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            "post_id": 297192,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/drowning-in-rules-navigating-americas-ai-regulatory-patchwork\/",
            "title": "Drowning In Rules: Navigating America\u2019s AI Regulatory Patchwork",
            "date": "May 11, 2026 11:47:00",
            "excerpt": "US companies are drowning in AI rules. With a labyrinth of conflicting state laws and no single federal requirement, even the most responsible innovators are struggling to stay afloat. California\u2019s landmark Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act proved that states can regulate AI without killing innovation, but it also underscores a hard truth: The current […]",
            "body": "<p>US companies are drowning in AI rules. With a labyrinth of conflicting state laws and no single federal requirement, even the most responsible innovators are struggling to stay afloat. California\u2019s landmark <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/from-veto-to-victory-californias-new-ai-act-revives-the-national-and-international-conversation-on-ai-regulations\/\">Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act<\/a> proved that states can regulate AI without killing innovation, but it also underscores a hard truth: The current US patchwork of AI regulations is making accountability more complex, not less.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Three Forces Are Throwing Compliance Into Chaos<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In our new report, Enza Iannopollo and I dive into the dynamics that make US AI regulations increasingly challenging yet absolutely critical. To <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/navigate-the-patchwork-of-us-ai-regulations\/RES180500\">Navigate The Patchwork Of US AI Regulations<\/a>, you must know that there is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A flurry of state laws.<\/strong> With over 1,100 AI bills introduced across states in 2025, businesses face an impossible task as each state creates its own compliance regime, definitions, and penalties. Companies operating across state lines have their hands full monitoring and implementing multiple requirements simultaneously. Sadly, for many, this means diverting resources from innovation to compliance bureaucracy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Federal preemption.<\/strong> Federal action aims to preempt state-level AI laws, with the administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/ag\/media\/1422986\/dl?inline\">AI Litigation Task Force<\/a> challenging regulations that \u201cunconstitutionally regulate interstate commerce.\u201d The December 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/12\/eliminating-state-law-obstruction-of-national-artificial-intelligence-policy\/\">executive order<\/a> calls for a national framework forbidding conflicting state laws, but instead of delivering clarity, its <a href=\"https:\/\/law-ai.org\/legal-issues-raised-by-the-proposed-executive-order-on-ai-preemption\/\">federal preemption<\/a> clause has raised legal issues and simply added another regulatory layer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A litigation juggernaut on the horizon.<\/strong> As AI adoption accelerates and US federal AI regulation lags, the courtroom, not Congress, serves as the primary arena for AI concerns. Litigation continues to influence the AI conversation, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carltonfields.com\/newsroom\/news\/2026\/carlton-fields-releases-15th-annual-class-action-survey\">80% of US corporate counsel<\/a> now project an increase in class-action lawsuits stemming from AI use. These aren\u2019t academic debates; they\u2019re creating the compliance requirements of tomorrow while organizations scramble to meet the conflicting demands of today.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The GSA\u2019s Proposed AI Clause Adds Another Layer of Uncertainty<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The US General Services Administration\u2019s released-for-comment proposed AI clause, <a href=\"https:\/\/buy.gsa.gov\/interact\/system\/files\/GSA_Federal_Acquisition%20Service%20Proposed%20Government%20AI%20System%20Terms%20and%20Conditions.pdf\">GSAR 552.239-7001<\/a>, would impose sweeping AI requirements on government contractors, including mandates for exclusive use of American-made AI system, 72-hour incident reporting, and direct liability for vendor compliance. Comments submitted by organizations such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/technology\/industry-response-to-proposed-gsar-clause-552-239-7001-basic-safeguarding-of-artificial-intelligence-systems\">US Chamber of Commerce<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/thecgp.org\/images\/2026\/04\/FINAL-Comments-on-Terms-for-AI.pdf\">Coalition for Common Sense in Government Procurement<\/a> highlight multiple concerns with vague requirements that defy clear interpretation and would create more chaos than clarity.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Don\u2019t Expect Regulatory Clarity \u2014 Act Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The bottom line is that there\u2019s no single playbook coming from Washington any time soon. Companies must turn this regulatory chaos into their competitive advantage by embracing regulatory complexity as a strategic capability, not a compliance headache. AI risk and compliance pros, you must now:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Adapt your governance framework to account for agentic AI.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/the-future-is-now-agentic-ai-redefines-responsible-ai\/\">Responsible AI<\/a> in the age of agentic systems must transition to governing autonomous decision-making in real time, not periodically or at random moments. Adopt Forrester\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/introducing-forresters-aegis-framework-agentic-ai-enterprise-guardrails-for-information-security\/RES185394\">AEGIS framework<\/a> to embed explainability, accountability, and trust into your AI infrastructure and in alignment with your risk appetite and values.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cross-map AI requirements across state laws and regimes.<\/strong> Doing dozens of assessments is neither practical nor effective. Use\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=res187877\">Forrester\u2019s AI regulatory crosswalk<\/a> to mapping controls across regulations, such as the EU AI Act, and frameworks, like the NIST AI Risk Management Framework and ISO 42001, to fast-track your readiness.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Complement AI governance with AI risk management.<\/strong> Understanding the difference between the two is critical. While governance hands you principles and policies, it doesn\u2019t identify threats or prevent harm. AI risk management helps you move from intent to protection. It assigns accountability, surfaces real risks, and mitigates damage as AI moves from design to deployment to scale.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get a handle on AI risk of third-party providers.<\/strong> Treat third\u2011party AI use as a risk vector, not a procurement issue. That means identifying AI exposure early and often. Start by asking the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=res188919\">right questions<\/a>\u00a0when evaluating AI products or services. Ask for evidence, test and validate claims, bake AI clauses into contracts, and reinforce risk expectations through SLAs, monitoring, and escalation paths.\u00a0And add embedded AI (new AI features and capabilities of existing vendors and suppliers) to your AI governance and risk program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are a Forrester client,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">schedule a guidance session<\/a> with us to continue this conversation and get tailored insights and guidance for your AI compliance and risk management programs.<\/p>\n",
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                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
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                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
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                {
                    "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\/"
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                    "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\/"
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                {
                    "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\/"
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            ],
            "meta_desc": "In a new report, Forrester dives into the dynamics that make US AI regulations increasingly challenging yet absolutely critical.",
            "author": "Alla Valente",
            "coauthors": "Enza Iannopollo"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 297001,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/amazon-opens-its-supply-chain-empire-to-all-but-is-it-a-fit-for-your-business\/",
            "title": "Amazon Opens Its Supply Chain Empire To All \u2014 But Is It A Fit For Your Business?",
            "date": "May 8, 2026 15:41:54",
            "excerpt": "Amazon\u2019s AWS Playbook: Now Applied To Supply Chain Logistics Per ShipMatrix, in 2025, Amazon surpassed the US Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS to become the largest parcel carrier in the US by volume. Globally, it delivers an estimated 13 billion packages every year. After decades spent building one of the world\u2019s most formidable logistics networks [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<h3>Amazon\u2019s AWS Playbook: Now Applied To Supply Chain Logistics<\/h3>\n<p>Per ShipMatrix, in 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/shipmatrix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/SMx-Press-Release-on-2025-Parcel-Market-3.16.2026.pdf\">Amazon surpassed<\/a> the US Postal Service, FedEx, and UPS to become the largest parcel carrier in the US by volume. Globally, it delivers an estimated 13 billion packages every year.<\/p>\n<p>After decades spent building one of the world\u2019s most formidable logistics networks to serve its own business, Amazon is now opening that infrastructure to everyone. The strategy to launch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aboutamazon.com\/news\/retail\/amazon-supply-chain-services-for-business\">Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS)<\/a> harkens back to 2006 when the company first made Amazon Web Services (AWS) available to other businesses. By the mid-2010s, AWS was profitable, and it became Amazon\u2019s primary profit engine. The playbook was to build world-class internal capabilities, then sell them as a service.<\/p>\n<h3>More Businesses Are Outsourcing Supply Chain Operations<\/h3>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s move to open its logistics network underscores a larger industry trend of outsourcing supply chain operations for agility and cost savings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/predictions-2026-digital-commerce\/RES185007\">as Forrester predicted<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s delivery promises (e.g., same-day or early overnight delivery for millions of items) are unrivaled in many markets. This supply chain service now may enable any business to \u201crent\u201d Amazon\u2019s logistics capabilities rather build its own. Leading brands such as 3M, American Eagle Outfitters, Lands\u2019 End, and Procter &amp; Gamble have already signed on as launch partners, each leveraging a portion of Amazon\u2019s offering.<\/p>\n<h3>What Amazon\u2019s Logistics Service Delivers<\/h3>\n<p>Amazon\u2019s new offering bundles a full spectrum of supply chain capabilities into a complete service. Some businesses might replace their third-party logistics provider (3PL), freight network, and delivery partners all at once \u2014 and others may simply choose specific components. Key components of ASCS include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Global freight.<\/strong> ASCS offers businesses access to Amazon\u2019s freight network across ocean, air, rail, and road. Amazon promises reliable capacity and speed options for moving goods \u2014 whether it\u2019s raw materials heading to factories or finished products going to distribution centers. Early adopters like 3M and Procter &amp; Gamble are using Amazon\u2019s freight services to streamline global shipments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Warehousing and fulfillment.