What It Means: A Forrester Podcast

Discover the latest shifts in the tech landscape, including a hefty new fee for H-1B visas and its potential impact on U.S. jobs. Explore the concept of agentic commerce, where AI makes purchases on consumers' behalf, and learn how Google's ecosystem supports this new trend. Delve into the evolving role of customer reviews in B2B buying, with insights on optimizing them for AI search. This discussion spans labor markets, innovative payment systems, and the future of commerce in an AI-driven world.

Brian Hopkins, Forrester VP of Emerging Technology, defines AGI as autonomous software that learns across domains. He discusses self-learning models and the implications for workforce strategies. Jay Padasol, Forrester VP and analyst, outlines how AI is transforming agency business models from labor-based services to automated platforms. He highlights concerns among CMOs regarding agency distractions and previews predictions for the agency landscape in 2026, including consolidation trends and the growth of independent firms.

As we move into September, we dig into new sponsorship options for brands and find out how AI agents are impacting the customer success function as well as the industrial manufacturing and supply chain industries.

As we hurtle toward the end of August, it’s time to look toward the future. More specifically, the future of Anthropic (and other AI firms), the future of AI as a technology, and the future of the CMO role.

Stephanie Liu, a Senior Analyst at Forrester specializing in AI pricing, and Andrew Cornwall, also a Senior Analyst at Forrester, dive into fascinating trends in pricing strategies. Liu discusses the implications of AI pricing versus controversial surveillance pricing, urging for transparency in consumer data use. Cornwall shares insights from a METR study on AI's impact on developer productivity, revealing the complexities in measuring productivity and how perceptions differ among developers. Together, they explore innovative pricing models that align with customer value.

Ala Valente, a Principal Analyst at Forrester specializing in AI regulations, joins Brendan Witcher, a Vice President and Principal Analyst focused on digital business strategy. They dive into the complexities of AI regulation in the U.S., discussing proposed moratoriums and state versus federal dynamics. The conversation shifts to 'Vibe Coding,' a revolutionary programming approach that fosters rapid innovation while ensuring data security. They also analyze the FTC's challenges with subscription cancellations, emphasizing transparency as key to customer loyalty.

In this episode of What It Means, we dig into fear as a motivator in the B2B buying process, the human-centric future of digital experiences, and what CISOs need to know coming out of Cisco Live.

From pickleball to nuclear energy, this week’s episode covers a lot of ground. Listen in as Forrester analysts put three recent business headlines into context for sales, marketing, and technology leaders.

Rick Bradbury and Kate Leggett, both analysts at Forrester, dive into the chaotic world of business transformation. They explore Perplexity's strategic partnership with PayPal and Shopify, boosting e-commerce integration. AI's impact on online shopping and the risks involved, from data privacy to catalog management, is discussed. They also highlight how B2C brands must adapt to influencer marketing and the implications of Salesforce's staggering $8 billion acquisition of Informatica, reshaping CRM with an AI focus.

In this episode, we look at how to avoid the risks of AI-enabled tools in three common business use cases: coding, marketing, and product design. The key takeaway from all three areas: There’s still a strong need to have a human in the loop to review your AI outputs.