Marketing Leaders to Cut AI Initiatives in 2027
Forrester projects businesses will scale back AI projects while increasing human-led customer experience staffing.
Updated on Oct. 22, 2026 in Spending
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By 2027, B2C marketing leaders are expected to scale back one-third of their AI initiatives as costs rise. Companies will simultaneously increase customer experience staffing by 20 percent to prioritize human-generated content.
Why it matters
Rising costs and concerns over content authenticity are forcing firms to re-evaluate their reliance on automated workflows. Businesses are shifting their budgets to focus on projects that provide demonstrable value.
Forrester predicts that one-third of AI initiatives will be reduced by 2027 as half of all brands pivot to prioritize human-generated content. Meanwhile, customer experience teams, which saw reductions over the last two years, will see a 20% staffing increase.
The players
Forrester
Forrester is a global market research company that provides data-driven advice on the impact of technology to business and consumer audiences.
The details
Marketing technology suppliers are increasingly shifting toward usage-based pricing models that charge businesses for every automated workflow, agent interaction, and generated asset. This creates budgetary pressure, leading brands to re-examine the efficiency and business value of their current AI stacks.
Timeline
Companies spent the two years leading up to 2025 reducing their customer experience teams.
Marketing leaders are forecasted to reduce AI initiatives by one-third in 2027.
Market Landscape
This transition marks a departure from the rapid, widespread automation adoption observed during the 2020s corporate automation wave. Businesses are now prioritizing measurable return on investment over the experimental AI implementation phases of recent years.
Consumers may notice a shift toward more human-led interactions as companies ramp up their customer experience staff. This change may also alter the types of content brands produce as half of all companies pivot away from purely automated material.
The takeaway
Businesses are learning that automation must be balanced with human oversight to maintain brand authenticity. Consumers can expect a more personalized, human-centric approach as companies move away from aggressive AI scaling.
Further reading
Read more about evolving corporate budgets in the Spending section.
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Do you trust companies that rely more on AI automation than human staff for customer service?