<\/strong> Companies can store inventory in Amazon\u2019s warehouses and fulfill orders across channels using a unified inventory pool. This leverages the same high-speed picking, packing, and distribution systems Amazon uses for Prime. Retailers like Lands\u2019 End are tapping this component to reach customers faster across their own sites, marketplaces, and physical stores.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Last-mile delivery.<\/strong> ASCS also plugs businesses into Amazon\u2019s seven-day-a-week parcel delivery network, complete with quick, two-to-five-day shipping across the US. American Eagle Outfitters is handing off direct-to-customer shipments from its website to Amazon for final delivery. Amazon\u2019s logistics machine, which includes hundreds of fulfillment centers (and even its own airline), now effectively becomes any company\u2019s delivery arm.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Raising The Stakes For Logistics Rivals<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/data-and-insights\/surveys\/forresters-retail-topic-insights-2-survey-2025\/SUS189574\">Per Forrester\u2019s data<\/a>, 70% of US online adults choose to buy on Amazon to quickly receive their purchase. Businesses that choose to use ASCS may be able to shorten delivery times from any digital property (not just Amazon\u2019s marketplace). Amazon\u2019s infrastructure and efficiency have the potential to set a new baseline for cost and service that impacts consumer expectations across all digital channels.<\/p>\n<h3>Recommendations For Digital Leaders<\/h3>\n<p>How should savvy digital business leaders respond to Amazon\u2019s foray into offering supply chain logistics? Here\u2019s how to navigate this shift:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Evaluate the risks.<\/strong> Businesses may worry about becoming overly dependent on a vendor that also happens to be a competitor in many markets. Plus, it\u2019s unclear whether Amazon will favor its own deliveries, or those from specific customers, if it sees capacity issues. Amazon\u2019s vice president of supply chain services <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/logistics-report\/amazon-built-a-massive-supply-chain-for-itself-now-its-for-hire-c7d128b0?st=JnmUbs&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink\">claims<\/a> it doesn\u2019t use data from its supply chain customers to make decisions for its own marketplace, but some merchants might prefer not to hand all their inventory, order, and delivery data to what is now the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/19\/nx-s1-5719173\/amazon-walmart-biggest-company-by-sales\">world\u2019s biggest company<\/a> by sales. If you do outsource to Amazon, scrutinize the terms around data usage and service levels. Understand how your data will be used and evaluate the risks of this exposure.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prepare for a new normal in delivery.<\/strong> Whether or not you partner with Amazon, anticipate that customer expectations for speedy and affordable fulfillment will keep rising. If consumers were previously comfortable holding Amazon (and only Amazon) to their high expectations for extremely fast (and potentially free) delivery, they may expect other merchants to meet that standard.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Decide where you differentiate.<\/strong> Evaluate whether logistics is truly a strategic differentiator for your business or simply a cost center. If you can\u2019t match Amazon\u2019s speed and efficiency on your own, explore using partners like ASCS or other 3PLs to handle it so you can focus on what sets your brand apart. Of course, you need to compare Amazon\u2019s costs to what other providers charge.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Compare ASCS to traditional 3PL services.<\/strong> Use our chart to guide your decision-making as you explore this new offering. Note that ASCS is a new service, and this chart represents what we believe, based on what we know so far.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-297152 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Amazon-ASCSvs3PL-biggerText-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1271\" height=\"880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Amazon-ASCSvs3PL-biggerText-1.png 1271w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Amazon-ASCSvs3PL-biggerText-1-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Amazon-ASCSvs3PL-biggerText-1-1024x709.png 1024w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Amazon-ASCSvs3PL-biggerText-1-768x532.png 768w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Amazon-ASCSvs3PL-biggerText-1-640x443.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1271px) 100vw, 1271px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Digital leaders must carefully consider whether to join Amazon\u2019s logistics revolution or double down on differentiating through other means. To discuss this further, schedule a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry?id=4&amp;bioId=BIO14604\">guidance session or inquiry<\/a> with us!<\/p>\n",
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                    "term_id": 51973,
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                    "slug": "commerce-technology",
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                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/commerce-technology\/"
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                {
                    "term_id": 2288,
                    "name": "digital business",
                    "slug": "digital-business",
                    "description": "Digital business is mandatory for every firm. But is your digital presence a growth driver or merely table stakes? Learn how to truly harness what digital has to offer.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/bold\/digital\">Discover how Forrester supports digital leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/digital-business\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 34497,
                    "name": "direct-to-consumer (DTC)",
                    "slug": "direct-to-consumer-dtc",
                    "description": "Direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies have transformed the relationship between brands and customers. To compete, marketers at non-DTC companies must take a hard look at their strategies and double down on 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\/direct-to-consumer-dtc\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2158,
                    "name": "Retail Trends",
                    "slug": "retail",
                    "description": "Retail is continuously evolving as consumers expect a seamless blend of physical and digital experiences. Read our insights and advice for staying a step ahead.\r\n\r\nDiscover how Forrester supports <a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">customer experience<\/a> and <a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">B2C marketing<\/a> professionals.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/retail\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2545,
                    "name": "supply chain management",
                    "slug": "supply-chain-management",
                    "description": "Supply chains have gone global. Consumers demand greater transparency. Global warming is poised to disrupt. Supply chain management is more important and more difficult than ever before.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports IT professionals.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/supply-chain-management\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Amazon is launching Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS), a move that will upend shipping and fulfillment across all digital commerce.",
            "author": "Emily Pfeiffer",
            "coauthors": "George Lawrie"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 297130,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/the-most-expensive-customer-complaint-is-the-one-you-ignore\/",
            "title": "The Most Expensive Customer Complaint Is The One You Ignore",
            "date": "May 8, 2026 15:20:32",
            "excerpt": "Many organizations treat complaints as routine service issues \u2014 yet they often reveal something far more pernicious. Learn a more strategic and productive way for handling complaints at Forrester's CX Summit EMEA June 8-10.",
            "body": "<p>In April 2026, a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ReclaimTheNetHQ\/status\/2046048606260453453\/photo\/1\">JetBlue customer posted a public complaint<\/a> about a sudden $230 fare increase. JetBlue replied with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/91531484\/jetblue-viral-blunder-convinced-customers-it-uses-surveillance-pricing-to-upcharge-on-flights-tickets-prices\">well\u2011intentioned suggestion<\/a>: Try clearing cookies or booking in an incognito browser. The exchange was quickly screenshotted, shared thousands of times, and swept into a national debate about \u201csurveillance pricing.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallego.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/gallego-introduces-bill-to-crack-down-on-surveillance-pricing\/\">Lawmakers<\/a> weighed in. A proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/sustainability\/boards-policy-regulation\/lawsuit-accuses-jetblue-using-customers-personal-data-raise-air-fares-2026-04-23\/\">class\u2011action lawsuit<\/a> followed.<\/p>\n<p>The incident wasn\u2019t really about cookies or pricing algorithms. It was about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-business-case-for-customer-complaint-management\/RES194932\">complaint management<\/a> and what happens when organizations underestimate the costs embedded in customer complaints.<\/p>\n<h2>Complaints Carry Higher Stakes Than Other Forms Of Feedback<\/h2>\n<p>Complaints are not just negative feedback. They arise when customers believe something has gone wrong <em>and expect the organization to act<\/em>. That expectation fundamentally raises the stakes. Emotions run higher, time pressure increases, and trust becomes fragile.<\/p>\n<p>Yet many organizations still treat complaints as routine service issues or compliance activities to close quickly and report upward. They focus on minimizing volumes and meeting procedural standards, often without asking what complaints reveal about deeper experience, policy, or process failures.<\/p>\n<p>The JetBlue example shows the danger of that mindset. The fallout didn\u2019t come from the original issue alone. It escalated because the complaint was handled as a routine interaction rather than as a high\u2011risk moment requiring judgment, coordination, and care.<\/p>\n<h2>The Biggest Costs Rarely Show Up On Complaints Dashboards<\/h2>\n<p>Most business leaders track the direct costs of complaints: agent time, refunds, credits, or escalation handling. These matter, but they\u2019re rarely the biggest issue. The greater damage is indirect and cumulative:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Customer churn<\/strong> and <strong>reduced future revenue<\/strong> from unresolved systemic issues<\/li>\n<li><strong>Brand damage<\/strong> as complaints surface publicly<\/li>\n<li><strong>Employee burnout<\/strong> from repeated firefighting without root\u2011cause fixes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is why regulators increasingly warn that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerfinance.gov\/data-research\/consumer-complaints\/\">low complaint volumes can be a red flag<\/a>, masking disengagement rather than signaling healthy experiences.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-297135\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CXSummitEMEA2026-Customer-Complaints-Workshop-RP-20260415.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CXSummitEMEA2026-Customer-Complaints-Workshop-RP-20260415.png 960w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CXSummitEMEA2026-Customer-Complaints-Workshop-RP-20260415-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CXSummitEMEA2026-Customer-Complaints-Workshop-RP-20260415-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/CXSummitEMEA2026-Customer-Complaints-Workshop-RP-20260415-640x360.png 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>From Business Liability To CX Capability<\/h2>\n<p>Leading firms make a strategic shift. They stop asking how to reduce complaints and start asking what complaints can do for the business \u2014 repairing relationships, redesigning CX, strengthening culture, and reducing risk.<\/p>\n<p>To learn how to quantify the true cost of complaints and turn them into a strategic CX capability, read my report <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-business-case-for-customer-complaint-management\/RES194932\">The Business Case For Customer Complaint Management<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (paywall). It\u2019s the first in a broader series of Forrester research on complaints management. It will be followed by <strong><em>The Customer Complaints Management Business Case Builder<\/em><\/strong> (an upcoming tool to help CX leaders model costs, benefits, and ROI) and <strong><em>Customer Complaints Management Best Practices<\/em><\/strong> (an upcoming report detailing the people, process, and technology required to run complaints management as a mature CX capability). If you\u2019re interested in <strong>participating in this research<\/strong>, including interviews or case studies, I\u2019d welcome you to reach out to me directly at <a href=\"mailto:rpasto@forrester.com\">rpasto@forrester.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m also running a <strong>hands<\/strong><strong>\u2011<\/strong><strong>on workshop<\/strong> on building the business case for complaints management at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/event\/cx-emea\/\">Forrester\u2019s CX Summit EMEA<\/a> in Amsterdam this June 9, where we\u2019ll work through practical examples and application of the framework with industry peers. Hope to see you there!<\/p>\n",
