AI and machine learning by Graham Kenny and Ganna PogrebnaJuly 6, 2026charles taylor/Getty ImagesPostSummary. As AI increasingly mediates how customers research, evaluate, and choose suppliers, competitive advantage is shifting from direct customer understanding to managing AI-shaped interactions. DrawingLeer en españolLer em portuguêsPostFor decades, firms have sharpened competitive advantage by observing their customers through surveys, user groups, complaints, and usage data—all of which has increasingly been enabled by the rise of the internet.PostRead more on AI and machine learning or related topics Generative AI, Consumer behavior, Customer experience and Customer service
AI Is Changing How Customers Choose Your Business
As AI increasingly mediates how customers research, evaluate, and choose suppliers, competitive advantage is shifting from direct customer understanding to managing AI-shaped interactions. Drawing on the experiences of three small-to-medium sized businesses they worked with, the authors show how firms can adapt. A manufacturer improved sales efficiency by screening AI-generated inquiries before investing engineering time in quotations. A boutique hotel learned to monitor how AI tools described its business and revised public content to improve accuracy and differentiation. A B2B software company replaced periodic customer reviews with continuous monitoring of customer feedback and AI-generated market perceptions. Across all three cases, the lesson is that firms must treat AI as a new intermediary in the customer relationship. Winning companies will not necessarily spend the most on technology; they will build systems for continuously listening, interpreting signals, and adapting strategy in markets where both customers and the information they rely on are increasingly AI-mediated.
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