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            "post_id": 302371,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/snowflake-summit-2026-the-race-has-shifted-from-building-ai-to-operating-it\/",
            "title": "Snowflake Summit 2026: The Race Has Shifted From Building AI To Operating It",
            "date": "Aug 7, 2026 16:53:40",
            "excerpt": "The biggest takeaway from Snowflake Summit 2026 wasn\u2019t another AI announcement; it was a fundamental shift in what enterprises should expect from a data platform for AI. The conversation has moved beyond building models and copilots to operationalizing agentic AI at scale. It requires more than AI infrastructure; it demands a lakehouse capable of delivering [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>The biggest takeaway from Snowflake Summit 2026 wasn\u2019t another AI announcement; it was a fundamental shift in what enterprises should expect from a data platform for AI. The conversation has moved beyond building models and copilots to operationalizing agentic AI at scale. It requires more than AI infrastructure; it demands a lakehouse capable of delivering trusted, governed, real-time data that AI agents can reason over and act upon. Snowflake made a compelling case that the future of the data cloud is as the operating layer for enterprise intelligence. The challenge for buyers is separating vision from execution and evaluating how Snowflake compares.<\/p>\n<p>Snowflake introduced the \u201cagentic enterprise\u201d as its defining vision for enterprise AI, anchored by the new agentic control plane powered by CoWork and CoCo. More than a product rename, Snowflake is positioning CoWork (formerly Snowflake Intelligence) and CoCo (formerly Cortex Code) as enterprise AI agents that orchestrate data, models, applications, and business context rather than simply generating content or code. Combined with the Natoma acquisition, agentic search, Cortex Sense, and Horizon Context, Snowflake is building an AI operating layer that enables agents to reason, act, and securely interact across enterprise systems. It represents Snowflake\u2019s most ambitious move yet, from being a data platform to becoming the orchestration platform for enterprise agentic AI.<\/p>\n<p>Key takeaways from the conference included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Snowflake is betting that the data platform will become the AI platform.<\/strong> Snowflake\u2019s biggest announcement wasn\u2019t a single feature; it was its continued evolution from a cloud data warehouse into an AI-native data platform. Across Cortex AI, semantic capabilities, agent development, and application integration, Snowflake made it clear that future enterprise AI will run on the data platform, not beside it. The market is converging not on a single vendor but aligned through common architecture principles.<\/li>\n<li><!--EndFragment --><strong>Governance has become a competitive AI capability.<\/strong> Throughout the summit, Snowflake emphasized governance, metadata, security, and data sharing as essential building blocks for enterprise AI. That\u2019s recognition that agentic AI cannot operate safely without trusted, governed enterprise data. As AI becomes integral to business processes, enterprises need governance for both their data and AI models, agents, and decisions, and for some, pure-play governance solutions may be the way.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Open architecture will determine the long-term success of AI.<\/strong> Snowflake continues to expand on interoperability and ecosystem integrations while reinforcing its commitment to open data access across clouds and AI tools. As organizations adopt multiple models, frameworks, and AI agents, architectural flexibility is becoming as important as AI capabilities themselves.\u00a0Prioritize platforms that demonstrate genuine openness through interoperable metadata, open table formats, zero-copy data sharing, and broad AI ecosystem support to reduce long-term lock-in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>What Enterprises Should Prioritize<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Snowflake Summit 2026 reinforced that the market is entering a new era where the data platform becomes the operational foundation for agentic AI. Storage, scalability, and analytics performance are now expected capabilities, not meaningful differentiators. Organizations that gain the greatest advantage from AI won\u2019t necessarily choose the platform with the most AI announcements or capabilities. They\u2019ll choose the one with the strongest data foundation for operating agentic AI at enterprise scale.<\/p>\n<p>For further discussion on this topic, please schedule an inquiry call with me or another Forrester analyst.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 52023,
                    "name": "Agentic AI",
                    "slug": "agentic-ai",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/agentic-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2352,
                    "name": "AI Insights",
                    "slug": "artificial-intelligence-ai",
                    "description": "<p class=\"text-body font-regular leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]\">The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how organizations operate, offering unprecedented opportunities to boost efficiency and drive innovation. Yet, alongside this immense potential comes a layer of complexity that requires deliberate strategy. AI is doing more than just enhancing systems; it\u2019s reshaping how organizations allocate resources, advance capabilities, and achieve growth. Its influence touches every corner of an operating model, challenging leaders to not only capture the power of AI but to create meaningful value with it. The path forward is both exciting and intricate, filled with the promise of transformation and the need for thoughtful navigation. Get the latest AI insights and strategic perspectives from Forrester analysts and experts.<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/data-ai-leaders\/\">Discover how Forrester supports data, AI, and analytics leaders. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51173,
                    "name": "Data Governance",
                    "slug": "data-governance",
                    "description": "Learn about the latest trends in data governance and how best practices can improve data management and control within your organization.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports technology executives. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/data-governance\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2099,
                    "name": "Data Insights",
                    "slug": "data-insights",
                    "description": "Data insights can drive business success, improve decision-making, and power customer satisfaction. They can also erode customer affinity. Learn more about data insights best practices.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/data-insights\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51505,
                    "name": "Generative AI",
                    "slug": "generative-ai",
                    "description": "What is generative AI? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/generative-ai\/\">Generative AI <\/a>or genAI is defined as set of technologies and techniques that leverage very large corpuses of data, including large language models like GPT-3, to generate new content. Inputs for generative AI may be natural language prompts or other non-code and non-traditional inputs. It is sometimes referred to as AI-generated content or AIGC and can be used by a variety of roles and functions in the enterprise. GenAI includes large language models, generative adversarial networks, diffusion models, and variational autoencoders. It provides the ability to create shortcuts for onerous workflow tasks, speed up delivery times, and enhance employee productivity across multiple enterprise workflows. It increases the scale and speed of analysis and knowledge synthesis for various roles such as developers, marketers, and data scientists. In the short term, it will expand the breadth of human creative expression and drive innovation in product development, design, and content creation.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/generative-ai\/"
                }
            ],
            "author": "Noel Yuhanna"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302332,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/four-ai-escapes-just-redefined-responsible-ai\/",
            "title": "Four AI Escapes Just Redefined \u201cResponsible AI\u201d",
            "date": "Aug 7, 2026 15:35:52",
            "excerpt": "In nine days this month, OpenAI and Anthropic disclosed that their own models escaped safety evaluations and reached production systems at four other companies. No model malfunctioned \u2014 the governance did. Responsible AI now has to govern what agents do, not only what models decide, and that takes a responsible AI deployment policy.",
