What Can AI Never Replace? Keynote Speaker Bryan Eisenberg on the Power of Storytelling in a Machine-Driven World
After a 5-year break, Bryan Eisenberg returns to the global stage with a powerful keynote on why storytelling still wins in an AI-driven world, and what businesses must do to align, connect, and persuade real people in the age of automation.
Round Rock, TX (Newsworthy.ai) Thursday Nov 13, 2025 @ 7:00 AM PST
After five years away from the spotlight, New York Times bestselling author and digital persuasion pioneer Bryan Eisenberg returned to the international keynote stage at the Global Marketing Summit in Istanbul with a message businesses around the world needed to hear:
"Your keynote was truly one of the highlights of the summit, The depth of insight and inspiration you brought made a lasting impression on everyone present."
How do you persuade humans when AI has taken over the conversation?
This wasn’t just a return. It was a response to a moment of urgency.
Eisenberg helped shape the online strategies of brands like Google, Disney, JPMorgan Chase, Orvis, HPE, and Travelocity by focusing on what truly moves people to act. Now, as AI-generated content floods every channel, he sees the same challenge businesses faced during the early days of the internet. Only now, it’s louder, faster, and even more disconnected from what humans actually care about.
“AI can generate words,” Bryan told the audience. “But only humans can generate meaning.”
What Did Bryan Eisenberg Reveal About Storytelling That AI Still Can’t Do?
In his keynote, “Legendary Story Types That Sell in an AI World,” Bryan Eisenberg pulled back the curtain on what artificial intelligence still cannot deliver. Real alignment. Human authenticity. The spark that creates lasting trust.
He explored how the most successful brands utilize timeless story types to create emotional relevance and minimize friction throughout the customer experience. The talk drew inspiration from his most recent book, I Think I Swallowed an Elephant: The Stories We Sell, The Success We Build, where Bryan describes how many organizations operate like the six blind men and the elephant. Each department sees part of the picture but misses the whole, and the customer feels the disconnect.
Eisenberg’s challenge to leaders was clear. If your teams don’t align around a single, shared story, no amount of technology will make your marketing work.
He has keynoted events for companies such as Disney, Microsoft, Purina, McKesson, Forbes, NYU, and Travel Alberta, and spoken to audiences across Europe, Latin America, Russia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. But this keynote, in this moment, struck a more resounding chord.
Why Are Businesses Turning Back to Storytelling in the Age of AI?
Bryan has spent the past year advising clients on how to respond to the rise of AI tools and shifting customer behavior. The symptoms may seem new. Robotic messaging. Misaligned funnels. Automation without emotion. But the underlying issue is familiar.
As he told the Istanbul audience:
“If your story is broken, AI just helps more people ignore you faster.”
The answer is not to out-AI your competitors. It’s to tell a story worth amplifying.
What Do Leaders Say About the Impact of This Keynote?
“Your keynote was truly one of the highlights of the summit,” said Seda Mizrakli Ferik, organizer of the Global Marketing Summit.
“The depth of insight and inspiration you brought made a lasting impression on everyone present,” said Seda Mizrakli Ferik, organizer of the Global Marketing Summit.
Where Did This Keynote Come From?
This keynote wasn’t born in a vacuum. It emerged from years of direct work with companies that were trying to adapt to fast-moving technology without losing their identity. It was only after this talk that Bryan wrote the post now gaining traction in marketing circles:
- AI Can’t Fix a Broken Story, But True Leaders Can
Where Can You Learn More?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is “Legendary Story Types That Sell in an AI World”?
It’s Bryan Eisenberg’s keynote, exploring why storytelling remains the most effective way to build trust and drive business results, even as AI increasingly dominates content production.
Why was this talk important?
It marked Bryan’s return to the keynote stage after a five-year break. It directly addressed a growing problem in business: messaging that’s automated but meaningless.
What is Bryan Eisenberg best known for?
He coined the terms Conversion Rate Optimization and Persuasion Architecture, founded the first Conversion Optimization agency with his brother in 1998, helped define customer experience strategy, and authored multiple bestselling books, including "Call to Action," "Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?" and "Be Like Amazon."
Why now?
The flood of AI content has created more confusion than clarity. Bryan is helping leaders fix the root issue — the lack of a clear, believable story.
What’s the key takeaway for brands?
Your story is your strategy. AI can scale it. But only you can shape it.
