AI Agents Take Over Customer Journeys, Leaving Brands on the Sidelines

According to MarTech, the rise of AI agents is pushing brands further away from their own customers. Preferences, purchase decisions, and even the final checkout process are increasingly handled by algorithms outside a brand’s direct control.

The article highlights how this shift means traditional touchpoints—think email campaigns, landing pages, and checkout flows—are slipping from marketers’ hands. What’s left for brands to influence? Not much, beyond the scraps AI agents allow through.

MarTech’s piece points to a new reality: marketers need to rethink what influence actually means when a machine is acting as the customer’s gatekeeper. The days when brands could rely on controlling every step of the journey are fading fast.