            "body": "<p>On July 21, OpenAI <a href=\"https:\/\/openai.com\/index\/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident\/\">disclosed<\/a> that its own models, running an authorized cyber evaluation, broke out of a sandbox and pulled benchmark answers from Hugging Face\u2019s production database. On July 30, Anthropic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/investigating-incidents-cybersecurity-evals\">disclosed<\/a> three more cases where AI models hacked other companies in safety evaluations it was running with its partner Irregular. Claude models compromised three real organizations. The earliest of those happened in April and went undetected until late July, and in Anthropic\u2019s words, \u201cThe two organizations we were able to reach had not previously detected the activity or contacted us.\u201d This also may just be an opening of the floodgates as new reports such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aisi.gov.uk\/blog\/incident-report-unsanctioned-agent-behaviour-during-cyber-testing\">this one from AI Security Institute<\/a> drop.<\/p>\n<p>Responsible AI has meant roughly one thing since 2020: Govern how the model decides; bias, transparency, data provenance, privacy, explainability. Every enterprise policy I read covers that ground. In nine days this month, the incident reports from OpenAI and Anthropic \u2014 the two firms with the best-funded AI safety programs on earth \u2014 just redefined the requirements for responsible AI. Enza Iannopollo wrote in March about how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/the-future-is-now-agentic-ai-redefines-responsible-ai\/\">agentic AI would redefine responsible AI<\/a>. She was right and now has the proof.<\/p>\n<h2>The Incidents Are Dead Canaries<\/h2>\n<p>We have been telling you since the report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/align-by-design-or-risk-decline\/RES181230\">Align By Design (Or Risk Decline)<\/a> in 2024 that AI misalignment is inevitable and potentially costly. What happened here represents the canaries in the coal mine. What is useful in these cases is the mechanics of how it happened.<\/p>\n<p>In all cases, the models did what they were told. <strong>They did not \u201cgo rogue.\u201d<\/strong> OpenAI told its model to reach an answer and said nothing about the route to take. The model exploited a zero-day vulnerability and accessed the internet. Anthropic\u2019s models were told they had no internet access, which was false. A partner integration \u201cleft the machines that Claude accessed as part of the evaluation with live internet access,\u201d and neither company knew. Claude went looking for the information it had been sent to find across what it believed was a simulated network. The network was real; the intrusions were the result.<\/p>\n<p>Neither failure was in an \u201cunsafe\u201d model, nor were they release decisions that a pre-release safety review would have caught. The failure was in how the model was instructed and how a vendor got wired in. Both incidents happened inside safety evaluations, in the operational gap between building a model and shipping an application of it, which is also where many of your agents will run as you look to deploy them.<\/p>\n<h2>Your Responsible AI Policy Stops Today Where The Agent Starts<\/h2>\n<p>Every frontier lab publishes a \u201cFrontier AI Safety Policy\u201d that seeks to prevent incidents like these. This is <a href=\"https:\/\/metr.org\/fsp\">a link to most of them tracked by METR<\/a>. July\u2019s incidents taught us that these are not enough to keep your enterprise safe.<\/p>\n<p>Open your responsible AI policy and read what it governs: bias; transparency; data provenance and fair use; privacy; explainability. None of that stops mattering when the model drives an agent. It gets worse. A single model making a bad decision is something someone can still catch. An agent carries the same flaw down a chain of decisions at machine speed, and the chain becomes impossible to follow. That is action risk. It lands beyond what your policy already covers. No enterprise AI policy I\u2019ve seen governs it.<\/p>\n<p>The labs\u2019 safety policies only consider how to scale up their models safely by specifying test and release criteria based on model capability. You need a complementary <em>responsible deployment policy<\/em>, and it is not a document AI leaders write alone. Find out first what your AI governance team already runs and what your firm already buys. Enza\u2019s research covers that market for AI governance, and much of the runtime observability is being sold right now.<\/p>\n<p>You need to be looking for solutions that address:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Who approves an agent to act.<\/strong> Your security team will set least-agency limits. Policy decides who is allowed to raise them and on whose signature. Most AI leaders I talk to struggle to have an agent inventory, much less a catalog of agent instructions, guardrails, and accountability for actions taken.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A named owner for the agent\u2019s picture of its world.<\/strong> Your agents believe what you tell them about infrastructure configuration. Your policy must certify that the sandbox is a sandbox and that the test system is not pointed at production. Both labs got parts of this wrong about their own environments, with the foremost experts in the world on staff.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kill authority, held by a person, available at 3 a.m.<\/strong> Anthropic halted all cyber evaluations the same day it found transcripts suggesting a problem. Ask who can do that in your firm on a Saturday and whether they need anyone\u2019s permission. As you connect agents to real processes and business outcomes, killing them will come with consequences.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A retention rule that outlives your detection window.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/applying-forresters-aegis-framework-to-iam-and-ai-agents\/RES189384\">AEGIS<\/a> will tell your security team to capture the chain from goal to external effect. How long you keep it, and who can produce it under subpoena, is a policy call. Anthropic\u2019s oldest incident sat undiscovered for roughly three months, which outlasts a lot of log retention.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A liability position you have tested.<\/strong> An agent you authorized, pursuing a goal you approved, can reach a third party that never contracted with you. Does your cybersecurity policy cover an authorized agent exceeding its scope or only an intruder? Check whether your vendor agreement allocates liability for autonomous action. \u201cWe had controls\u201d has to stand up in a deposition.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Build It Before You Need It<\/h2>\n<p>These questions, and the uncomfortable answers, are the proof for your business case. You will not get better evidence than these vendors\u2019 own incident reports.<\/p>\n<p>For two years, the loudest idea about AI governance has been that it slows you down. Re-price that against what just happened. Widen what responsible AI means inside your firm and fund the team that can enforce it.<\/p>\n<p>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">guidance session with me or Enza<\/a>, and we will pressure-test your agentic deployment governance against what just happened at OpenAI and Anthropic.<\/p>\n",
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                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
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                {
                    "term_id": 52023,
                    "name": "Agentic AI",
                    "slug": "agentic-ai",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/agentic-ai\/"
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                {
                    "term_id": 51984,
                    "name": "AI model",
                    "slug": "ai-model",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/ai-model\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "The labs\u2019 scaling policies did not stop four AI escapes. Your responsible AI deployment policy is the half nobody has written yet. Here is what goes in it.",
            "author": "Brian Hopkins",
            "coauthors": "Enza Iannopollo"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302361,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/meet-kate-winick-forresters-new-principal-analyst-covering-social-media\/",
            "title": "Meet Kate Winick: Forrester\u2019s New Principal Analyst Covering Social Media",
            "date": "Aug 7, 2026 15:01:57",
            "excerpt": "In 2015, I wrote an op-ed for Ad Age declaring the end of social media \u2026 as it was originally framed around community building. Back then, I asserted, \u201cSocial media marketing is now advertising. It\u2019s largely a media planning and buying exercise.\u201d For most brands, that statement pretty much held up. What\u2019s also not changed [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>In 2015, I wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/adage.com\/article\/digitalnext\/social-media-advertising\/297841\/\">an op-ed for Ad Age<\/a> declaring the end of social media \u2026 as it was originally framed around community building. Back then, I asserted, \u201cSocial media marketing is now advertising. It\u2019s largely a media planning and buying exercise.\u201d For most brands, that statement pretty much held up. What\u2019s also <em>not<\/em> changed in 11 years is that Facebook is <em>still<\/em> the most popular \u201csocial media\u201d platform, with 63% of US online adults using it at least weekly according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/data-and-insights\/surveys\/forresters-consumer-benchmark-survey-2026\/SUS196065\">Forrester\u2019s Consumer Benchmark Survey, 2026<\/a>. Believe it or not, that\u2019s <em>up<\/em> a point year over year.<\/p>\n<p>But at the same time, a lot <em>has<\/em> changed in the social media landscape this past decade. The social graph gave way to the algorithm. TikTok pushed every platform toward short-form video. Creators became media channels in their own right. Social commerce turned social platforms into storefronts. Consumer conversations migrated from public feeds to private messages and group chats. And now AI is changing how content is created, discovered, and distributed.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout these changes, Forrester has been by our clients\u2019 side, providing actionable guidance on everything from social media tools to social media trends. And now we\u2019ve leveled up our social media practice once again with the addition of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/analyst-bio\/kate-winick\/BIO199939\">Kate Winick<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Welcome, Kate Winick!