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                    "slug": "promoted",
                    "description": "Posts tagged with this will be displayed in the filter section of the Featured Insights page",
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                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
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                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
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                    "term_id": 2292,
                    "name": "Customer Engagement",
                    "slug": "customer-engagement",
                    "description": "In a hypercompetitive climate, customer engagement is a key differentiator. Read our insights to nurture and strengthen customer relationships, improve retention, and demonstrate the business value of the customer engagement function.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience leaders.<\/a>",
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                    "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": 2262,
                    "name": "customer experience management",
                    "slug": "customer-experience-management",
                    "description": "Customer experience management is a key competency for firms, enabling them to provide quality, end-to-end experiences for today's channel-agnostic customers. Discover how to improve CX management across the enterprise. Learn key components of customer experience management including selecting metrics, building culture, winning investment, and more.\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-management\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2192,
                    "name": "Customer Experience Strategy",
                    "slug": "customer-experience-strategy",
                    "description": "A strong customer experience strategy can pay dividends to your bottom line. But orchestrating across a complex enterprise is easier said then done. Read insights on establishing and implementing a CX strategy.\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-strategy\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51281,
                    "name": "customer obsession",
                    "slug": "customer-obsession",
                    "description": "Customer obsession means putting the customer at the center of your leadership, strategy, and operations. Discover how to infuse customer obsession into your organization with insights from Forrester.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/what-it-means\/ep182-customer-obsession-strategy\/\">Learn more about how customer obsession can benefit your firm in this complimentary podcast.\u00a0<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/customer-obsession\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Organizations underestimate the risk embedded in customer complaints. Learn how to handle complaints strategically at Forrester's CX Summit EMEA.",
            "author": "Riccardo Pasto"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 297166,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/brussels-takes-seven-member-states-to-court-over-cer-and-the-consequences-land-on-you\/",
            "title": "Brussels Takes Seven Member States To\u00a0Court Over CER, And The Consequences Land On You",
            "date": "May 8, 2026 14:21:18",
            "excerpt": "If you are a CISO at a critical-infrastructure\u00a0organization\u00a0in Bulgaria, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, or Sweden, your\u00a0Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive enforcement clock just shortened. On May 7, 2026, the European Commission referred all seven member states to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to transpose the CER Directive more [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you are a CISO at a critical-infrastructure\u00a0organization\u00a0in Bulgaria, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, or Sweden, your\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/eli\/dir\/2022\/2557\/oj\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Critical Entities Resilience (CER) Directive<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> enforcement clock just shortened. On May 7, 2026, the European Commission referred all seven member states to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to transpose the CER Directive more than 18 months after the deadline. The commission also asked the court to impose lump sums and daily penalty payments on each state. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">That pressure cascades fast. To limit their financial exposure, the seven member states will accelerate transposition and tighten the political mandate on their national supervisors. Those supervisors will translate that mandate into faster designations, harder enforcement priorities, and shorter grace periods. Designated entities will pass the new obligations down to their suppliers through contract clauses.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Three Things Make This Referral Different<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Do not wait for the court to rule before you act. The seven member states will now transpose under combined financial and political pressure, and the supervisors who follow will arrive with a mandate. CER applies across 11 sectors: energy, transport, banking, financial market infrastructure, health, drinking water, wastewater, digital infrastructure, public administration, space, and food. The substantive obligations are the same; the operational reality is not. In most organizations, cyber, physical security, and business continuity management (BCM) sit in separate reporting lines. The CER Directive does not care. Consider a regional water utility two months after designation: The supervisor expects a documented risk assessment, a board-approved business continuity plan, a tested 24-hour incident notification channel, and demonstrable governance. Designations can begin within weeks of entry into force. Consider that:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The commission is asking for sanctions at the first hearing.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/eut\/teec\/article\/260\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Article 260.3 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> lets the European Commission propose lump sums and daily penalty payments alongside the first referral, instead of waiting for a second noncompliance judgment. The commission has stated it will use Article 260.3 as a matter of principle for late transpositions. For CISOs, expect national supervisors to enforce harder and earlier than they did under the GDPR.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Seven member states missed the same deadline.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> The list does not contain the usual rule-of-law outliers. It contains France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden, all of which usually post strong transposition records. When that group misses the same date together, the cause is structural: cross-ministerial scope, overlap with existing national regimes, and definitions deliberately left open at the EU level. For CISOs, assume that the resulting national laws will diverge, causing scope, timing, and supervisory authority to differ country by country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The directive itself is a\u00a0ProtectEU\u00a0instrument.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> The CER Directive is the EU\u2019s all-hazards resilience law, covering terror, sabotage, cyber, and natural disaster. The commission tied the referral directly to its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/ip_25_920\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">ProtectEU European Internal Security Strategy<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. The framing matters.\u00a0This\u00a0referral is part of a hardened enforcement posture on hybrid threats, not a routine transposition complaint.\u00a0For CISOs,\u00a0CER conversations will increasingly involve interior and\u00a0defense\u00a0ministries, not just your usual privacy and IT supervisors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">What CISOs Should Do Now<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stop assuming that your NIS 2 program covers CER.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> The two directives overlap on supplier due diligence and BCM scope, but they diverge on operational matters. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NIS 2 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/eu-nis-2-directive-requirements-and-compliance-worksheet\/RES181022\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Directive<\/span><\/a> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">mandates harmonized 24-hour and 72-hour notification windows, while CER is less harmonized on incident notification, with timing and channels varying by member state. T<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">he\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NIS 2<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Directive<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> focuses on cybersecurity, however, while CER is all-hazards. Treat<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">NIS 2<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0directive<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0work\u00a0as a useful baseline, not a proxy for compliance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Run CER, NIS 2, DORA, and the CRA on one operating model.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Four parallel compliance programs will produce four parallel governance boards, four sets of risk assessments, and four sets of supplier questionnaires. Build one integrated\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/no-more-blurred-lines-introducing-continuous-risk-management\/RES181738\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">risk taxonomy<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, one\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/best-practices-for-mdr-to-ir-handoffs\/RES192720\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">incident response framework<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, one supplier inventory, and one board-level reporting line.\u00a0Map the directive-specific obligations on top.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Run the gap analysis now, against the directive itself.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Use the CER Directive\u2019s annex on sectors and subsectors to\u00a0identify\u00a0which business units fall in scope. Run\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-business-continuity-management-software-landscape-q1-2026\/RES191042\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">business impact analysis<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0against essential service delivery. Score current controls against the duty-of-care obligations in the directive. Ten months from designation is too\u00a0short\u00a0a window to\u00a0start from scratch.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Bring third-party and supplier obligations forward into the next contract cycle.