Observed Signal · Feb 25, 2026 · Research Report · Source: https://martechseries.com/feed/ · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Bridging the Trust Gap: AI in Customer Engagement
Braze published its 2026 Global Customer Engagement Review (CER), reporting a widening “Trust Gap” between marketing leaders’ expectations of AI and consumer experiences. The survey finds 93% of marketing leaders believe AI helps them understand customer needs, while only 53% of consumers agree. It forecasts AI agent adoption in brand interactions rising from 19% today to 46% by end of 2026, with Gen Z notably more comfortable. The report highlights data-sharing resistance—27% of consumers refuse to share any data with AI agents and 43% would disengage if data were misused—and shows top-performing Braze customers use AI more to anticipate purchase intent, correlating with higher loyalty and recommendation rates. The CER frames AI agents, LLMs, and real-time orchestration as strategic priorities for brands seeking human-centric personalization.
The report provides actionable survey data on AI-driven customer engagement, adoption forecasts for AI agents, and measurable loyalty impacts—valuable to MarTech/AdTech practitioners but not a platform-level policy or industry-shifting event.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Braze released its 2026 Global Customer Engagement Review (CER).
- 93% of marketing leaders said AI helps them accurately understand customer needs; only 53% of consumers feel brands successfully predict their wants.
- Current consumer use of AI agents for brand interactions is 19%, forecast to rise to 46% by the end of 2026; 64% of Gen Z say brands maintain a human touch with AI.
- Top-performing Braze customers are 30% more likely to use AI to anticipate purchase intent; when companies predict and meet customer needs consumers are 30% more likely to stay loyal and 26% more likely to recommend the brand.
- 27% of consumers refuse to share any data with AI agents; 43% say they would stop engaging with a brand if their personal data were misused.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Bridging the Trust Gap in AI-Driven Marketing
MarTech summarizes findings from Braze’s "Global Customer Engagement Review 2026," showing a widening gap between near-universal marketer adoption of AI and consumer skepticism about AI-driven interactions. While 93% of marketers say AI helps them better understand customers, only 53% of consumers believe brands accurately predict their wants and needs. Currently 19% of consumers report using AI intermediaries to interact with brands; Braze projects this use will grow (citing 1.4x growth this year) and suggests it could reach 46%. The report outlines four possible futures for AI-powered engagement—ranging from trusted AI agents enabling personalization to broad consumer rejection—and argues that trust, transparency, proof of consumer value, consent, and governance are strategic priorities for marketers to realize AI’s benefits.
Merkle Study: Only 28% Want AI Agents for Brands
Merkle’s international study “The Invisible Advantage: Five CX Imperatives for AI That Earns Its Place” surveyed 2,500 consumers across 23 countries and carried out qualitative interviews in eight markets. It finds companies accelerating AI, automation and personalization investments that often prioritize technical capability over consumer value. Only 28% of respondents show strong interest in AI agents for complex brand interactions, 43% say technology or AI support in shopping is important, and 51% explicitly prefer human customer service (just 18% mainly want digital interactions). About half find personalized content helpful, while four in five are open to data-driven personalization if privacy and security are assured and 90% rate security as important for CX. Merkle urges invisible, usefulness-focused AI rather than technological showmanship.
Consumers Embrace AI, Many Brands Lag
New research from Invoca (the B2C Buyers Experience Report) finds consumers are increasingly comfortable using generative AI and AI agents across the purchase journey, preferring AI when it provides faster answers and expecting clear disclosure when they interact with it. The report warns many brands are unprepared to meet elevated expectations: slow follow-up, disconnected experiences, and poor automation continue to frustrate buyers. Consumers largely hold companies — not the underlying technology — responsible when AI interactions fail. The study also shows strong preference for hybrid experiences: 77% of consumers are more willing to use AI if they can easily transition to a human. The findings highlight operational needs around data quality, governance, prompt design, testing, and monitoring to protect brand perception.
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