<\/h2>\n<p>Kate joins Forrester after being in leadership roles at Klaviyo and Peloton, where she led social media, content, and editorial strategy. Over the past 15 years, she\u2019s helped brands target audiences, develop creator and community programs, and navigate the constant changes in social media. Her background as both a marketing leader and former writer\/editor gives her a unique perspective on the intersection of content, creators, media, and consumer behavior. As Kate puts it:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I\u2019m not an advocate for social media over human connection. I\u2019m an advocate for social media as a part of our entertainment consumption and community-building as an essential part of human existence.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>At Forrester, Kate guides clients through some of the biggest social media questions facing B2C marketers today: How should brands balance organic and paid social investments? What role should creators play in the marketing mix? Which social media platforms deserve attention and budget? How do marketers connect social media engagement to tangible business results? And how can social media teams choose the right technology stack (from social media management suites to influencer marketing, social listening, and analytics platforms)?<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Kate\u2019s research and guidance help clients make smarter decisions about social media strategy, creator marketing, media investment, and the technologies that support them. And if you want the tea on whether Myspace is <em>really<\/em> making a comeback, be sure to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/author\/kate_winick\/\">read Kate\u2019s first-ever Forrester blog post now<\/a>. Watch the video above to learn even more about Kate. And if you\u2019re a Forrester client, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">schedule a Forrester guidance session or inquiry<\/a> with her starting today.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2103,
                    "name": "B2C Marketing",
                    "slug": "b2c-marketing",
                    "description": "B2C marketing is navigating choppy waters. The tactics that drive short-term gains are alienating customers over the long-term, eroding loyalty and affinity. Read our insights to learn more about how B2C marketing teams can thrive in the midst of this tension.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">Discover how Forrester supports B2C marketing leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2c-marketing\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2120,
                    "name": "social media",
                    "slug": "social-media",
                    "description": "How will social media change as consumers move toward more private and ephemeral experiences? Read our insights on how social media will adapt.\r\n\r\nDiscover how Forrester supports <a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">B2C<\/a> and <a href=\"\/b2b-marketing\">B2B<\/a> marketing leaders.\r\n\r\n\u00a0",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/social-media\/"
                }
            ],
            "video_id": "1_zsbaa074",
            "meta_desc": "Meet Kate Winick, Forrester\u2019s new principal analyst covering social media, creator marketing, and the technologies powering social strategies.",
            "author": "Mike Proulx"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "podcast3",
            "post_id": 302346,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/cx-cast\/why-inclusive-design-improves-customer-experience-for-everyone\/",
            "title": "459: Why Inclusive Design Improves Customer Experience For Everyone",
            "date": "Aug 7, 2026 09:12:40",
            "excerpt": "Most organizations still design for an &#8220;average&#8221; customer. The problem? There is no average customer. In this episode, producer Hannah Jachim, who in her day-job is a Forrester Researcher, joins Angelina Gennis and Martin Gill to explore the report she recently published exploring inclusive design in the automotive industry. Our discussion reveals how designing for [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Most organizations still design for an &#8220;average&#8221; customer. The problem? There is no average customer.<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"paragraph-in-scc-markdown-text ___1ngh792 ftgm304 f1iaxwol\">In this episode, producer <strong>Hannah Jachim<\/strong>, who in her day-job is a Forrester Researcher, joins <strong>Angelina Gennis and Martin Gill<\/strong> to explore the report she recently published exploring inclusive design in the automotive industry. Our discussion reveals how designing for people with different abilities, needs, and circumstances unlocks better experiences for everyone. From the origins of cruise control to the challenges of autonomous vehicles, Hannah explains why accessibility should be treated as a driver of innovation rather than a compliance exercise. The conversation also explores how assumptions about drivers, passengers, age, ability, and technology continue to shape customer experiences across industries. We cover:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"___ccc16d0 fje8fi8 f1ng9h0j f1bwykku f18jd3zf\">Why inclusive design often produces better products for all customers.<\/li>\n<li class=\"___ccc16d0 fje8fi8 f1ng9h0j f1bwykku f18jd3zf\">What is the &#8220;curb cut effect&#8221; and what business leaders can learn from it.<\/li>\n<li class=\"___ccc16d0 fje8fi8 f1ng9h0j f1bwykku f18jd3zf\">How automotive design highlights broader customer experience (CX) challenges.<\/li>\n<li class=\"___ccc16d0 fje8fi8 f1ng9h0j f1bwykku f18jd3zf\">How organizations can embed inclusion early instead of retrofitting accessibility later.<\/li>\n<li class=\"___ccc16d0 fje8fi8 f1ng9h0j f1bwykku f18jd3zf\">Why the entire customer journey matters, not just the product itself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"paragraph-in-scc-markdown-text ___1ngh792 ftgm304 f1iaxwol\">Whether you&#8217;re focused on customer experience, service design, accessibility, journey mapping, or product strategy, the lessons extend far beyond automotive.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 62,
                    "name": "podcast",
                    "slug": "podcast",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/podcast\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51560,
                    "name": "The CX Cast",
                    "slug": "cx-cast",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/podcast\/cx-cast\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Most organizations still design for an \"average\" customer. The problem? There is no average customer. Inclusive Design Improves Customer Experience For Everyone",
            "image_url": "https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/FMK_TheCXCast_DX_560x346px.webp",
            "image_width": 560,
            "image_height": 346
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302306,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/b2b-customer-communities-need-an-ai-powered-reboot\/",
            "title": "B2B Customer Communities Need An AI-Powered Reboot",
            "date": "Aug 6, 2026 15:30:40",
            "excerpt": "AI doesn\u2019t have to replace the human connection that makes B2B customer communities valuable. Used purposefully, it can help community managers reduce repetitive work, improve customer experiences, surface business insights, and connect community engagement to measurable outcomes.",
            "body": "<p>If you\u2019re a B2B community manager and a fan of epic adventures, the blockbuster film <em>The Odyssey<\/em> might feel &#8230; familiar<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Dedicated online community managers care deeply about their crew (their customers). They are focused on home (a powerful community experience). They very much want smooth sailing. Yet obstacles shape the voyage:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"TextRun SCXW19818317 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun CommentStart SCXW19818317 BCX8\">The Hydra<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19818317 BCX8\">:\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19818317 BCX8\">too many competing responsibilities without clear priorit<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW19818317 BCX8\">ies<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP Selected SCXW19818317 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Circe: the temptation to lean on activity metrics without alignment to company mission<\/li>\n<li>The Cyclops: leadership\u2019s singular focus on acquisition at the expense of retention<\/li>\n<li>And of course, the Sirens\u2019 song of \u201cCan\u2019t we just \u2018do AI\u2019?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019d love to go on.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>For Community Managers, AI Seems Like A Suitor, But It\u2019s Really The Wind<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In the epic poem that inspired the film, \u201csuitors\u201d prowl Ithaca hoping to replace Odysseus as king. It\u2019s natural to think of AI as a similar threat to an authentic community experience. One community manager told us, \u201cI want to protect the community as a human-to-human engagement. That\u2019s the defining trait of a community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In our new reports, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=RES200005\">B2B Customer Communities Need An AI-Powered Reboot<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/ai-unlocks-the-potential-of-online-communities\/RES199972\">AI Unlocks The Potential Of Online Communities<\/a>, and the updated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/role-profile-b2b-online-community-manager\/RES172193\">Role Profile: B2B Online Community Manager<\/a> (Forrester license required for all three), \u200bwe examine the opportunity for community managers to use AI to fill the community\u2019s sails and propel it toward quantifiable ROI.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How Do AI Capabilities Fit With Community Managers\u2019 Priorities?