AI and RX importance

We live in a very fast and evolving world – and that is especially true in marketing. AI is actually changing the marketing world in an incredible way. One dimension is about AI Agents. Because, in a world where purchasing decision making is increasingly done by AI Agents, marketing will necessarily need to be a lot about influencing robots. Not only humans, but robots. And the question is, are we ready for this?

Don’t think this is in a distant future. In some industries, it’s months away. In others, it is happening already! Think about the way purchasing happens in financial markets or digital ads – you basically brief the AI consols and they will automatically look for, buy (and sometimes sell) assets, products or digital advertising space. And think about commodity markets (power / electricity, insurance, banking,…) where there are already agents that you can upload your data and latest bills, and the agents will give you back the best providers and products for your profile – this is already happening in Portugal and throughout Europe.

The impact of these purchasing-side agents on marketing will be huge:

-            Data-driven approaches: AI agents will rely heavily on data for decision-making. Marketers will need to ensure their products have robust, accurate, and easily accessible data points that AI agents can analyze.

-            Algorithm optimization: Understanding and optimizing for the algorithms used by AI agents will become crucial. This may involve tailoring product information and pricing strategies to align with AI decision-making processes.

-            API integration: As buyer-side AI agent APIs become more prevalent, marketers will need to develop strategies to interact effectively with these APIs, potentially creating seller-side AI agents to broker interactions.

-            Reputation management: AI agents will likely prioritize factors such as reliability, quality, and customer satisfaction. Maintaining a strong digital reputation will be critical for influencing AI purchasing decisions.

I feel you have a question when reading this – what about humans? Don’t worry. We still play (and will play) a significant role. Despite the rise of AI agents, human oversight and intervention will remain important – and don’t forget we will be the ones briefing the agents, or, at very least, experiencing the products these agents will buy for us.

But we shouldn’t ignore this new dimension of marketing that is rising. As Professor Pedro Moreno said yesterday at an IE Business School session in Lisbon, we are seeing the dawn of RX – Robot-Experience. As AI agents become more prevalent in purchasing decisions, marketers will need to develop new strategies and skills to effectively influence these digital decision-makers while maintaining ethical standards and adaptability.