Forrester predicts that rising artificial intelligence costs will force business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing leaders to scale back one-third of their AI initiatives in 2027, as usage-based pricing makes automated workflows, generated content and agent interactions increasingly expensive. The research firm's 2027 predictions also point to renewed investment in customer experience talent, a stronger emphasis on human-generated content and the emergence of conversational shopping. Together, the forecasts suggest that B2C leaders will face growing pressure to balance AI adoption with measurable returns, consumer trust and human expertise.

AI Adoption Faces a Cost-Control Test

Forrester’s forecast signals a shift in how B2C organizations may evaluate AI investments. As marketing technology vendors increasingly adopt usage-based pricing, the cost of running AI systems can rise with every interaction, generated asset and automated workflow.

This pricing model creates a challenge for marketing leaders scaling agentic AI and generative content across campaigns. A workflow that appears efficient at pilot stage may become expensive when deployed across large customer bases, multiple channels and high volumes of interactions.

Rather than treating AI adoption as an objective in itself, organizations will need to evaluate initiatives against measurable business outcomes, including conversion rates, customer retention, campaign efficiency and service costs. Some projects may be reduced or discontinued if their incremental value does not justify their operating expense.

Forrester's prediction that one-third of B2C AI initiatives will be scaled back is a forecast, not a reported outcome. Its significance lies in the possibility that cost management will become a more prominent part of marketing technology governance in 2027.

CX Teams Could Rebuild AI Expertise

Forrester also expects customer experience staffing to rise by 20% following two years of widespread cuts. The anticipated hiring would focus on roles such as natural language processing engineers, data scientists and AI experience designers.

The forecast challenges the assumption that AI adoption necessarily means continuously reducing headcount. Organizations need specialists who can identify appropriate use cases, prepare and interpret data, evaluate system performance and design experiences that work for customers.

For B2C brands, this could mean shifting some investment from general operational staffing toward technical and experience-design capabilities. The objective would be to identify where automation improves customer outcomes and where human intervention remains necessary.

The forecast does not specify whether the projected 20% increase applies across all CX employers or a particular segment of the market. Companies should therefore treat it as a directional prediction rather than a universal staffing target.

Human-Generated Content Returns to the Foreground

As AI-generated material becomes more prevalent across digital channels, Forrester predicts that 50% of brands will make human-generated content a top priority again.

The shift reflects a growing strategic challenge for marketers: increasing content production does not automatically increase audience trust or differentiation. When similar tools can produce large volumes of comparable material, original expertise, customer experiences and documented evidence can help brands establish credibility.

Human-generated content need not mean abandoning AI. Marketing teams can use AI to support research, analysis and production while retaining human responsibility for factual accuracy, editorial judgment and brand voice.

For brands, the important distinction is between using AI to improve content workflows and relying on automation to replace the experience or evidence that makes content valuable.

Agentic Commerce Could Change Shopping Behavior

Forrester predicts that one in 20 consumers in the US and UK will abandon traditional shopping for conversational interactions. This points toward a potential expansion of agentic commerce, in which AI assistants help consumers research products, compare options and complete routine purchases.

The forecast presents an opportunity for brands to reconsider how product information, pricing, availability and purchasing processes are made accessible to AI-driven systems. However, consumer adoption will depend on more than convenience. Trust, transparency, control and confidence in purchase decisions will influence whether shoppers delegate transactions to AI agents.

For marketers and digital commerce teams, preparing for this shift means evaluating both the technical requirements of agent-enabled transactions and the customer protections needed to support them.

Market Landscape

Forrester’s predictions highlight three pressures converging on B2C technology strategy: the operating costs of AI, demand for credible brand communication and changing customer expectations around digital commerce.

Marketing platforms that make AI costs transparent and demonstrate measurable outcomes could become more attractive as buyers scrutinize return on investment. At the same time, brands will need stronger data, technical and experience-design capabilities to manage automation responsibly.

The competitive question is no longer simply how many AI tools an organization can deploy. It is how effectively those tools support profitable growth, useful customer experiences and credible brand relationships.

Strategic Outlook

B2C leaders should prepare for 2027 by reviewing AI initiatives against clear financial and customer-outcome measures. Usage-based costs need to be monitored alongside the value generated, while CX workforce planning should account for the skills required to govern and improve AI systems.

Brands should also protect investment in distinctive human expertise and assess where conversational commerce could change product discovery or purchasing behavior. The broader lesson from Forrester’s forecasts is that sustainable AI adoption will depend on disciplined investment, not deployment volume alone.

Top Insights

• AI costs could trigger retrenchment: Forrester predicts rising usage-based expenses will force B2C marketing leaders to scale back one-third of their AI initiatives in 2027.

• CX hiring may rebound: The firm forecasts a 20% rise in CX staffing, emphasizing technical and experience-design roles needed to support valuable AI use cases.

• Human content regains importance: Forrester expects 50% of brands to prioritize human-generated content as synthetic material becomes more widespread.

• Conversational shopping may expand: One in 20 US and UK consumers could abandon traditional shopping for conversational experiences, according to the forecast.

• Investment discipline becomes central: AI spending, customer trust and human expertise will need to be evaluated together rather than as separate strategic concerns.

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