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Critical entities will pass CER obligations down through contractual cascade: incident notification SLAs, audit rights, subprocessor restrictions, and attestations on physical and personnel security. Start with your top 10 material vendors in CER-relevant processes \u2014 that scope is manageable inside one contract cycle. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/forresters-essential-research-to-manage-your-it-spend\/RES183033\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Contract renewal cycles<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for material vendors run six to nine months. Procurement and legal need to be drafting clauses now if you want them in force by designation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Run cyber and physical scenarios together \u2014 and own the seam.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0CER\u2019s all-hazards scope is the main thing that distinguishes it from<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0the<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> NIS 2<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0directive<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Most security organizations run mature cyber <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/mastering-an-effective-executive-tabletop-exercise-deriving-maximum-value-and-impact\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">tabletop exercises<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and weak\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/asis-gsx-2023-physical-security-insights-from-deep-in-the-heart-of-texas\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">physical exercises<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Joint scenarios belong on the calendar this quarter: substation sabotage that takes systems offline, insider physical access to a data center, drone interference with logistics, or supply chain disruption combined with a coordinated phishing campaign. Before this becomes a tabletop question, it is an organizational design question. Your CER supervisor will expect you to demonstrate an integrated risk posture.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">If Your Customers Are Designated Entities, You Are Affected<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CER will reach you through customer questionnaires, contract clauses, and SLA changes \u2014 even if your organization is not\u00a0designated. A SaaS vendor to a water utility,\u00a0a logistics\u00a0partner to a hospital, or a managed service provider to a bank will face the same expectations through their customers\u2019 contractual\u00a0obligations, often with less time and less leverage than the designated entities themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"9\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Map your CER-exposed customer base now.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Identify\u00a0which of your customers\u00a0operate\u00a0in the 11 CER sectors and prioritize the top quartile by revenue. Those are the contracts where the new clauses will land first, often before formal designation arrives.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"9\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Raise the budget conversation before procurement\u00a0does.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> New incident notification SLAs, audit rights, subprocessor restrictions, and physical and personnel attestations require investment. If you wait, you will pay twice \u2014 once for the controls, once for the rushed delivery. And you will personally pay in trust and goodwill if finance and\/or the board first hears about <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">the <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CER D<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">irective <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">through a contract renegotiation in distress.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-leveltext=\"\u2022\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"3\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\u2022&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"9\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Build a reusable attestation pack, not a per-questionnaire response.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> For controls evidence, subprocessor inventory, incident playbook, physical security posture, and business continuity testing: Package once, and share with every customer. Vendors that preempt these requests command better commercial terms; vendors that answer them ad hoc renegotiate under pressure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 aria-level=\"2\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Connect With Us<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Forrester clients with questions about CER, NIS 2, DORA, or building an integrated resilience operating model can\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">schedule an inquiry or guidance session<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> with me.<\/span><\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 14963,
                    "name": "Cybersecurity Trends",
                    "slug": "cybersecurity",
                    "description": "Stay up-to-date on the cutting edge of cybersecurity with insights on Zero Trust, vendors, regulations, and other privacy &amp; security topics.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/cybersecurity\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51787,
                    "name": "Security management",
                    "slug": "security-management",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/security-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": "If you are a CISO at a critical-infrastructure\u00a0organization\u00a0in EMEA, your\u00a0CER Directive enforcement clock just shortened.",
            "author": "Madelein van der Hout",
            "coauthors": "Enza Iannopollo"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 297141,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/extreme-connect-2026-momentum-depends-on-platform-one-and-ai\/",
            "title": "Extreme Connect 2026: Momentum Depends On Platform ONE And AI",
            "date": "May 8, 2026 12:14:11",
            "excerpt": "Extreme Platform ONE changed the tone at Extreme Connect. The energy felt real \u2014 less marketing noise, more actual momentum \u2014 as Extreme started to look like a credible answer to the gap forming outside the data center while HPE digests Juniper Networks. That shift shows in Platform ONE\u2019s maturation into something operationally meaningful: a [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Extreme Platform ONE changed the tone at Extreme Connect. The energy felt real \u2014 less marketing noise, more actual momentum \u2014 as Extreme started to look like a credible answer to the gap forming outside the data center while HPE digests Juniper Networks. That shift shows in Platform ONE\u2019s maturation into something operationally meaningful: a single \u201cliving topology\u201d across wired, wireless, fabric, and SD\u2011WAN; deeper fabric visibility; and integrated services that finally reduce console sprawl.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it\u2019s only halfway there. The intent\u2011based foundation is in place, but declarative models, safer change workflows, modeling, and end\u2011to\u2011end impact tracing across campus, WAN, data center, and cloud remain the real work ahead.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>No One Wins By Following Your Competitors\u2019 Taillights<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>You\u2019d be hard\u2011pressed to attend a technology conference today that isn\u2019t soaked in AI, and Extreme followed the pattern \u2014 though, interestingly, not in the usual <em>me too<\/em> way. During one of the analyst breakout sessions, Nabil Bukhari, president of AI platforms and CTO at Extreme Networks, made the point directly: \u201cWe aren\u2019t looking at what our competitors are doing with AI. We\u2019re learning from AI leaders like OpenAI and Claude.\u201d Extreme\u2019s AI journey reflects that stance. It moved from AI Canvas \u2014 focused on surfacing insights and real\u2011time dashboards from rich telemetry (something most competitors already do) \u2014 to Extreme Agent ONE, which embeds AI directly into operational workflows. Customers can run it in one of two modes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Agent ONE Coworker.<\/strong> This capability is expected in the second half of 2026 and works alongside network operations teams with an emphasis on proactivity. Rather than waiting for tickets or queries, it continuously monitors the environment, detects emerging issues, and uses a \u201cnudge\u201d model to recommend \u2014 or in some cases, automatically execute \u2014 actions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Agent ONE Operator.<\/strong> Slated for later in the year, it\u2019s positioned as fully autonomous within defined guardrails, aka Agent ONE Coworker on steroids. Operator executes scheduled workflows, responds directly to events, and adapts based on prior outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Addressing The Shift To Business-Optimized Networks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>To support Agent ONE, Extreme announced Extreme Exchange. It aligns closely with Forrester\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/let-business-outcomes-drive-network-design\/RES122043\">business-optimized network<\/a> vision, which argues that networks must designed around the business and adapt behavior based on business context rather than operate as generic infrastructure. By framing Exchange as an AI skills marketplace, Extreme is attempting to externalize and scale operational expertise beyond vendor-defined automation, allowing customers and partners to encode industry-specific intent. This directly addresses a long-standing gap in network operations: While tooling is standardized, environments are not, and the operational priorities of a hospital ward, stadium, or big-box retailer vary materially. Extreme Exchange suggests a model where optimization should follow business outcomes, not abstract performance metrics.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What It Means<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Extreme Connect 2026 made one thing unmistakable: Platform thinking and AI maturity are no longer optional \u2014 they rise or fall together. Extreme Networks isn\u2019t chasing AI hype, nor is it clinging to a static platform narrative; it\u2019s deliberately letting the two coevolve. That balance matters. As networks become too complex to operate manually at scale, AI must be embedded into real operational frameworks, not layered on top of them. Just as importantly, the credibility of that approach is showing up in who\u2019s buying. The shift toward large, global customers such as Kroger, Korean Air, and Six Flags signals that Extreme\u2019s platform is crossing a threshold \u2014 from promise to proof. Platform ONE may still be incomplete, but the direction is right: Enterprises want fewer tools, stronger guardrails, and AI that reinforces operational discipline rather than undermining it \u2014 and Extreme is increasingly aligning to that reality.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "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": 22010,
                    "name": "Information Technology",
                    "slug": "information-technology",
                    "description": "Information technology is the core of today's businesses. Read insights on transforming information technology from a service function to a key driver of business growth.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports IT leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/information-technology\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2190,
                    "name": "infrastructure &amp; operations",
                    "slug": "infrastructure-operations",
                    "description": "Infrastructure &amp; operations are the foundation on which business success is built. Read insights on keeping infrastructure &amp; operations working efficiently and implementing the latest technologies.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports IT leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/infrastructure-operations\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51561,
                    "name": "networking",
                    "slug": "networking",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/networking\/"
                }
            ],
