Editor's Synopsis
Stefano Puntoni argues in Harvard Business Review that AI is driving two concurrent revolutions in marketing. The first revolution concerns how consumers search for information — AI-powered tools are fundamentally changing the way people discover products and services, disrupting traditional search and discovery channels. The second revolution, which Puntoni notes is just getting started, involves who makes purchasing decisions, suggesting that AI agents and automated systems may increasingly act on behalf of consumers.
These twin shifts have significant implications for how companies compete for customers, affecting everything from brand management and market segmentation to consumer behavior patterns. While the full article is behind a paywall, the framing makes clear that marketers need to prepare for a landscape where both the discovery process and the decision-making authority are being fundamentally reshaped by generative AI and automation.