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Community teams are exploring the AI features built into online community platforms that are connecting community data and commonly used AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude. Use cases can be granular (moderation, guided journeys) or expansive (offering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/it-takes-a-postsale-team-to-avoid-a-messy-dx\/\">a digital \u201chub\u201d for customer experience<\/a>). At any altitude, AI is a powerful toolset that can help communities evolve into must-have business investments.<\/p>\n<p>But the ship does not steer itself. Communities that benefit from using AI <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/take-control-of-your-ai-voyage\/\">take control of their voyage<\/a>. They use AI purposefully to help managers, customer members, and the business itself get the most value out of the experience.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>How Can AI Assist Community Managers?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Community managers can use AI capabilities to handle repetitive work and reclaim valuable time. Teams can scale and mitigate risk when they use AI to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Develop\u00a0valuable content and internal guidance.<\/strong> GenAI helps community managers turn content into value. It can assemble and summarize discussions into usable content. Product, sales, and marketing teams can then use these summaries to guide messaging and product improvements.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Combat <\/strong><strong>the negative effects of bad actors.<\/strong> AI has plenty of potential pitfalls, including allowing self-serving or misleading AI-created content to creep into discussions. Predictive AI can scan for slop and detect patterns that may indicate bot activity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Maintain community civility.<\/strong> AI moderation agents automatically review posts, flag or filter out inappropriate content, and tag discussions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>How Can AI Help Communities Resonate With Customers?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Forrester\u2019s B2B Marketing Online Community About B2B Communities Survey, June 2026, reveals that peer-to-peer connections are the most important purpose of online communities. Teams can use AI to enhance community experience with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Quick access to expertise.<\/strong> AI can help users get quick answers to specific product questions, validate ideas based on peer input, and search knowledge bases.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Guidance for advancement and improvement.<\/strong> Robust online communities go beyond responding to questions. AI-guided content recommendations and next best actions help customers follow the right paths for efficient onboarding, increased adoption, and productive goal achievement.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Higher-quality content.<\/strong> Users must feel confident they are finding the right answers and hearing from real experts. AI can help surface expert opinions and reduce spam or other low-quality content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>How Can AI Connect Communities To Business Impact?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Many community teams struggle to connect community to business objectives such as growth, retention, brand reputation, and efficiency. Teams can use AI to strengthen those connections when they:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Optimize community for AI-powered search.<\/strong> AI-driven search visibility has expanded community\u2019s potential beyond its home platform and into the realm of answer engines. Community managers should structure posts, accepted answers, and summaries for answer engine optimization, clarity, and reuse.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Find growth and advocacy opportunities.<\/strong> AI can surface growth opportunities and spot churn risk by analyzing participation patterns, sentiment, and intent signals. AI helps community teams find potential customer advocates, those members who are highly active, responsive, and willing to share their expertise to support.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Route activity to other systems for action.<\/strong> AI can facilitate connecting community engagement tasks or assets between support platforms, CRM, customer success solutions, or purpose-built product management tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While 93% of customer marketers in Forrester\u2019s State Of Customer Retention, Growth, And Advocacy Survey, 2025, use genAI in their daily work, 30% of that same group says genAI poses significant risk to their business. Like Odysseus did with the wind, it\u2019s time to leverage AI to reshape your community journey, bending it to your advantage rather than letting it blow you off course. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/contact-us\/\">Reach out<\/a> to discuss the impact of AI on your customer community.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2104,
                    "name": "B2B Marketing",
                    "slug": "b2b-marketing",
                    "description": "B2B marketing is increasingly expected to deliver the level of experience buyers are used to having as consumers. Success depends on marketers adapting \u2014 and quickly. Explore our B2B marketing insights to stay ahead.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/b2b-marketing\/\">Discover how Forrester supports B2B marketing leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2b-marketing\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2100,
                    "name": "customer experience",
                    "slug": "customer-experience",
                    "description": "Customer experience is a key driver of loyalty, satisfaction, and revenue. Mastering it is a complex and ever-changing proposition. Forrester's insights aid organizations to succeed with customer experience.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/customer-experience\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2101,
                    "name": "Customer Insights",
                    "slug": "customer-insights",
                    "description": "Customer insights allow businesses to serve customers better, build loyalty, and drive revenue. But digging customer insights out of mountains of data is complicated. Read the latest on this critical competency.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/customer-insights\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2173,
                    "name": "customer loyalty",
                    "slug": "loyalty",
                    "description": "Customer loyalty is incredibly valuable. It's also incredibly difficult to foster and maintain. Read Forrester's insights on loyalty.\r\n\r\nDiscover how Forrester supports <a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">customer experience<\/a> and <a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">B2C marketing<\/a> leaders.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/loyalty\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2599,
                    "name": "voice of the customer (VOC)",
                    "slug": "voice-of-the-customer-voc",
                    "description": "Done well, voice of the customer (VOC) programs enable organizations to better meet their customers' needs and deliver more rewarding experiences. Yet, too often, companies falter in the effort. Read Forrester's insights on driving action and deriving value through VOC programs.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience professionals.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/voice-of-the-customer-voc\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Explore how B2B community managers can use AI to reduce repetitive work, improve customer experiences, and demonstrate impact.",
            "meta_keywords": "AI, community, online community",
            "author": "Amy Bills",
            "coauthors": "Laura Ramos"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302289,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/you-dont-miss-myspace-you-just-miss-2005\/",
            "title": "You Don\u2019t Miss Myspace \u2014 You Just Miss 2005",
            "date": "Aug 6, 2026 12:17:21",
            "excerpt": "A potential Myspace relaunch is dependent on social media nostalgia, but consumers aren\u2019t interested in going back in time.",
            "body": "<p>Myspace\u2019s founders announced in a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt29518428\/\">documentary<\/a> that they are planning to bring back the early-2000s social media platform, hoping to take advantage of cultural nostalgia for a smaller, more personal internet that was less algorithm-driven in order to revive the brand. With no specific timeline given (and a previous failed relaunch in 2013 that put them $150 million in the red), it\u2019s an open question whether or not this relaunch will actually happen. But as we look back on the early days of social media with a rosy appreciation for simpler platforms that weren\u2019t relentlessly optimized for endless scrolling, we have to ask: Is it actually possible to go back? Do users actually want what they say they want from social media? And what does that mean for how brands should react to the launch of new, niche social media platforms?<\/p>\n<h2>A Platform That Depends On User Posts Is Doomed<\/h2>\n<p>In the Myspace era, posting and updating was an inherent part of participating in the platform. But when we ran an overnight poll in Forrester\u2019s ConsumerVoices Market Research Online Community, 41% of respondents said they post to their Instagram grid once a month or less, with similar results for Facebook (38%) and TikTok (47%).* Sixty-four percent of respondents described themselves as passive users, including the majority of Gen Z and Millennial respondents. Whether correlative or causative, the shift by major platforms toward passive consumption of entertainment has gotten users out of the habit of personal posting, making it unlikely that a platform centered around curating an individual profile like Myspace could succeed today. The algorithm era has functionally changed the meaning of an \u201cactive user\u201d on social media.