            "author": "Andre Kindness"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 297060,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/oracle-applications-analyst-summit-fusion-agents-are-shifting-from-assist-to-decide\/",
            "title": "Oracle Applications Analyst Summit: Fusion Agents Are Shifting From Assist To Decide",
            "date": "May 8, 2026 11:25:35",
            "excerpt": "At Oracle\u2019s 2026 Applications Analyst Summit, leadership drew a hard line: Agentic AI lives only in Fusion, not EBS, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, or Hyperion. Forrester unpacks the productized agentic apps, AI-first migration playbook, and the gaps that CIOs must address in the next 12\u201318 months.",
            "body": "<p>Oracle\u2019s Applications Analyst Summit in April 2026 put a decade of \u201cmultiple ERP paths\u201d messaging under pressure. Oracle leadership drew a hard boundary around AI: The agentic future is built for Fusion SaaS, not for E-Business Suite (EBS), JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, or Hyperion. Rondy Ng, executive vice president of application development, said it plainly: \u201cThese agents are not coming to [EBS]. They\u2019re not coming to our on-premises solutions, to JD Edwards, to PeopleSoft, to Hyperion. To enable this, you have to get to SaaS.\u201d AI is the dividing line. Fusion is where Oracle is building the next operating model.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What Changed At The Summit<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Oracle pivoted from \u201cagents\u201d to productized agentic apps.<\/strong> Oracle is not pitching headless assistants. It is shipping named agentic apps that bundle specialized agents with standard operating procedures, thresholds, and audit trails. A ledger agent is in production. Consolidation and financial planning\/analysis agentic apps were demoed live. Collections workspace and channel revenue agentic apps are expected this year. This is not a feature add; it is a workflow and controls model for finance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Oracle ended the multiproduct hedge for AI.<\/strong> The prebuilt agents, Agent Studio, and the emerging AI Agent Marketplace are positioned around Fusion. Premier Support may run through 2036 for legacy products, but the AI-led innovation story is SaaS-first in both messaging and product packaging.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Oracle made migration AI-first, not AI-after.<\/strong> Oracle introduced an enterprise configuration agent that ingests EBS, PeopleSoft, and JD Edwards metadata and proposes a Fusion enterprise structure with options and trade-offs. Work that took systems integrators months now runs in hours. Oracle also restructured customer success programs to activate agents from day one of Fusion, not after stable operations. Customers no longer migrate first and adopt AI later. That accelerates value, but it increases implementation risk if controls and process ownership are not ready.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Agent supply is strong. Adoption proof is not.<\/strong> Oracle cited 600 prebuilt agents, 100-plus partner agents, and 32,000 certified developers. What was missing: production deployment counts, activation rates, and business outcome metrics. That is the key gap in Oracle\u2019s AI narrative today.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pricing messaging held. Consumption reality did not.<\/strong> Oracle reiterated no plan to charge for embedded agents in Fusion. The unresolved question is renewal-time pricing once agent-heavy workloads scale. Oracle did not commit to a model on stage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Customer references skewed regulated, capital-intensive industries.<\/strong> AT&amp;T and Northwell Health led fireside chats. Guardian Life and Equinix appeared in ERP interviews. These industries benefit when Oracle can span data, infrastructure, and applications. Notably, Oracle did not address healthcare-scale progress questions that still dominate many CIO conversations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What This Means For CIOs<\/h2>\n<p>CIOs running Oracle\u2019s on-prem ERP should treat Fusion as the only AI innovation path and negotiate a commercial and technical bridge to Fusion AI in the next 12\u201318 months. Waiting for a full migration will compound security, talent, and productivity gaps.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What To Do Now<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use 2036 as leverage, not runway.<\/strong> Ask: \u201cWhat is the commercial bridge that lets us consume Fusion AI before completing the SaaS migration?\u201d The answer, or the dodge, sets your negotiating position.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Demand renewal guardrails.<\/strong> Even if today is \u201cno charge,\u201d lock in definitions, caps, audit rights, and protections against surprise consumption pricing.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pilot with controls first.<\/strong> If you test agentic apps, require audit trails, thresholds, and human override paths as entry criteria.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sequence for risk.<\/strong> AI-first activation can accelerate value, but it can also compound implementation risk. Treat agent rollout as an operating model change, not a UI upgrade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Want to pressure-test Oracle\u2019s SaaS-only AI stance and define the guardrails you\u2019ll need to adopt Fusion agents safely? Clients can schedule a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">guidance session<\/a> with us.<\/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": 2335,
                    "name": "Application Development &amp; Delivery",
                    "slug": "application-development-delivery",
                    "description": "Application development &amp; delivery is a complex and crucial competency in today's digitized business world. Read insights on trends, best practices, emerging technologies, and more for application development &amp; delivery professionals.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports technology executives. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/application-development-delivery\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2351,
                    "name": "CIO insights",
                    "slug": "chief-information-officer-cio",
                    "description": "The Chief Information Officer (CIO) plays a crucial and complicated role in today's enterprises. Read insights on how to balance innovation with practicality; the power of big data with customer privacy; and the opportunities of new tech with its accompanying risks.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports technology executives. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/chief-information-officer-cio\/"
                },
                {
                    "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\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_title": "Oracle Fusion Agentic AI: From Assist To Decide (2026 Summit)",
            "meta_desc": "Forrester\u2019s analysis of Oracle\u2019s 2026 Applications Analyst Summit looks at how Oracle Fusion agentic AI shifts ERP from assist to decide. Here\u2019s what CIOs must do now.",
            "author": "Faram Medhora",
            "coauthors": "Kate Leggett"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 297008,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/ai-is-everywhere-in-gtm-customer-value-isnt\/",
            "title": "AI Is Everywhere In GTM. Customer Value Isn\u2019t.",
            "date": "May 7, 2026 10:00:54",
            "excerpt": "AI is already reshaping how buyers discover, decide, and engage. The real opportunity now isn\u2019t just efficiency \u2014 it\u2019s redesigning GTM around measurable customer outcomes and using AI to deliver value where it matters most.",
            "body": "<p>At this year\u2019s B2B Summit, one thing was clear: The ground has shifted for go-to-market teams.<\/p>\n<p>Leaders know they need to move beyond decades-old practices. AI-enabled buyers are changing how decisions get made. Still, many outdated approaches persist, like impersonal mass emails, MQL obsession, gated content, and siloed teams. These are no longer tenable.<\/p>\n<p>I had the chance to speak with many of my fellow go-to-market (GTM) leaders at Summit about what it will take to move forward. These conversations tended to converge on the force that\u2019s accelerating all of the change: AI.<\/p>\n<p>As Forrester\u2019s CMO, I spend a lot of time thinking about how AI changes marketing and, more importantly, how it should <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/take-control-of-your-ai-voyage\/\">improve the value we deliver to our clients<\/a>. I took the opportunity at Summit to compare notes with other leaders. Where are they leaning in? Where are they getting stuck?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What I\u2019m Hearing From GTM Leaders<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The leaders I spoke with recognize that AI is no longer a side experiment. It\u2019s reshaping how buyers discover, evaluate, and engage. It will also determine how companies differentiate and grow.<\/p>\n<p>To get a quick pulse on AI sentiment and priorities, my colleague <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/analyst-bio\/nick-buck\/BIO15486\">Nick Buck<\/a> surveyed 30 senior GTM leaders at Summit. <strong>Nearly nine in 10 (88%) agree or strongly agree that AI\u2019s benefits will outweigh its risks.<\/strong> When asked to rank their most pressing AI\u2011related initiatives, three clear areas emerged, mirroring what I heard in one\u2011on\u2011one conversations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Applying AI to existing workflows<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most teams have started by embedding AI into existing tools and processes, reducing friction, speeding execution, and building confidence, but efficiency alone will not drive transformation.<\/p>\n<p>Purchase and retention decisions hinge on perception. That makes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forrester\/2026\/03\/23\/most-b2b-marketing-teams-are-chasing-deals-theyve-already-lost\/\">building preference early<\/a> and across the full buying group critical. It also requires breaking down the divide between brand and demand and ensuring consistent, clear messaging.<\/p>\n<p>The real opportunity is in redesigning work to enable that seamlessness and clarity, and AI makes it possible to rearchitect or eliminate processes entirely. As one leader it simply, \u201cDo not automate what already exists. Remove steps.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. Rethinking roles and skills<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As workflows change, new roles will follow. But most are still being defined. Leaders are beginning to plan for new capabilities, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Marketing engineers who turn intent into execution<\/li>\n<li>AI leaders who manage systems and scale<\/li>\n<li>Governance owners who ensure quality, safety, and reuse<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They also recognize that AI will make human skills \u2014 curiosity, judgment, systems thinking, and the ability to connect signals and act \u2014 more important. Forward-thinking leaders are also considering how AI agents can augment their teams and operate as roles, not tools. This requires focusing on outcomes and not just automation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Experimenting with market-facing AI<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For most organizations, AI has not yet changed how they show up in the market. Many organizations are investing in personalization, moving beyond static segments to real-time signals. A few are simplifying messaging so that it performs consistently in AI-driven discovery.<\/p>\n<p>But the most advanced organizations are starting to plan for three audiences at once: humans, buyer agents, and answer engines. That requires more personalized, ungated information, delivered at scale and driven by sharper segmentation and more precise personas.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Real AI Opportunity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It was clear from my discussions at Summit that most companies are improving internal efficiency. Few are improving customer outcomes \u2014 yet. Productivity gains matter, but customer outcomes matter more.<\/p>\n<p>The path forward is clear: Start with the customer, focus on what they are trying to achieve, and make sure that GTM goals are aligned.