AI assistants and large language models are rapidly transforming consumer interactions with brands, shifting behavior from search-based discovery to direct, answer-driven experiences. A new joint report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Moloco reveals that marketers anticipate significant upheaval, with 67% of surveyed leaders expecting major changes to the consumer journey.
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The report, titled "Battle for the Interface: Introducing the Consumer AI Disruption Index," combines qualitative assessments with quantitative benchmarks on retention, user value, acquisition costs, and traffic sources to highlight varying levels of vulnerability across industries.
"AI is fundamentally reshaping how consumers interact with brands," said Giorgo Paizanis, a BCG partner and co-author of the report. "Our research shows that to win, marketers must build defensibility on three fronts: discovery, service, and customer relationships. Those who move early can turn this disruption into a durable advantage, recasting AI from a threat into a new channel for growth."
"As consumers move from the world of search to the world of answers, we're seeing a behavioral shift that risks disrupting digital brands across a broad range of industries," said Paul D'Arcy, Moloco chief marketing officer and a co-author of the report. "The companies that will thrive in this new age of AI will focus on longer-term customer relationships, owned digital surfaces like apps, and strategies that strengthen brand and loyalty."
Verticals classified as Breached face the highest immediate pressure as AI compresses traditional discovery and comparison processes, requiring rapid reinforcement of direct customer ties and AI embedding within proprietary platforms. Undefended segments must evolve transactional models into loyal, personalized engagements. Secured industries benefit from inherent trust moats to leverage AI for deeper efficiency and engagement. Contested areas hold strong positions to shape AI integration standards in their categories.
The findings urge proactive adaptation, positioning AI as an opportunity to enhance growth rather than a purely disruptive force.
About Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact. Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.
About Moloco
Moloco is the AI performance advertising company, empowering businesses to drive growth and monetization through advertising. Moloco's planet-scale AI systems are the foundation of Moloco's three distinct product lines. Moloco Ads is an AI-powered advertising platform for mobile app marketers built to drive real business outcomes in today's mobile-first world. Moloco Commerce Media and Streaming Monetization solutions enable retailers, marketplaces, and streaming platforms to build revenue-generating ad businesses that balance viewer experience and advertiser performance. Moloco was founded in 2013 by a team of machine learning engineers and has offices throughout the US, the UK, Germany, Korea, China, India, Japan, and Singapore.
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