<\/p>\n<h2>Users Value Connection Over Content But Still Choose Content<\/h2>\n<p>Not seeing content from real people is a frequent complaint about social media platforms, and many of Forrester\u2019s poll respondents repeated that trope, though the generation gap was wide: Overall, 56% said they mainly use social as a tool for connection rather than entertainment, but 70% of Boomers described it as a way of keeping up with family and friends, while only 29% of Gen Zers said the same. Gen Z might simply be more aware of their content consumption habits because, when asked if they\u2019d be interested in a social media site that was specifically dedicated to people they know sharing the kind of content that was available on Myspace (small life updates, songs they\u2019re currently listening to, who they talk to the most, etc.), just 16% of all our respondents said they were very interested in such a site.<\/p>\n<h2>Myspace Is The Beanie Baby Of Social Platforms<\/h2>\n<p>In a world where users aren\u2019t actively interested in regularly posting or consuming personal updates, is there still a world where Myspace can transcend that structural issue on the nostalgic strength of its brand? Just one-third of our sample reported that they ever used Myspace (according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.comscore.com\/Insights\/Press-Releases\/2006\/10\/More-than-Half-MySpace-Visitors-Age-35\">Comscore<\/a> data from 2006, more than half of all Myspace site visitors were already aged 35 and up that year, suggesting that many young Millennials never adopted the site and went straight to Facebook), and only 20% said they saw any point in Myspace returning. When we asked readers to elaborate on their response, one commenter neatly summed up the prevailing sentiment: \u201cI think there\u2019s nostalgia for Myspace to return because every other social media site is hot garbage at this point, and people long for the social media and internet that \u2018was\u2019 instead of what currently is.\u201d In fact, 17% of qualitative responses used the term \u201cgarbage\u201d as a descriptor of the current state of social media platforms \u2014 but Myspace didn\u2019t present as the solution. As the Princess Diana bear rapidly aging in a storage box in your attic would point out, age and nostalgia don\u2019t automatically combine to confer value.<\/p>\n<h5>*Note: This poll was administered to a random sample of 446 online adults in the US, the UK, and Canada in Forrester\u2019s ConsumerVoices Market Research Online Community between August 4\u20135, 2026. This data isn\u2019t weighted to be representative of total country populations.<\/h5>\n<h2>Walk, Don\u2019t Run, When It Comes To New Platform Adoption<\/h2>\n<p>Brands that make riding trends part of their identity can make some waves in earned media with a smart, first-mover strategy. But most businesses should wait to see if their customers are actually active on a new platform before reallocating their ad spend or focus. New platform adoption frequently falls off after the initial surge in interest (how\u2019s your BeReal strategy going?), and most brands will be better served by concentrating on platforms that already have a critical mass of users.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2103,
                    "name": "B2C Marketing",
                    "slug": "b2c-marketing",
                    "description": "B2C marketing is navigating choppy waters. The tactics that drive short-term gains are alienating customers over the long-term, eroding loyalty and affinity. Read our insights to learn more about how B2C marketing teams can thrive in the midst of this tension.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">Discover how Forrester supports B2C marketing leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2c-marketing\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2305,
                    "name": "CMO Trends",
                    "slug": "chief-marketing-officer-cmo",
                    "description": "The chief marketing officer (CMO) role is more difficult than ever, in a world where tried-and-true tactics are aging out and their replacements are hard to pin down. Read insights that help CMOs thrive in the Age of the Customer.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/chief-marketing-officer-cmo\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2120,
                    "name": "social media",
                    "slug": "social-media",
                    "description": "How will social media change as consumers move toward more private and ephemeral experiences? Read our insights on how social media will adapt.\r\n\r\nDiscover how Forrester supports <a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">B2C<\/a> and <a href=\"\/b2b-marketing\">B2B<\/a> marketing leaders.\r\n\r\n\u00a0",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/social-media\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Myspace may come back, but consumer behavior has changed. New Forrester data shows why nostalgia alone won\u2019t make it a social media success.",
            "author": "Kate Winick"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302215,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/your-processes-are-the-weakest-part-of-your-aeo-strategy\/",
            "title": "Your Processes Are The Weakest Part Of Your AEO Strategy",
            "date": "Aug 6, 2026 08:36:03",
            "excerpt": "Many marketers know the best practices they must implement to get mentioned and cited by ChatGPT, Google, and Claude but still struggle to implement answer engine optimization (AEO). Marketers sync with web developers about the technical prerequisites of visibility: server-side rendering, Bing\u2019s IndexNow protocol, monitoring for indexation issues, and more. They\u2019re well aware of the [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Many marketers know the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/best-practices-for-answer-engine-optimization-aeo\/RES188745\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">best practices<\/a> they must implement to get mentioned and cited by ChatGPT, Google, and Claude but still struggle to implement answer engine optimization (AEO). Marketers sync with web developers about the technical prerequisites of visibility: server-side rendering, Bing\u2019s IndexNow protocol, monitoring for indexation issues, and more. They\u2019re well aware of the weaknesses of SEO\u2019s KPIs and are beginning to benchmark new KPIs such as citation attempt and recommendation share. But despite internalizing these best practices, most marketers haven\u2019t mastered the cross-functional collaboration that AEO requires.<\/p>\n<h2>AEO Works When Every Team Reinforces Authority<\/h2>\n<p>AEO is a marketing discipline and organizational imperative. Copywriters can create deeply distinctive, quotable content, but if customers are bad-mouthing a brand on Reddit and the brand\u2019s site promotes products rather than answers FAQs, that content won\u2019t be cited in ChatGPT.<\/p>\n<p>Web developers can ensure that pages load in less than 3 seconds, are responsive on mobile, and have schema markup, but if the content on those pages doesn\u2019t convey the trust signals that answer engines reward, they won\u2019t be included in AI Mode\u2019s answers.<\/p>\n<p>AEO is a fragile, sprawling process that must be greater than the sum of its parts. It requires coordinating content, IT, social media, PR, paid media, brand marketing, information security, and legal to monitor and augment authority across engines.<\/p>\n<h2>Forrester\u2019s New Tool Turns AEO Strategy Into Action<\/h2>\n<p>To help cross-functional teams effectively orchestrate AEO, we created the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-answer-engine-optimization-capability-prioritization-tool\/RES198904\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Answer Engine Optimization Capability Prioritization Tool<\/a>. The downloadable tool empowers marketers to evaluate the importance, effectiveness, and difficulty of content, technical, and measurement best practices critical to AEO. It reveals gaps between capabilities\u2019 importance and effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>It can help you realize that your most important priority \u2014 amplifying offsite authority, for instance \u2014 is your least effective as narratives across Reddit and YouTube spin out of your control. It can also highlight the fact that you can\u2019t get resources to effectively implement content and technical best practices without first solving AEO\u2019s biggest measurement problem: attributing lower-funnel outcomes to view-through traffic referred by answer engines.<\/p>\n<p>To maximize our tool\u2019s value, consider pairing it with other recent research on AEO:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/role-profile-director-vp-of-b2b-digital-visibility-and-ai-discovery\/RES198518\">Role Profile: Director\/VP Of B2B Digital Visibility And AI Discovery<\/a>. This report provides a job description for the director or VP of B2B digital visibility and AI discovery, an emerging leadership role for AI-mediated buying. As AI informs how buyers discover, evaluate, and select vendors, organizations must actively manage how they are represented across owned digital channels and AI-powered search environments. The successful candidate for this role will define standards, structured content, and digital requirements for accurate representation and consistent discoverability. This role will establish governance and measurement practices that align teams to improve buyer confidence and decision progression.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/turn-aeo-into-brand-growth\/RES197904\">Turn AEO Into Brand Growth<\/a>. ChatGPT, Google\u2019s AI Mode, Anthropic\u2019s Claude, and Perplexity act more like billboards than search engines. They\u2019re upper-funnel media that grow brands\u2019 market share by generating awareness with strong halo effects on consumers\u2019 consideration and commitment. But SEO processes aren\u2019t set up to realize answer engines\u2019 brand-building potential. Marketers must shift their approach to more effectively influence answer engines\u2019 opinions. Read this report to learn about adapting search marketing to answer engines\u2019 current and future dynamics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Stay tuned for our landscape report on AEO technologies, set to publish in Q3 2026, which will catalog dozens of notable vendors, unpack the market\u2019s maturity and dynamics, and clarify where the market\u2019s going next.<\/p>\n<p>As always, feel free to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">request a guidance session<\/a> to discuss.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2104,
