In 2027, the scales will tip away from AI’s promise and toward AI’s performance. Rising costs, tougher ROI expectations, and operational realities will force CMOs to reckon with harder choices about where AI belongs in marketing. Some AI initiatives will get cut. Others will become indispensable. AI agents will replace portions of the traditional martech stack, but process shortcomings will derail ambitious deployments, and several brands will discover that AI mistakes have big business consequences. The result? CMOs will be more selective, pragmatic, and disciplined about their AI investments. This report details Forrester’s predictions for B2C marketing in 2027.