The biggest risk in the age of AI isn’t moving too slowly — it’s moving too confidently in the wrong direction.

Leaders today have unprecedented access to increasingly powerful AI tools, data, and opinions. What they lack is clarity. Advice is everywhere, incentives are misaligned, and much of what passes for “AI strategy” is vendor marketing or speculative thinking dressed up as certainty. In this environment, more information doesn’t create better decisions — it creates more noise.

That’s why the independent, evidence-based guidance that Forrester provides matters more than ever. As AI compresses decision timelines and raises the cost of mistakes, organizations need trusted, unbiased guidance that challenges assumptions rather than amplifies noise. The ability to access proven, practical, and defensible advice — particularly at a time when trust is low and buyers demand proof before purchasing — is what makes Forrester indispensable now.

Trusted Guidance And Clarity

Our conversations with our clients are the best indicator that we are delivering value in the age of AI. As Mike Fullen, CIO at Toa Reinsurance Company, put it, “AI is moving at the speed of light, and you don’t know what’s real, what’s fake, or which direction you should go. That I’m able to lean on Forrester for guidance and validation in my decisions is invaluable.”

Meanwhile, Ian Campos, enterprise architect and head of the innovation practice at Roche, told us that the Forrester relationship has been instrumental for him in building a foundation for upskilling Roche’s workforce on generative AI to transform business-critical operations. We have many other stories from technology leaders who describe how Forrester helped them cut through noise and make decisions that reduce costs, mitigate risks, and drive growth. Yet we also recognize that AI or any other technology is not an end in itself.

Though AI is increasing complexity and raising the stakes, companies’ underlying mission is something deeper and unchanging: to win, serve, and retain customers. We believe the best way to do that hasn’t changed — it’s by being customer-obsessed. Placing the customer at the center of leadership, strategy, and operations helps organizations earn and keep their customers’ trust.

When customer obsession drives priorities, it aligns teams, transforms experiences, and provides measurable customer value. As Daragh King, VP of sales operations at XPO, noted, Forrester helped disparate teams in his organization “thread the storybook together” and align on a common goal by “putting the customer in every decision we’re making internally.”

Lessons From Personal Experience

What our clients share resonates deeply with me because I’ve been in their shoes. Before joining Forrester, I was a client, relying on its research, frameworks, and guidance to tackle critical priorities at both the enterprise and functional levels.

With Forrester’s support, for instance, we adopted the B2B Revenue Waterfall to align marketing and sales, building a faster, more durable engine for revenue growth. Implementing the Forrester Campaign Framework united marketing efforts around shared goals and a common vocabulary. Forrester’s guidance was also essential in preparing for the General Data Protection Regulation at a time when most organizations struggled with doing so.

These initiatives were game-changers for the company and accelerants for my career. In each case, Forrester’s insights gave us clarity and confidence to act quickly and decisively. Today, while the initiatives facing Forrester clients may have changed, the underlying need for decision support from a trusted partner remains constant.

Delivering What Matters Most — Right Now

In my four years with Forrester — and particularly in my last year serving as CMO — I’ve seen this focus on client needs and business outcomes only deepen. The launch of AI Access, for instance, has been one of the most exciting moments since I joined Forrester, applying our own innovation with AI to meet a client need. I’m proud to be part of an organization that delivers what companies need most to tackle their biggest business challenges, including trusted market insights, objective and expert vendor evaluations to guide tech investments, benchmarking data and best practices, and strategic planning support. These capabilities help organizations reduce risk, improve processes, accelerate impact, and meet customer and buyer demands for evidence-based outcomes and trust.

Looking Ahead

Change will not slow down in 2026. The start of a new year is a chance to reset, refocus, and recommit to what matters most: earning trust and delivering genuine value. This year will challenge us to harness AI responsibly, deepen customer trust, and create clarity in a world that often feels uncertain.

I look forward to hearing more stories of how leaders are partnering with Forrester to do just that. I’m also excited about the role marketing will play in turning client feedback into action and value — for example, through our events.

In the months ahead, we’ll continue helping our clients chart clear paths forward. I’m honored to be part of Forrester as we work on our clients’ side and by our clients’ side to build what’s next.