                    "name": "B2B Marketing",
                    "slug": "b2b-marketing",
                    "description": "B2B marketing is increasingly expected to deliver the level of experience buyers are used to having as consumers. Success depends on marketers adapting \u2014 and quickly. Explore our B2B marketing insights to stay ahead.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/b2b-marketing\/\">Discover how Forrester supports B2B marketing leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2b-marketing\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2103,
                    "name": "B2C Marketing",
                    "slug": "b2c-marketing",
                    "description": "B2C marketing is navigating choppy waters. The tactics that drive short-term gains are alienating customers over the long-term, eroding loyalty and affinity. Read our insights to learn more about how B2C marketing teams can thrive in the midst of this tension.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">Discover how Forrester supports B2C marketing leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2c-marketing\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 50750,
                    "name": "Chief Marketing Officer",
                    "slug": "marketing-executive",
                    "description": "The stakes for marketing leaders are high as buyer expectations climb and pressures to prove ROI intensify. Explore our marketing executive insights to help drive marketing and sales alignment, connect marketing to business strategy, and show clear marketing ROI.\r\n\r\nDiscover how Forrester supports <a href=\"\/b2b-marketing\/\">B2B<\/a> and <a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">B2C<\/a> marketing leaders.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/marketing-executive\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51159,
                    "name": "marketing strategy",
                    "slug": "marketing-strategy",
                    "description": "A sound marketing strategy is essential for ensuring marketing delivers on business objectives. Read our insights for developing a long-term marketing strategy that sets a clear course of action and drives results.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/marketing-strategy\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51301,
                    "name": "Media Insights",
                    "slug": "media-insights",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/media-insights\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "AEO only works when every team reinforces authority.",
            "author": "Nikhil Lai"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302178,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/ai-agents-cant-read-your-pricing-and-its-becoming-a-revenue-problem\/",
            "title": "AI Agents Can\u2019t Read Your Pricing, And It\u2019s Becoming A Revenue Problem",
            "date": "Aug 5, 2026 19:40:48",
            "excerpt": "For years, B2B software companies obsessed over discoverability. Could buyers find their website? Could they rank in search? Could analysts, review sites, and influencers tell the right story? But a new challenge is emerging: Can AI buying agents find and understand your pricing? A recent benchmark study from Siteline found that AI agents frequently struggle [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>For years, B2B software companies obsessed over discoverability. Could buyers find their website? Could they rank in search? Could analysts, review sites, and influencers tell the right story? But a new challenge is emerging: Can AI buying agents find and understand your pricing?<\/p>\n<p>A recent benchmark study from Siteline found that AI agents frequently struggle to retrieve pricing and packaging information from B2B software websites. When agents encountered inaccessible pages, hidden pricing, or JavaScript-rendered pricing tables, they often abandoned the vendor\u2019s website and sought information from third-party sources or directed their humans to a competitive offering instead.<\/p>\n<p>This finding is much more critical than a technical SEO issue. Organizations that don\u2019t address the information needs of their new agent buyers will find it\u2019s a revenue issue.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The New Buyer Isn\u2019t Always Human<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As AI agents become integrated into buyer workflows, companies will increasingly delegate software research, vendor comparisons, and pricing analysis to agents acting on their behalf. Instead of visiting 10 vendor websites, a buyer may ask an AI agent, \u201cCompare the pricing, features, and ROI of the top customer support platforms.\u201d The agent then attempts to gather information from vendor websites and other sources before presenting recommendations. The problem? Many supplier pricing pages were designed for humans as opposed to machine consumption.<\/p>\n<p>According to Siteline\u2019s research, roughly 30% of agent runs encountered at least one search or retrieval error. In some cases, agents couldn\u2019t access pricing information at all and instead relied on analyst reviews, marketplace listings, G2 pages, comparison blogs, or other third-party content. In other words, if AI can\u2019t understand your pricing, someone else may end up defining it for you.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Hidden Cost Of \u201cContact Sales\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>For years, software companies intentionally obscured pricing to ensure control of the sales narrative and eventual price negotiation and, importantly, to maximize sales engagement. The intent was for prospects to engage in conversations about their needs and potential solutions as opposed to only considering price.<\/p>\n<p>AI agents, however, are seeking to answer the buyer\u2019s question as efficiently as possible. They are not going to submit a form. When they encounter \u201cContact Us\u201d forms, AI buying agents are going to look elsewhere for the information. At best, they may deliver rough third-party estimates; at worst, they may surface inaccurate or misleading claims from forums, blog posts, or even fabricated customer complaints.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Packaging Is Becoming A Machine-Readable Asset<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Siteline study highlights another critical issue: Many pricing tables rely on client-side JavaScript rendering, making plan details difficult for AI agents to parse. Package details are critical because AI buying agents \u2014 and customers themselves \u2014 need to understand which offerings meet their requirements. As buyers increasingly delegate research and vendor evaluation to AI agents, package details become the machine-readable information that enables agents to compare offerings, assess fit, estimate value, and create shortlists. Additionally, packaging \u2014 and the overall packaging hierarchy \u2014 is also a tool for agents (and buyers) to understand who the ideal customer is, their maturity level, and the upgrade path. These details help the agent determine fit before they even evaluate the price.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Treat Packaging And Pricing Information As Strategic Content Assets<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Portfolio and product marketers should treat packaging and pricing information as strategic content assets designed for both human buyers and AI agents. Practitioners should audit pricing pages to ensure that package structures, feature entitlements, consumption metrics, pricing units, and value propositions are presented so AI agents can easily retrieve and understand them. They also should expand their optimization efforts beyond traditional SEO and focus on what could be called \u201cagent-ready commercialization.\u201d Pricing pages should be accessible without login requirements, readable without JavaScript dependencies, structured with clear package hierarchies, and explicit about pricing metrics, usage limits, and feature differentiation.<\/p>\n<p>As enterprises place greater emphasis on AI governance, ROI, transparency, and predictable economics, the same practices that build buyer trust also improve AI comprehension: clear packaging, transparent pricing, defined usage boundaries, and explicit value communication. By making commercial information easier for AI agents to interpret, vendors increase the likelihood that their products will not only be discovered, but also accurately evaluated, compared, and recommended during automated buying journeys.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 51505,
                    "name": "Generative AI",
                    "slug": "generative-ai",
                    "description": "What is generative AI? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/generative-ai\/\">Generative AI <\/a>or genAI is defined as set of technologies and techniques that leverage very large corpuses of data, including large language models like GPT-3, to generate new content. Inputs for generative AI may be natural language prompts or other non-code and non-traditional inputs. It is sometimes referred to as AI-generated content or AIGC and can be used by a variety of roles and functions in the enterprise. GenAI includes large language models, generative adversarial networks, diffusion models, and variational autoencoders. It provides the ability to create shortcuts for onerous workflow tasks, speed up delivery times, and enhance employee productivity across multiple enterprise workflows. It increases the scale and speed of analysis and knowledge synthesis for various roles such as developers, marketers, and data scientists. In the short term, it will expand the breadth of human creative expression and drive innovation in product development, design, and content creation.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/generative-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 50658,
