Preparing Your Brand for Agentic AI

The article "Preparing Your Brand for Agentic AI" from Harvard Business Review examines the profound impact of large language models and AI agents on how brands connect with consumers. Authors David Schweidel and Oguz A. Acar contend that companies are entering a new era where AI increasingly mediates the discovery, evaluation, and purchase of products, rather than merely supporting marketing efforts. Many organizations are currently unprepared for this shift, where AI systems act as powerful intermediaries. The traditional brand-consumer relationship is evolving into three main interaction modes. First, brand agents engage directly with human customers, offering advanced assistance beyond simple chatbots, such as checking inventory or scheduling test drives. Second, consumer agents act on behalf of individuals across multiple brands, like Claude's "computer use" capability, which allows autonomous navigation and purchases. The third mode involves full AI intermediation, where AI agents interact autonomously on both sides of a transaction without direct human involvement. To guide brands through this transformation, the authors propose a three-stage roadmap. Brands must first decide whether deploying an AI agent is necessary. If so, they need to persuade consumers to choose their brand's agent over competing alternatives. Finally, for consumers who prefer using their own AI agents, brands must ensure their products and services are optimally visible and chosen by these autonomous intermediaries.