The sun barely peeked over the grey skyline as employees shuffled toward the towering glass building. It loomed over everyone like a giant Lego block – much like a giant child playing make-believe. Its surface reflected not just light but an unsettling sense of doom. The air smelled faintly of rain and desperation. No one spoke much; they didn’t need to. They all knew what awaited them inside.

  As they approached the entrance, their eyes darted to the glowing billboards that lined the walkway. The ads on those billboards were so convoluted they might as well have been written in old Latin. One billboard read: “Unleash Your Inner Synergy Through Data-Driven Bliss? – Because Predictive Algorithms Know You Better Than You Do!” Another proclaimed: “Experience Hyper-Personalization Without the Hassle of Being Human!”

  The slogans made no sense. And yet, they were plastered across every surface like wallpaper for a world drowning in nonsense. Everyone pretended to know what the ads were selling, even as they wondered if they were missing something obvious. Was it clever? Or had advertising drifted so far from humanity that even absurdity felt normal? Some brave souls tried to figure out what the advertisements meant but quickly gave up.

  Inside the building, lights buzzed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the rows of cubicles. Employees filed into a corporate training room where the walls were painted a sickly shade of beige. A screen was playing a mandatory video titled “The Evolution of Marketing.”

  It began with black-and-white footage of artists sketching logos by hand, writers brainstorming taglines late into the night, and photographers capturing moments meant to inspire. But soon, the narration shifted. “Human creativity,” the voice intoned, “was unpredictable. Chaotic. Inefficient.” Cue grainy clips of stock images being dragged onto computer screens and graphs replacing sketches. “And then came Artificial Intelligence a tool designed to streamline, optimize, and perfect.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  By the end of the video, marketing wasn’t about connection or emotion anymore. It was about data points, algorithms, and metrics no one could decipher. Creativity gave way to predictability. And predictability gave way to… whatever this was.

  The employees sat silently as trainers handed out tablets loaded with AI software. Their task? To use the AI to create ever more “sophisticated” ad campaigns. Over time, the ads grew stranger, more disjointed, less human. But no one dared say anything. What if pointing it out made them look foolish? So instead, they adapted. They normalized. They suffered in silence, telling themselves that AI always knew best.

  While employees worked hard in the busy office district, across town stood a small boutique marketing firm tucked between a bakery and a laundromat. Its sign blinked unevenly, reading “Creative Sparks Agency” in mismatched fonts. Inside, the team huddled around laptops, running AI-generated ad copy through filters to make it sound remotely understandable.

  And then – she walked in.

  “She” wasn’t anyone special. At least, not at first glance. She wore a hoodie pulled up against the morning chill, her sneakers scuffed from walking too many city blocks. Her face was unremarkable, the kind you’d pass on the street without a second thought.

  Her new coworkers barely noticed her arrival. They were too busy staring at their screens, nodding along to phrases like “algorithmic authenticity” and “synergistic consumer touchpoints.” When she finally broke the silence, it wasn’t with pleasantries.

  “What does any of this even mean?” she asked, holding up a printout of their latest campaign draft. Everyone froze. Her tone wasn’t angry or mocking. It was curious, almost innocent.