Observed Signal · Jun 12, 2026 · Research Report · Source: https://martech.org/feed/ · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
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.
Industry research highlights shifting consumer expectations for AI-driven interactions and the operational risks for brands; relevant to MarTech/AdTech vendors and marketers but not a major platform policy or platform-level technical release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Invoca published the B2C Buyers Experience Report on consumer use of generative AI and AI agents in purchase journeys.
- Nearly three-quarters of consumers prefer interacting with an AI agent over a human when the AI can answer questions or solve problems more quickly.
- Over 80% of consumers say it matters that a brand's AI clearly identifies itself.
- Invoca found buyers blame companies nearly three times more often than the technology when AI interactions go wrong.
- 77% of consumers are more willing to use a company's AI tools if they can easily transition to a human representative when needed.
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: 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.
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.
Report: Consumer AI Use Rises as Trust and Excitement Fall
Prophet's 2026 AI-Powered Consumer Report finds generative AI adoption has risen to 73% (from 45% in 2024), while consumer enthusiasm and belief in AI’s transformative promises are waning. The study reports a 7% decline in excitement about AI and a 30% drop in the share of consumers who think GenAI will handle most decisions. Concerns about accuracy and misinformation are high (71%), and 62% of consumers report frustration when companies remove human support in favor of automation. The findings suggest AI is becoming a utility rather than a novelty and that marketers must balance automation with human interaction as adoption grows but trust softens.
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