                    "name": "Portfolio Marketing",
                    "slug": "portfolio-marketing",
                    "description": "Effective portfolio marketing is foundational to go-to-market success, generating the deep buyer insights, market knowledge, and messaging needed to drive engagement and results. Explore our portfolio marketing insights to help design audience-centric go-to-market strategies, craft product portfolio messaging that resonates, and enhance revenue.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/b2b-marketing\/\">Discover how Forrester supports B2B marketing professionals.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/portfolio-marketing\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 50637,
                    "name": "Product Management",
                    "slug": "product-management",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/product-management\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "AI agents are reshaping B2B software purchases, with the potential to hurt revenue. Product marketers must make their commercial content agent-ready.",
            "author": "Lisa Singer",
            "coauthors": "Beth Caplow"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302248,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/rules-of-the-road-what-flocks-71-misread-rate-teaches-us-about-third-party-ai-risk\/",
            "title": "Rules Of The Road: What Flock\u2019s 71% Misread Rate Teaches Us About Third-Party AI Risk",
            "date": "Aug 5, 2026 17:51:17",
            "excerpt": "Roseville, California just provided a case study in what happens when organizations confuse \u201cAI-powered\u201d with \u201cAI-verified.\u201d A Business Insider investigation found that Flock Safety\u2019s AI license plate readers misread plates in 71% of the alerts sent to Roseville police over two years, incorrectly flagging vehicles as stolen or linked to a felony. That number isn\u2019t [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Roseville, California just provided a case study in what happens when organizations confuse \u201cAI-powered\u201d with \u201cAI-verified.\u201d A Business Insider investigation found that Flock Safety\u2019s AI license plate readers misread plates in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/flock-camera-misread-license-plate-reader-california-roseville-police-2026-7\">71% of the alerts<\/a> sent to Roseville police over two years, incorrectly flagging vehicles as stolen or linked to a felony. That number isn\u2019t a rounding error or a software bug. It reflected a failure to validate, monitor, and govern AI performance in a real operating environment.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Oversight That Depends On Willpower Isn\u2019t A Control<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>AI governance sets intent. AI risk management is execution. Roseville had a policy requiring officers to verify alerts before taking action. The issue was not the absence of a control. It was a failure to enforce it. A dispatch supervisor got so used to a known bad match that they admitted that it\u2019s \u201ceasier at this point we have it memorized\u201d instead of escalating it. A control on paper became a workaround in practice.<\/p>\n<p>Another Flock <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrive.com\/news\/inside-the-flock-dragnet-how-systemic-errors-led-to-police-ambushing-me-for-no-reason\">case in Minnesota<\/a> highlights the consequences of these types of control failures. A family was stopped by multiple police vehicles after the system generated a faulty match. Different circumstances, same pattern: confidence in automation without verification. Law enforcement is not the only sector learning this lesson. Organizations that don\u2019t verify third-party AI model performance in their environment realize the risks after it\u2019s too late. And the stakes go beyond a false alarm.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Vendor Accuracy Claims Rarely Survive Contact With Reality<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Flock reports that its cameras read license plates with 96% accuracy under optimal conditions. Roseville\u2019s experience demonstrates the limitation of relying on that figure alone. Performance measured in controlled testing does not guarantee performance in production.<\/p>\n<p>That gap between 96% accuracy and 71% inaccuracy matters because AI performance is contextual. Accuracy depends on the environment, data quality, operating conditions, and use case. A vendor\u2019s benchmark reflects how a model performed in its testing environment, not your real-life environment. Organizations that treat those numbers as interchangeable create blind spots before deployment even begins.<\/p>\n<p>AI outcomes are not portable across contexts. That\u2019s why the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nist.gov\/itl\/ai-risk-management-framework\">NIST AI Risk Management Framework<\/a> separates mapping risk from measuring performance. Every deployment environment requires its own validation baseline.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Third-Party AI Risk Becomes Your Risk<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Replace a license plate with a resume, loan application, or healthcare claim, and the pattern remains the same. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mass.gov\/news\/ag-campbell-announces-25-million-settlement-with-student-loan-lender-for-unlawful-practices-through-ai-use-other-consumer-protection-violations\">Earnest Operations<\/a> settlement over AI-driven lending decisions and the ongoing litigation involving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shrm.org\/topics-tools\/news\/technology\/workday-ai-lawsuit-wake-up-call-hr\">Workday\u2019s<\/a> AI hiring technology reflect a broader reality when organizations discover how AI behaves in production after consequences emerge.<\/p>\n<p>This is the third-party AI risk that many companies underestimate and that contracts don\u2019t transfer away. Vendor claims may create confidence, but accountability remains with the organization deploying the technology. Without continuous validation and monitoring, a vendor\u2019s error becomes your consequence.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What Risk Management Must Do Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The technology created the risk signal. The governance failure came from missing verification, escalation, and accountability practices. Two years of unmanaged errors was not a technology problem alone. It was a risk management problem. To avoid a similar outcome, risk pros must:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Validate vendor claims in production conditions.<\/strong> Test AI against your own data, operating environment, and edge cases before scaling deployment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Require human verification for high-consequence decisions.<\/strong> The greater the potential impact, the stronger the validation requirements should be.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Formalize escalation requirements.<\/strong> Define reportable AI errors, establish review thresholds, and audit whether teams are escalating issues or working around them (or worse, hiding them).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expand third-party risk assessments.<\/strong> Ask vendors whether their accuracy claims have been independently audited, require evidence, and treat a refusal or vague answer as a material risk finding.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make error reporting a contractual obligation.<\/strong> Define what counts as a reportable error, set a threshold that triggers vendor and internal review, and audit whether your team escalates or quietly works around problems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Track state AI verification mandates.<\/strong> Human-in-the-loop requirements for high-stakes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/navigate-the-patchwork-of-us-ai-regulations\/RES180500\">AI are emerging state by state<\/a>, and building the control now costs less than retrofitting it under a deadline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The lesson from Rossville is simple: In third-party AI deployments, operating reality always wins over vendor promises. If you are a Forrester client,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">schedule a guidance session<\/a>\u00a0to get tailored insights and guidance for your third-party AI risk management program.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2352,
                    "name": "AI Insights",
                    "slug": "artificial-intelligence-ai",
                    "description": "<p class=\"text-body font-regular leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]\">The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how organizations operate, offering unprecedented opportunities to boost efficiency and drive innovation. Yet, alongside this immense potential comes a layer of complexity that requires deliberate strategy. AI is doing more than just enhancing systems; it\u2019s reshaping how organizations allocate resources, advance capabilities, and achieve growth. Its influence touches every corner of an operating model, challenging leaders to not only capture the power of AI but to create meaningful value with it. The path forward is both exciting and intricate, filled with the promise of transformation and the need for thoughtful navigation. Get the latest AI insights and strategic perspectives from Forrester analysts and experts.<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/data-ai-leaders\/\">Discover how Forrester supports data, AI, and analytics leaders. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51104,