<\/p>\n<p>This requires shifting from engagement-based metrics like MQLs and marketing-based pipeline, which are weak signals in an AI-driven buying environment. Instead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/ai-search-will-crack-the-foundation-of-b2b-marketings-accountability-model\/\">embrace a return-on-objectives model<\/a> that ties success directly to business and customer goals.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Breaking Silos To Deliver Value<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This work cannot happen in silos. Marketing, sales, product, and customer success must operate as one system that\u2019s aligned around the customer and focused on outcomes. Buyers expect relevant, timely insight wherever they are in their journey. They experience one company, not separate functions.<\/p>\n<p>One simple, initial step stood out at Summit: Build a cross-functional AI council. Create shared ownership, common standards, and clear direction to guide your AI initiatives.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Meeting The AI Moment<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>GTM leaders are well positioned to drive this change. We own the buyer and customer experience across the lifecycle. We are accountable for growth.<\/p>\n<p>Changing the GTM motion is demanding work. It forces leaders to rethink how they market, sell, and deliver value. For many, this is an entirely new challenge. Forrester can help, from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/take-control-of-your-ai-voyage\/\">defining your AI strategy<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/the-ai-cmo-growth-accountability-gets-next-level\/\">preparing for how roles will change<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The winners will not be the ones that use AI the most. They will be the ones that use it to build trust and create measurable customer value.<\/p>\n",
            "tags": [
                {
                    "term_id": 51948,
                    "name": "B2B NA 2026",
                    "slug": "b2b-na-2026",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/tag\/b2b-na-2026\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 21036,
                    "name": "promoted",
                    "slug": "promoted",
                    "description": "Posts tagged with this will be displayed in the filter section of the Featured Insights page",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/tag\/promoted\/"
                }
            ],
            "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": 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": 50231,
                    "name": "B2B Research",
                    "slug": "b2b-research",
                    "description": "Explore our latest insights for B2B marketing, product, and sales leaders to facilitate sound decision-making, execute with precision, and accelerate growth. Find guidance to help drive alignment across B2B marketing, sales, and product functions and power growth.\r\n\r\nLearn more about how Forrester supports <a href=\"\/b2b-marketing\">B2B marketing<\/a> and <a href=\"\/sales\/\">sales<\/a> leaders.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2b-research\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51784,
                    "name": "B2B Sales",
                    "slug": "b2b-sales",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/b2b-sales\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2411,
                    "name": "customer centricity",
                    "slug": "customer-centricity",
                    "description": "To succeed, firms must make customers the focal point of their strategy and operations. Read insights on how to foster customer centricity at your business.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/customer-centricity\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2292,
                    "name": "Customer Engagement",
                    "slug": "customer-engagement",
                    "description": "In a hypercompetitive climate, customer engagement is a key differentiator. Read our insights to nurture and strengthen customer relationships, improve retention, and demonstrate the business value of the customer engagement function.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/customer-engagement\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 50637,
                    "name": "Product Management",
                    "slug": "product-management",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/product-management\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "The real AI opportunity isn\u2019t just efficiency \u2014 it\u2019s redesigning GTM around measurable customer outcomes and using AI to deliver value where it matters most.",
            "author": "Andrew Cox"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 297071,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/your-ai-reinvention-needs-an-engine\/",
            "title": "Your AI Reinvention Needs\u00a0An\u00a0Engine",
            "date": "May 7, 2026 07:45:19",
            "excerpt": "Last week, Accenture brought global industry analysts to Bangalore for an intense three-day session to assess whether its strategy is genuinely differentiated. For a company with the scale, breadth, and depth of Accenture, I think this is a red herring. I went in with a different question: whether the world\u2019s largest professional services firm is [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Last week, Accenture brought global industry analysts to Bangalore for an intense three-d<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ay session to assess whether its strategy is genuinely differentiated. For a company with the scale, breadth, and depth of Accenture, I think this is a red herring. I went in with a different question: whether the world\u2019s largest professional services firm is vulnerable to AI or adapting ahead of it. By the end of the week, it was clear that neither question really mattered. The real conversation was about what enterprises need to make AI work at scale \u2014 and why so few have it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Of the 12,000 generative AI and agentic initiatives Accenture has run since 2023, only 13% have scaled. Forrester\u2019s latest State Of AI Survey tells a similar story: Just 15% of AI decision<\/span>\u2011<span data-contrast=\"auto\">makers say AI is positively\u00a0impacting\u00a0their firm\u2019s earnings. I have written before about this\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/the-real-ai-bottleneck-is-organizational-reinvention-not-computing-power\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">AI productivity paradox<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">: Individual contributors are productive using AI tools, but the broader organization fails to absorb them and generate meaningful value.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The reason? Most operating models were never designed for agentic workflows. Organizations lack the capability to decompose processes and workflows to the level of granularity needed to decide where an agent belongs and where a human must remain. And the accumulated business logic of the firm \u2014 the knowledge locked in people\u2019s heads, undocumented hand<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">offs, and tribal conventions \u2014 remains tacit knowledge that\u2019s not accessible and readable by machines. Until it is, agents will continue to be deployed into the wrong processes, automating the wrong tasks, and delivering pockets of local efficiency that feel impressive but never compound into enterprise-<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">level\u00a0productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Accenture aptly calls the response to this problem \u201cReinvention Services.\u201d It describes the integrated capability to redesign an enterprise\u2019s operating model, workforce, and technology architecture at the same time \u2014 not sequentially and not in parallel workstreams that converge at a steering committee but together, because these problems are interdependent. This is one of the reasons why Accenture reinvented its own operating model by merging strategy, technology, and operations into integrated buyer-aligned units.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The skill\u00a0is the atomic unit of\u00a0reinvention<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">AI models are now abundant, improving, and increasingly interchangeable, and out-of-the-box capabilities of these models are continuing to multiply. What is scarce is the human ingenuity and capability to decompose work, redesign processes, and decide where intelligence should act autonomously and where human judgment must prevail. Until organizations invest as deliberately in those capabilities as they have in model access, productivity and value realization from AI will lag despite improvements in AI.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Karalee Close, global lead for talent and organization at Accenture, presented a system, internally dubbed \u201cTalent Navigator,\u201d that decomposes every process into tasks and every task into skills. It then classifies each skill across multiple dimensions, including human judgment, genAI augmentation, and deterministic automation. This gives clarity to the process and capability owners to understand the current state and design the future state, controlling for current technology capability and skill availability, then generating the levers \u2014 training, automation, hiring \u2014 to close potential gaps. Accenture\u2019s LearnVantage, backed by a $1 billion three-year investment in AI-enabled learning and reskilling capabilities, is one such lever: It moves workforce development beyond course completion by linking skill building to assessments, workplace application, and measurable business outcomes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Forrester has argued this point consistently: The unit of analysis is not the job, nor the role \u2014 it is the skill. Most enterprise AI programs start with available tools and work forward, aiming to scale individual productivity gains across functions and departments. The ones that scale start with the work, decomposed to the skill level, and derive the technology investments and roadmap from what the decomposition reveals.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The\u00a0reinvention\u00a0engine and the brain<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Accenture\u2019s reinvention services organize its transformation capability around three motions: reinventing the work, reshaping the workforce, and redesigning the workbench. What underpins these is the Intelligent Digital Brain: the data ingestion, entity resolution, and knowledge architecture layer that makes organizational context machine-readable. Lan Guan, Accenture\u2019s chief AI and data officer, gave the following example: At a pharmaceutical firm, decades of expert judgment \u2014 the decision rules, regulatory constraints, and domain logic that seasoned professionals carry but rarely document \u2014 were systematically codified into structured artifacts that agents can reason over. The result was a production system that could surface in minutes evidence gaps and contradictions across drug development decisions that previously required weeks of senior expert review.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The same architectural logic shows up in Forrester\u2019s research on the agentic era, captured in our upcoming research into the cognitive operating model: architecture, workforce, and organizational design, bound together by codified organizational knowledge. The reinvention engine establishes this foundation inside the enterprise.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">People\u00a0power the engine<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There is a strain of fatalism running through the AI conversation right now, much of it originating from the AI labs themselves, that treats large-scale workforce displacement as a near certainty. The models will do what junior people do. Hiring will contract, and the pyramid will become a diamond. I think that conclusion is wrong or, at least, dangerously premature. The diffusion of this technology will take a long time, and we live in a state of genuine uncertainty about how these capabilities will reshape work; that uncertainty should make us skeptical of preordained outcomes, however well credentialed the people predicting them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This fatalism risks becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, though. If hiring managers believe that AI replaces junior talent, they stop hiring juniors not because the technology proved it could but because the narrative persuaded them it would. A hiring freeze driven by belief rather than evidence produces exactly the displacement it predicted. The workforce hollows out not because AI demanded it but because leaders accepted the prophecy and made decisions accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Julie Sweet is fighting this narrative, and the scale at which she is doing so (as CEO of a 750,000-plus-employee firm) matters. <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">1. AI is a growth engine, not a cost play.