Your Next Customer Isn’t Human

I told 1,500 marketers that their future customers are AI agents—not humans.

It went over well. They got it. I was a mainstage speaker at the largest independent AI marketing conference in the world: MAICON this Wednesday (thanks Paul Roetzer for the invite) speaking directly to marketers about what’s coming next.

I explained that the new business model is already forming: consumers will shift away from visiting websites and apps, and instead, they'll send their AI agents to collect information, research, negotiate, and eventually complete the purchase.

This shift means every CRM system will need to include a new field: the agent.

Some agents will be anonymous. Others will be associated with known humans. But make no mistake—they’ll be part of every customer record.

It also means the culture inside companies must change to adapt to this radical shift—from being AI Followers to becoming AI Forward (integrating with humans) or even AI First (turning to AI before asking or hiring humans).

I imagine we’ll need fewer apps in the future. Your AI agent will reconstruct content in whatever interface you prefer.

If customers want it in text, video, or audio? They choose.

If customers want just the highlights or full depth? They choose.

If customers want it now or later? They choose.

And the agent will deliver.

Businesses better wake up.

There are big changes coming in how they interact with customers—and it may no longer be with the human directly, but with their AI agent.