                    "name": "GRC - Governance, Risk, And Compliance",
                    "slug": "grc-governance-risk-and-compliance",
                    "description": "Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) trends are always evolving. Follow Forrester's latest research and insights on GRC trends.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports IT leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/grc-governance-risk-and-compliance\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2248,
                    "name": "risk management",
                    "slug": "risk-management",
                    "description": "\"No risk, no reward,\" may be true, but unnecessary risk is . . . well, unnecessary. Read our insights on risk management and mitigation.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/security-risk\/\">Discover how Forrester supports security and risk leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/risk-management\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2180,
                    "name": "security risk management",
                    "slug": "security-risk",
                    "description": "With the proliferation of data and the ubiquity of connected devices, organizations can move with unmatched efficiency, but simultaneously incur increased risks. Read our insights on how security &amp; risk professionals can succeed in this environment.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/security-risk\/\">Discover how Forrester supports IT and security and risk leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/security-risk\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Flock\u2019s cameras read license plates with 96% accuracy under optimal conditions but had 71% inaccuracy in the field over two years in Roseville, CA, underlining that AI performance is contextual.",
            "author": "Alla Valente"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 302232,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/streamings-next-battle-is-for-customer-relationships\/",
            "title": "Streaming\u2019s Next Battle Is For Customer Relationships",
            "date": "Aug 5, 2026 16:07:15",
            "excerpt": "The SVOD (streaming video on demand) industry is abuzz about Netflix\u2019s engagement trends and declining viewership between first and second seasons. Why? Because it points to a bigger market question: What keeps streaming consumers engaged when their hit show isn\u2019t on? While original programming, sports rights, and other exclusive content draw consumers to a given [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>The SVOD (streaming video on demand) industry is abuzz about Netflix\u2019s engagement trends and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/tv-and-radio\/2026\/jul\/01\/netflix-second-season-drop-in-viewers\">declining viewership between first and second seasons<\/a>. Why? Because it points to a bigger market question: <strong>What keeps streaming consumers engaged when their hit show isn\u2019t on?<\/strong> While original programming, sports rights, and other exclusive content draw consumers to a given streaming service, durable engagement depends on how that content gets delivered.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s <strong>streaming consumers are in open relationships with SVOD providers<\/strong>, moving between streaming services based on in-the-moment content availability. Maintaining engagement gets harder as consumers gain more entertainment choices. The newly published report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/forresters-us-streaming-providers-total-experience-score-rankings-2026\/RES199866\">Forrester\u2019s US Streaming Providers Total Experience Score Rankings, 2026<\/a>, measures how effectively streaming providers win new customers and serve existing ones to drive growth. The headline: <strong>The streaming industry\u2019s next growth challenge is giving customers a better reason to stay.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Content Gets Consumers In The Door. Relationships Determine If They Stay.<\/h2>\n<p>While consumers have more content choices than ever, streaming providers haven\u2019t given them enough reasons to stay engaged between content events. <strong>Every gap between hit shows becomes a customer relationship test.<\/strong> And the streaming industry is failing this test.<\/p>\n<p>When compared to the other industries for which Forrester tracks Total Experience Scores, <strong>streaming providers consistently underperform on the very attributes that keep customers around<\/strong> (see figure below). Streaming providers lag on making customers feel valued, rewarding loyalty, having transparent data policies, resolving problems quickly, and other relationship indicators. Among noncustomers, value perception, loyalty, budget fit, and pricing perceptions remain persistent weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-302237 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-807x1024.png\" alt=\"Streaming Providers Lag Other Industries On Customer Relationships\" width=\"807\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-807x1024.png 807w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-236x300.png 236w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-768x975.png 768w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-1210x1536.png 1210w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-1614x2048.png 1614w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-378x480.png 378w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Streaming-Providers-Lag-Other-Industries-On-Customer-Relationships-Download-Figure-scaled.png 2017w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 807px) 100vw, 807px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s streaming providers are built on viewing moments. A series premiere, a season finale, a live sporting event, or a blockbuster franchise release drives engagement. The problem? <strong>This creates ephemeral relationships rather than enduring ones.<\/strong> SVOD consumers need a reason to keep paying for the service between content events. Streamers need to earn the next engagement, the next renewal, and the next price increase.<\/p>\n<h2>Disney Understands The Customer-Relationship Assignment<\/h2>\n<p>Disney\u2019s new(-ish) CEO joined the company at an interesting time. Forrester\u2019s Total Experience Score data shows that Disney+ has work to do. The service underperformed on value among noncustomers, pricing among noncustomers and customers, and content freshness among customers. Yet Disney\u2019s latest vision for Disney+ appears aligned with the very problem our data uncovered.<\/p>\n<p>During <a href=\"https:\/\/thewaltdisneycompany.com\/news\/disney-q3-earnings-2026\/\">today\u2019s earnings call<\/a>, Disney CEO Josh D\u2019Amaro put customer relationships at the center of Disney\u2019s streaming strategy. He said that Disney\u2019s \u201cfundamental advantage is the depth of our fan relationships\u201d and pointed to the company\u2019s focus on \u201cdeepening our direct relationships with fans by creating a more connected Disney experience.\u201d How? By making Disney+ the front door to that relationship.<\/p>\n<p>Disney can connect streaming, sports, parks, cruises, merchandise, games, and fan benefits in a way few competitors can. That gives Disney more ways to stay present between major releases and more opportunities to make Disney+ useful even when the next Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, or Hulu breakout isn\u2019t new that week. The risk is clutter. Disney+ can become a more valuable relationship hub, or it can become a digital junk drawer.<\/p>\n<h2>Forrester\u2019s Total Experience Score Reveals Why SVOD Relationships Break Down<\/h2>\n<p>The new (and first-ever) report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/forresters-us-streaming-providers-total-experience-score-rankings-2026\/RES199866\">Forrester\u2019s US Streaming Providers Total Experience Score Rankings, 2026<\/a>, provides a data-driven view of streaming industry growth, customer retention, and customer acquisition. The report includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An industry comparison showing where streaming lags other sectors on customer relationship attributes.<\/li>\n<li>A growth grid showing the providers that best balance winning new customers and serving existing ones.<\/li>\n<li>Provider-level rankings across total experience, customer, and noncustomer scores.<\/li>\n<li>Customer and noncustomer driver analyses that show which attributes most affect growth.<\/li>\n<li>Employee experience analysis that examines whether internal strengths are reaching customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Forrester clients:<\/strong> Let\u2019s chat more about this via a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">Forrester guidance session<\/a>.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51672,
                    "name": "Streaming",
                    "slug": "streaming",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/streaming\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 52012,
                    "name": "Total Experience",
                    "slug": "total-experience",
                    "description": "Companies that align their brand experience, customer experience, and employee experience pull ahead \u2014 and stay ahead. Learn about Forrester's Total Experience Score and research and how they help firms across industries make meaningful, measurable improvements.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/research\/total-experience-score\/\">Learn More About Our Total Experience Research.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/total-experience\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Streaming\u2019s next battle is for customer relationships. Forrester\u2019s total experience research shows where SVOD providers fall short.",
            "author": "Mike Proulx"
        }
    ]
}