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Forrester\u2019s own <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/take-control-of-your-ai-voyage\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">AI research<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> reinforces this, finding that most enterprises still default to productivity use cases and struggle to translate AI investment into measurable impact. <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">2. Accenture is hiring more juniors, not fewer.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> She strongly disagrees with the diamond model, compressing time-to-productivity of junior resources from six months to two weeks rather than eliminating the entry-level pipeline. <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">3. Humans belong in the lead, not in the loop.<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> This entails the difference between people who decide what AI is for and people who check its outputs, between upskilling and slow-motion deskilling. Each of these positions is a deliberate intervention against a belief that, left unchallenged, produces the displacement it predicts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Why this matters beyond Accenture<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The AI productivity paradox is an organizational design problem \u2014 and solving it requires simultaneous transformation of workforce, architecture, and governance that very few enterprises can execute alone. That\u2019s why I think professional services firms capable of integrated reinvention have never been more relevant \u2014 not as implementers but as partners that can hold all three dimensions together while the enterprise learns to operate differently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This is also why the engagement model matters as much as the methodology. The relationships that compound AI value will be the ones where trust and data access accrue over time \u2014 where transformation and operations are baked into the same engagement and where the shift from time-and-materials to outcome-based pricing aligns incentives over the life of the relationship, not just at project close. The firms that earn that trust position themselves not as vendors but as coowners of the outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ultimately, the enterprises that scale AI will be the ones that build the skill foundation, adopt an integrated transformation methodology, orient toward growth rather than cost reduction, and sustain the governance to keep all three aligned as conditions change. That takes more work than deploying agents into operating models that were never designed to absorb them.<\/span><\/p>\n",
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            "meta_title": "Your AI Reinvention Needs An Engine",
            "author": "Frederic Giron"
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        {
            "post_type": "podcast3",
            "post_id": 294186,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/cx-cast\/kerry-bodine-on-why-2026-is-the-cx-professions-inflection-point\/",
            "title": "Kerry Bodine On Why 2026 Is The CX Profession\u2019s Inflection Point",
            "date": "May 7, 2026 07:30:26",
            "excerpt": "CX leaders are at an inflection point. AI can now do much of the work CX teams once defined themselves by, such as journey mapping, insight synthesis, and analysis. That creates an existential threat. Or a breakthrough moment.\u00a0In this episode, Angelina Gennis and Martin Gill are joined by ex-Forresterite Kerry Bodine, co\u2011author of Outside In, to explore how CX leaders can move from defense to reinvention in the age of AI. We cover a range of pop culture influences, from Terminator\u2011level anxiety about the coming AI apocalypse to our \"Avengers Assemble\" moment, which uncovers how the diversity of CX leaders' backgrounds, roles, approaches, and definitions is a feature \u2014 not a bug. However, to apply this advantage, teams must stop hiding in echo chambers and start speaking the language of executives: risk, outcomes, and organizational impact.",
            "body": "<p>CX leaders are at an inflection point. AI can now do much of the work CX teams once defined themselves by, such as journey mapping, insight synthesis, and analysis. That creates an existential threat. Or a breakthrough moment.\u00a0In this episode, <strong>Angelina Gennis <\/strong>and<strong> Martin Gill<\/strong> are joined by ex-Forresterite <strong>Kerry Bodine<\/strong>, co\u2011author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kerrybodine.com\/\"><em>Outside In<\/em><\/a>, to explore how CX leaders can move from defense to reinvention in the age of AI. We cover a range of pop culture influences, from Terminator\u2011level anxiety about the coming AI apocalypse to our &#8220;Avengers Assemble&#8221; moment, which uncovers how the diversity of CX leaders&#8217; backgrounds, roles, approaches, and definitions is a feature \u2014 not a bug. However, to apply this advantage, teams must stop hiding in echo chambers and start speaking the language of executives: risk, outcomes, and organizational impact.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Featuring<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Kerry Bodine, CEO of Bodine &amp; Co.<\/p>\n<h2>Show Notes<\/h2>\n<p>CX leaders are at an inflection point. AI can now do much of the work CX teams once defined themselves by, such as journey mapping, insight synthesis, and analysis. That creates an existential threat. Or a breakthrough moment.\u00a0In this episode, <strong>Angelina Gennis <\/strong>and<strong> Martin Gill<\/strong> are joined by ex-Forresterite <strong>Kerry Bodine<\/strong>, co\u2011author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kerrybodine.com\/\"><em>Outside In<\/em><\/a>, to explore how CX leaders can move from defense to reinvention in the age of AI. We cover a range of pop culture influences, from Terminator\u2011level anxiety about the coming AI apocalypse to our &#8220;Avengers Assemble&#8221; moment, which uncovers how the diversity of CX leaders&#8217; backgrounds, roles, approaches, and definitions is a feature \u2014 not a bug. However, to apply this advantage, teams must stop hiding in echo chambers and start speaking the language of executives: risk, outcomes, and organizational impact. We cover:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why efficiency\u2011only AI strategies lead to a race to the bottom<\/li>\n<li>How CX teams move from methodology experts to organizational translators<\/li>\n<li>Why risk is the executive\u2011level language CX leaders must learn<\/li>\n<li>How \u201cconsequence scanning\u201d reframes AI conversations before damage can be done<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This episode is a call to action for CX leaders who don\u2019t want to be automated out of relevance and who are ready to assemble a new version of the function that&#8217;s built for whatever comes next.<\/p>\n",
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            "meta_desc": "CX leaders are at an inflection point. AI can now do much of the work CX teams once defined themselves by, such as journey mapping, insight synthesis, and analysis. That creates an existential threat. Or a breakthrough moment.\u00a0In this episode, Angelina Gennis and Martin Gill are joined by ex-Forresterite Kerry Bodine, co\u2011author of Outside In, to explore how CX leaders can move from defense to reinvention in the age of AI. We cover a range of pop culture influences, from Terminator\u2011level anxiety about the coming AI apocalypse to our \"Avengers Assemble\" moment, which uncovers how the diversity of CX leaders' backgrounds, roles, approaches, and definitions is a feature \u2014 not a bug. However, to apply this advantage, teams must stop hiding in echo chambers and start speaking the language of executives: risk, outcomes, and organizational impact.",
            "image_url": "https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/FMK_TheCXCast_DX_560x346px.webp",
            "image_width": 560,
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        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 296960,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/hannover-messe-2026-do-robots-need-tea-breaks\/",
            "title": "Hannover Messe 2026: Do Robots Need Tea Breaks?",
            "date": "May 7, 2026 02:34:34",
            "excerpt": "Paul Miller discusses his highlights and lowlights from this year\u2019s Hannover Messe industrial trade show: robots, AI, partnerships, and more.",
            "body": "<p>Another year, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/hannover-messe-2025-mind-the-reality-gap\/\">another trip<\/a> to Germany for April\u2019s Hannover Messe industrial trade fair. At just 110,000, the visitor count was 85% of last year\u2019s, at least partly due to the situation in the Middle East making it difficult to travel from or through regional hubs like Abu Dhabi and Dubai. A two-day transport strike in Hannover also didn\u2019t help, but it did provide my first surreal experience of a train being \u201ctoo heavy\u201d to leave the station: The police eventually showed up to cajole enough people off the train so that it could finally start moving.<\/p>\n<h3>Lazy Robots Were Everywhere I Looked<\/h3>\n<p>Before making this year\u2019s trip to Hannover, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/physical-ai-matters-more-than-humanoid-robots\/\">I predicted<\/a> that I would see a lot of robots. It was an easy prediction to make and \u2014 of course \u2014 it was true. I was also right to predict that \u201cmost of them will be Chinese.\u201d Again, that wasn\u2019t a difficult prediction to make. What I didn\u2019t predict was what all these robots would be doing all week. The answer, in the majority of cases? Almost nothing. From my point of view:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Some were incapable of movement.<\/strong> They were props, fixed in place like mannequins in a department store window. Around almost every corner, unmoving \u2014 and useless \u2014 humanoid robots waited to disappoint the unsuspecting visitor.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Some moved, pointlessly.<\/strong> Yes, Unitree\u2019s humanoids were dancing as usual. It\u2019s unclear why breakdancing is a core skill for a potential worker in a warehouse or factory, but robot makers do love to have their robots bopping away. At least whoever ran the Unitree stand recognized that robots in motion are more interesting than robots at rest: Almost every time I walked past, at least one of their robots was enthusiastically jigging to a tune only it could hear.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Some did useful things, sometimes.<\/strong> Not all of the movement was pointless, of course. At various times during the show, robots woke from their slumber to show what they\u2019re capable of: For example, Humanoid\u2019s HMND carried totes around the Siemens booth, Hexagon\u2019s AEON scanned a BMW, and Agile Robots\u2019 Agile ONE sorted widgets into boxes. Once the short demonstrations finished, they returned to sleep. While I wasn\u2019t recording a time-and-motion study with my stopwatch, these robots definitely spent far more time resting (or being tinkered with by their minders) than working. For passing visitors, the chance of seeing a robot move with purpose was far smaller than the chance of seeing it on the robotic equivalent of a tea break.<\/li>\n<li><strong>AEON gets my award for resting neatly.<\/strong> While most of their competitors\u2019 idle robots hung disturbingly from safety harnesses like carcasses in an abattoir, or slumped untidily in a chair or on the floor like a sack of potatoes, Hexagon\u2019s AEON had the good manners to kneel gracefully.