In the age of AI, where does dentsu’s competitive edge come from? Global CEO Takeshi Sano Discusses the New Era of “Innovating to Impact”

The “Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2026” is the world’s largest celebration of creativity. At the Debussy Theater, one of the festival’s main venues, Takeshi Sano, Global CEO, dentsu, held a discussion with Julia Boorstin, CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent.

The theme was “A New Era of Innovating to Impact.” Marking approximately 100 days since assuming the role of Global CEO in late March 2026, Mr. Sano discussed how to translate innovation into valuable outcomes for clients and society amid changes in work styles and creative processes driven by AI, while highlighting the values that dentsu has cherished throughout its 125-year history.

At the outset, Mr. Sano highlighted two key points for charting the next chapter of dentsu’s 125-year history: continuing to place dentsu’s purpose and culture at the core of its business activities, and, building on that foundation, creating value and impact for clients.

He went on to explain, “The ‘One Team’ spirit, built on long-term relationships of trust with our clients, fosters an attitude where we work toward common goals and share responsibility for our clients’ growth—even when exchanging difficult opinions at times. The corporate culture deeply rooted in dentsu—which values ‘curiosity,’ ‘mutual respect,’ ‘creativity,’ ‘collaboration,’ and ‘trust’—underpins the One Team spirit and drives our competitiveness.”

He also noted that the key to competitiveness in addressing the industry’s challenges—namely, the “speed of change,” “complexity,” and “homogenization”—lies in responding with “agility,” “simplification,” and “distinctiveness,” respectively.

In this era of rapid change, Mr. Sano cited “client-centricity,” “identifying fundamental challenges,” and “speed of decision-making and execution” as the cornerstones of his leadership. “It is difficult to become a ‘Growth Partner’ for our clients. We must not only respond to superficial requests but also identify the fundamental challenges our clients face, learn as we go, and continuously improve,” he said.

Reflecting on his experience leading the Japan operations, Mr. Sano explained that it was this “One Team” mindset that has underpinned the long-term relationships of trust with clients.

“Becoming a ‘One Team’ where we share the same goals with our clients, solve challenges together, and take responsibility for results—we place great importance on this client-centric approach.”

One of the major themes of the session was “AI.” AI was also a key topic at Cannes Lions 2026, with its potential and risks discussed in numerous sessions.

Regarding innovation in the AI era, Mr. Sano stated, “Impact—actual influence and results—is the essence, not ideas. While AI expands possibilities, defining challenges, making decisions, and creating value for society will remain the role of humans. Creating value through collaboration and mutual enhancement between humans and AI is what matters most.”

Mr. Sano also continued, regarding the relationship between humans and AI, that “AI and PI (= People’s Intelligence)” are crucial. The term “AI and PI” reflects Dentsu’s philosophy that AI is not a substitute for humans, but rather an extension of human intelligence and creativity, with humans and AI mutually enhancing one another.He emphasized that the goal is not merely to achieve efficiency through AI, but to expand human intelligence and creativity, thereby broadening new business areas and the value offered to clients.

Toward the end of the session, Mr. Sano, in honor of Dentsu’s 125th anniversary, summarized the company’s core values—which will remain vital moving forward—using the phrase “1·2·5.”
“1” stands for being “One Team” with clients.
“2” represents the two core strengths: innovation and impact.
“5” represents the five core values—curiosity, mutual respect, creativity, collaboration, and trust
, and that dentsu will contribute to the sustainable growth of clients and society.

This discussion highlighted the idea that the value of innovation is not measured by new technologies or ideas themselves, but rather by the results and changes they bring about. It was also noted that even as technologies such as AI continue to evolve, human curiosity, creativity, mutual respect, collaboration, and trust remain the essential foundations supporting growth and innovation.

Dentsu has adopted “Innovating to Impact” as its commitment to clients and society. As a “Growth Partner” supporting the business growth of clients and partners, the company intends to advance initiatives that create positive impact for both business and society.