That’s one of the most frustrating aspects of GDPR in relation to cookies - many businesses that could happily run a site with no cookie opt-in end up implementing one anyway because that irritating pop-up gives the end user a perception of ‘handling privacy well’.
I’d be so keen for the solution to lie in the browser UX- in the same way as we currently request location information - rather than the current mish-mash of badly implemented, often disingenuous site overlays that have become the modern equivalent of the ‘enter site’ splash screen...