Observed Signal · Jun 22, 2026 · Industry Commentary / Interview · Source: The Drum · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Human CEO: Marketers Must Learn to Market to Bots
Stu Solomon, chief executive of cybersecurity firm Human, tells The Drum at Cannes Lions that AI agents are increasingly acting as internet shoppers, researchers and decision-makers — often before a human reaches a checkout. Human, known for bot mitigation and fraud detection, now advises marketers to optimise for machines as well as people: providing structured product data, pricing, availability and interoperability signals that AI agents use to evaluate brands. Solomon warns that more than half of internet traffic is already machine-based and could grow to over 80% in coming years. He highlights trust and data-governance challenges — differing agent protocols, lack of agent trust marks, and employee data leakage into AI tools — and argues marketing, security and tech teams must collaborate to govern agent-driven commerce without changing the core commercial goals of marketing.
Highlights a growing structural shift — AI agents acting as intermediaries in search and commerce — that affects discovery, SEO and brand strategy while raising security, trust and data-governance risks for marketers and AdTech vendors.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Stu Solomon is the chief executive of cybersecurity company Human.
- Human historically focused on identifying fraudulent traffic and blocking malicious bots before expanding into advising marketers on machine behaviour.
- Solomon said 'more than 50% of the traffic on the internet is actually machine-based' and cited forecasts that machine-generated traffic could exceed 80% in the next few years.
- Human built a test bakery website where an AI agent completed a purchase — demonstrating agents can discover, navigate and transact online but may lack human judgment (e.g., ordering $750 worth of cakes).
- Solomon identified trust protocols and data leakage from employee use of AI tools as major security and governance concerns for organisations.
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Humans Remain Essential in AI-Powered Marketing
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