What Gen Z wants from brands is clear — authenticity, responsibility, and experiences worth sharing. CES revealed why human connection still outperforms technical novelty.

By Adam Charles, Chief Growth Officer, Sparks

CES 2026 wasn’t just a showcase of cutting-edge technology. It was a cultural signal — a collision between accelerating AI capabilities and a generation that values authenticity, trust, and shared experience above all else.

As brands rushed to demonstrate innovation, one thing became clear: Gen Z isn’t impressed by novelty alone. They are fluent in technology, skeptical of hype, and quick to sense what’s real versus performative. For them, the future of brand engagement isn’t about who can build the smartest system, but who can create experiences that feel human, meaningful, and worth their attention.

At CES this year, experiential marketing revealed a defining tension: AI is a powerful enabler, but human connection remains the differentiator. In an environment where attention is scarce and trust is fragile, value — not volume — will decide which brands break through.

The power of the shared experience

Gen Z consistently signaled a preference for collective, social moments over isolated brand interactions. Being physically present, reacting together, and participating in something live is more compelling than any one-to-one engagement optimized for efficiency.

During a Gen Z panel on day one, a speaker noted that the NFL now has the largest audience in its history, with viewership up 10% this season to an average of 18.7 million per game. The appeal isn’t just the product — it’s the power of a shared moment, experienced simultaneously with millions of others.

If Gen Z is, as research suggests, both hyper-connected and deeply lonely, it helps explain why communal experiences carry such cultural weight. Brands that create spaces for collective participation — not passive consumption — earn relevance.

Digital and physical experiences are no longer separate. They are converging, each reinforcing the other. The future isn’t URL or IRL. It’s both, intentionally designed in tension.

Human attention is the real currency

AI’s ability to generate content endlessly has reshaped the economics of attention. As Greg Brockman, President of OpenAI, said during the AMD Keynote at CES, we are entering a world where human attention and intent are the most precious resources.

When systems can operate indefinitely, attention becomes finite — and therefore valuable.

For brands, this raises the bar. Experiences can no longer interrupt without purpose. Designing moments that respect intent, reduce friction, and deliver clear value matters more than maximizing impressions. Attention must be earned.

This has direct implications for event design, demos, and content strategy. Experiences that demand attention without delivering relevance will be ignored. Those that simplify, clarify, and reward participation will win.

With scale comes responsibility

As AI capabilities grow, so do expectations around brand responsibility — particularly among Gen Z. Innovation without accountability is no longer tolerated.

As one Gen Z panelist put it, they want big companies to be “the adults in the room.” That means implementing guardrails, being transparent about how technology is used, and resisting the urge to deploy AI simply because it’s available.

Trust remains one of the most valuable brand assets. Earning it requires intention, not automation. Content generated for volume, without ethical consideration or audience respect, actively erodes credibility.

Why Gen Z rejects inauthentic participation

Gen Z isn’t anti-brand. They are anti-inauthenticity.

They are open to brands participating in culture, platforms, and emerging technologies — but only when that participation feels earned. Performative gestures and shallow experimentation are quickly spotted and dismissed.

Personalization still matters, but it is closely scrutinized. What resonates is authentic storytelling: lived experiences reflected honestly, content that feels familiar rather than staged, and narratives that demonstrate real audience understanding.

Here, AI works best as a supporting layer. It enables relevance at scale, but it cannot replace the human insight that makes experiences believable.

Value beats novelty

The clearest takeaway from CES 2026 is that innovation is no longer judged by buzz. It’s judged by usefulness.

Novelty may attract attention, but value determines loyalty. Across CES sessions, the focus shifted from what’s impressive to what’s genuinely helpful.

As one Gen Z panelist summarized it on day one of CES: “What can you do for us? How can you make our experiences better?”

For marketers and event organizers, the mandate is clear: prioritize attendee benefit. AI-powered personalization only matters if it makes navigation easier, connections more relevant, and content more accessible.

CES 2026 reinforced a simple truth: the future of experiential marketing belongs to brands that combine intelligent technology with deeply human design. Those that lead with value, earn trust, and create shared moments will define what comes next.