineers will respond differently than one for musicians.

So, let's assume that different programs do not respond identically (which was only partially verifiable in our case). If so, this is not a mistake, but an opportunity. As in a good seminar, you learn the most when several smart people express their different opinions. A chatbot offers a certain way of thinking, and other AIs complement it – just like in real life. To come up with new ideas and concepts, you must ask questions, compare, check, explore in depth, and consider different perspectives, with or without a chatbot.

What can we take away from this dialogue with AI?

The discussion with DeepSeek highlighted several aspects that are worth considering in more depth. What seems very clear is that there will be a lot of change – perhaps not so much in terms of principles, but more in terms of thinking, implementation, and the environment. A hypocritical “change mentality,” as it has been proclaimed as a ritual for years, is no longer enough. This is really about disruption (according to Duden: radical (usually destructive) change), which in turn will lead to greater challenges. We are familiar with the Kodak and Nokia effects, and this danger will challenge different companies in different industries. You can accept or reject this fact, but you cannot avoid it. Here is an attempt to highlight the most important points that AI has taught us, from our subjective point of view.

Companies and identity in the future

The line between producer and consumer is getting blurrier. So, companies of the future will need to master both the tech efficiency of AI and the human ability to create meaning. Maybe we'll end up seeing fewer companies as we know them today, and more dynamic networks that reshape themselves depending on the task at hand.

Here are a few key points from the interview:

• Society's decisions about technology and the environment shape its identity
• Companies as networks: from monoliths to “living systems”
• Identity becomes a process rather than something static
• Trust through transparency and identity as a service – not through control
• Identity as an open project: the decisive boundary authenticity becomes a luxury good

Regarding identity development

Sustainability will evolve from a marketing tool to a non-negotiable core component of every brand. Consumers will demand transparency – from supply chains to carbon footprints. People will have to find their place in increasingly complex environments, while brands will no longer just sell products but will have to create meaning and become part of cultural narratives. The question is not only what the future looks like, but how we want to position ourselves in it.

A few highlights from the interview:

• The identity of the future is a living contract between people, machines, and markets
• The new role of moderation: AI as a catalyst
• Breadth is not arbitrariness: it's the framework that matters
• The risk: identity overload
• The basic idea as the genetic code of identity
• Values as rules for participation and vision as a magnetic field
• The question of authority: An authority is needed to protect the core

From content to form

We recognize that in a more complex world, recognizability will be a fundamental element, which in turn challenges the design process from content (identity) to form (appearance). On the one hand, AI enables us to take a radically systematic approach, which in turn calls for subjectivity to generate the necessary, typical uniqueness. AI tools are opening up completely new dimensions here, which will present designers with entirely new challenges.

A few points from the interview:

• AI as a translation machine
• Dynamic recognizability – orientation in the flood
• AI as a master class in design and intuition as a filter
• The new role of AI from tool to “creative sparring partner” but also as a design memory – from history to co-thinking
• Why tools tend toward mediocrity (and how to avoid it)
• The new role of creatives: from designer to curator and cultural interpreter
• Culture as code, or how AI decodes “style”
  

This discussion arose in dialogue with DeepSeek Chat, https://www.deepseek.com (May 2025 version) between May 14 and July 1, 2025 – as a thought experiment on the future of identity and branding.

Note: DeepSeek's statements have not been edited in terms of language or content. The statements made here correspond entirely to the AI version of this discussion.

In addition to DeepSeek, ChatGPT OpenAI, Gemini (Google KI), and Microsoft Copilot were also consulted.