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_296965\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-296965\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-296965\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6716-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6716-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6716-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6716-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6716-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6716-360x480.jpg 360w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_6716-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-296965\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Hexagon\u2019s humanoid robot, AEON, kneels when it\u2019s not working. (Image source: Paul Miller)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>AI Gets Physical<\/h3>\n<p>I had just published a new report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/physical-ai-perceives-reasons-and-acts-in-the-real-world\/RES193925\">Physical AI Perceives, Reasons, And Acts In The Real World<\/a>, which I was excited to discuss with anyone who would listen; despite my predisposition toward any mention of \u201cphysical AI,\u201d however, I really didn\u2019t need to try hard to find it. Everyone seemed keen to talk about their company\u2019s vision of a world in which AI-augmented tools gain some ability to perceive, reason about, and act upon that world. Flexible, adaptive, and multipurpose robots are one obvious embodiment of these capabilities, but they also crop up in energy grids, software-defined factory cells, and more. The sooner the robots move into the background, and we focus more attention on the systems and workflows of which they are just one small part, the sooner we\u2019ll all start seeing tangible benefits at scale.<\/p>\n<h3>AI Is 42, And That\u2019s A Problem<\/h3>\n<p>As any reader of Douglas Adams\u2019 <em>The Hitchhiker\u2019s Guide To The Galaxy<\/em> knows, \u201c42\u201d is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. The problem, he pointed out, is figuring out the question. AI feels a bit like that right now. Want to improve productivity? AI. Need to reduce your energy bill? AI. Keen to cut unplanned downtime? AI. Hoping to shift production from economies of scale to economies of scope? AI. Excited to make angels dance on the head of a pin? AI, probably. AI has a role to play in all of these and more, but it\u2019s not the same AI, it doesn\u2019t use the same data, and it\u2019s not deployed in the same way. It\u2019s easy to say \u201cAI\u201d every time anyone asks you anything \u2014 it\u2019s far harder to actually make it work dependably, explainably, repeatably, and at scale. To the superficial observer wandering Hannover\u2019s halls, the pushers of AI are clearly on to something. For everyone else, there\u2019s a multitude of unanswered questions &#8230; and a nagging doubt that the pushers of AI may be <em>on<\/em> something.<\/p>\n<h3>Some Hints At Scale<\/h3>\n<p>In among the hype and the noise, there were some interesting pointers toward genuinely useful solutions with the ability to scale:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Siemens\u2019 Eigen Engineering Agent evolves beyond copilots.<\/strong> Siemens did something interesting with its first Industrial Copilot, <a href=\"https:\/\/press.siemens.com\/global\/en\/pressrelease\/ai-industry-schaeffler-and-siemens-bring-industrial-copilot-shopfloor\">launched<\/a> back in 2023. It was an early example of an idea that\u2019s since become widespread: offering a chat interface that front-line workers can use to query product documentation, operational insights from working machines, and more. Siemens went on to launch further copilots that met specific customer needs but began to risk confusing everyone as they proliferated and overlapped. The Eigen Engineering Agent is a bit of a reset, with a new name and a new set of capabilities. As Siemens\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/press.siemens.com\/global\/en\/pressrelease\/siemens-brings-ai-physical-world-eigen-engineering-agent\">press release<\/a> notes, \u201cUnlike &#8230; copilots that merely generate advice, the Eigen Engineering Agent [begins to operate] within real engineering systems to plan, execute, and validate tasks, end to end.\u201d Let\u2019s hope that the landscape of copilots and agents will be more clearly mapped and explained as further agents join Eigen in the toolkit.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Kongsberg Digital wins a prize with Yara.<\/strong> Kongsberg Digital\u2019s digital twin solution, the Industrial Work Surface, has been deployed at one of fertilizer and industrial chemical company Yara\u2019s largest production sites, <a href=\"https:\/\/kongsbergdigital.com\/customer-stories\/yara\">Yara Porsgrunn<\/a>. Microsoft awarded the companies a Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award for the successfully scaled deployment, which runs on Microsoft\u2019s cloud.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Schaeffler makes a (non-exclusive) bet on Hexagon.<\/strong> Schaeffler has been one of the more enthusiastic testers of various robotic form factors in recent years. The company also makes the actuators that help robots move and has a vested interest in a healthy robotics industry. Following a pilot deployment, Schaeffler <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schaeffler.com\/en\/media\/press-releases\/press-releases-detail.jsp?id=88184987\">announced<\/a> its intention to deploy \u201cat least 1,000\u201d of Hexagon\u2019s AEON humanoid robots over the next seven years. It\u2019s a statement of intent rather than a water-tight contract but still a very different beast from today\u2019s more typical deployment of a handful of robots in tightly controlled test conditions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tulip Factory Playback pulls pieces together.<\/strong> I\u2019ve seen several of NVIDIA\u2019s \u201cdesktop supercomputers\u201d since they were first launched, but most of them have actually been empty golden boxes. I saw one in Hannover, too, and assumed it was another empty box \u2014 it wasn\u2019t. It really was a DGX Spark, and it really was running Tulip\u2019s new <a href=\"https:\/\/tulip.co\/blog\/the-camera-as-a-universal-sensor-how-factory-playback-changes-operations\/\">Factory Playback<\/a> offering: edge processing, multiple cameras, a vision language model to check the AI box, and meaningful integration with the manufacturing execution system and other tools, all doing useful things that are illustrated in the video on <a href=\"https:\/\/tulip.co\/blog\/announcing-factory-playback-nvidia-gtc\/\">this page<\/a>. It\u2019s impressive and interesting, but I look forward to seeing how customers actually deploy it and what tangible benefits they can realize.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Autodesk Tandem grows up.<\/strong> During a wide-ranging conversation with Autodesk\u2019s Jan Niestrath, he mentioned some of the ways the company\u2019s Tandem digital twin tool is now being used. It\u2019s a while since I\u2019ve looked seriously at Tandem, and the team at Autodesk\u2019s Birmingham Technology Center really does seem to be <a href=\"https:\/\/intandem.autodesk.com\/resource\/the-convergence-of-manufacturing-and-facility-operations-with-digital-twins\/\">putting the product through its paces<\/a>. Time to take another look at the way this supports Autodesk\u2019s vision to help customers design, make, <em>and run<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amazon Web Services (AWS) does robots.<\/strong> Of course it does. If you\u2019ve been reading from the top, you\u2019ll know that <em>everybody<\/em> does robots now. The company <a href=\"https:\/\/neura-robotics.com\/neura-robotics-and-amazon-web-services-enter-collaboration\/\">shouted<\/a> about its partnership with one of Germany\u2019s big humanoid robot hopes, NEURA, but I was actually more interested in all the things the AWS team had to tell me about supporting Amazon\u2019s own robotics work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/what-if-half-your-employees-were-robots\/\">Talk about scale.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>USD becomes glue.<\/strong> Universal Scene Description (USD) started life at Pixar over a decade ago, supporting the graphics pipeline behind the company\u2019s animated films. More recently, the Alliance for OpenUSD (members include the likes of Autodesk and NVIDIA) has worked to extend and promote the format and its tools. Interestingly, several firms at Hannover talked about USD as key to chaining together different systems and workflows to support their digital-twin-like projects. Microsoft\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoft-cloud\/blog\/manufacturing\/2026\/04\/16\/industrial-intelligence-unlocked-microsoft-at-hannover-messe-2026\/\">use case with Krones\u2019 bottling lines<\/a> apparently uses USD as a data transfer format to move models between Ansys and other systems in the pipeline, simulating spilling and sloshing (a technical term, I promise) as different bottle shapes rapidly fill with liquid.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Siemens\u2019 Industrial Foundation Model builds toward critical mass, with a little help from their friends.<\/strong> Siemens made a lot of noise about its Industrial Foundation Model (IFM) at last year\u2019s Hannover Messe and at the company\u2019s own AI with Purpose Summit in Munich last May. IFM was barely mentioned this year, but that\u2019s probably not a bad thing: Even a company of Siemens\u2019 scale can\u2019t build this themselves, and they\u2019re actively collaborating with a growing set of industrial partners to deliver something that should meet a real need. Fascinating questions around who pays \u2014 and when \u2014 aren\u2019t all worked out yet, of course.<\/li>\n<li><strong>More companies recognize they can\u2019t do it alone.<\/strong> This has been a recurring theme in my coverage of Hannover Messe over the years. Success in this space requires partnership. Siemens\u2019 IFM will only succeed if partners engage. On the Microsoft booth, the company made a point of highlighting all of the stakeholders involved in assembling its working demos. The Hexagon AEON robot assembling Schaeffler components, for example, was simply the visible front to a gaggle of more than half a dozen high-profile partners, each of which had its logo displayed alongside the assembly cell.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What About 2027?<\/h3>\n<p>Hannover Messe loses a day next year, with the Friday I\u2019ve never bothered to attend disappearing from the program. The event also moves earlier (April 5\u20138), once again getting worryingly close to the birthday it co-opted in 2025. Hotels will still be obscenely expensive, but at least we might see more cherry blossoms than what was left on the trees this year.<\/p>\n<p>Back in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/digitalization-in-industry-observations-from-hannover-messe-2019\/\">2019<\/a>, a lot of the talk was about whether (or not) manufacturers\u2019 data might move to the cloud: The public cloud hyperscalers were making their case loudly, with huge and expensive booths. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/hannover-messe-2022-smaller-but-more-focused\/\">2022\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0big theme was sustainability. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/hannover-messe-2023-its-back\/\">2023<\/a> saw everyone trying to work out what their ChatGPT and metaverse stories could be. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/hannover-messe-2024-were-all-in-this-together\/\">2024<\/a> was the year I wrote, \u201cEveryone had an AI story, even if few made much sense,\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/hannover-messe-2025-mind-the-reality-gap\/\">2025<\/a> saw AI boosterism reach new heights. 2026 felt like a bit of a bridging year as vendors continued to slip \u201cAI\u201d into every sentence but then had the self-awareness to look vaguely embarrassed to be doing it. They and their prospective customers know that something more is needed.<\/p>\n<p>So what am I hoping for in 2027? Pragmatic, practical, and scalable technologies, judiciously augmented by AI when that makes sense, which I can credibly recommend that a client <em>deploy<\/em> rather than just play with \u2014 please, if it\u2019s OK with the rest of you, and leave the mannequins and dance moves at home.<\/p>\n<p>As always, if you have your own perspectives to share, please schedule a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/briefing\">briefing<\/a> and tell me all about them. If you\u2019re a Forrester client and want to discuss (or challenge) my thinking on these topics, schedule an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry?id=4&amp;bioId=BIO10024\">inquiry or guidance session<\/a>.<\/p>\n",
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