Acxiom, the global data and technology company powering connected customer experiences, has unveiled its 2026 CX Trends Report titled “The Dawn of AI-Curated Experience.” The study explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping the customer experience landscape and warns brands to use AI as a tool to empower consumers rather than dictate their journeys. The findings are based on surveys conducted with 4,000 consumers and 600 business leaders across the U.S. and U.K.
The research highlights a growing tension between automation and human autonomy. While both consumers and brands recognize the transformative speed of AI, most admit they are struggling to keep pace. A striking 93% of brands and 70% of consumers believe the evolution of AI in CX is moving faster than they are ready for. Despite enthusiasm for AI innovation, consumers are drawing a clear line — 83% are comfortable with AI influencing their choices, but 65% say that if AI makes decisions for them, it stops being their experience.
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Jarrod Martin, CEO of Acxiom, explained this delicate balance, stating, “The paradox between AI’s potential and the customer’s desire for control isn’t a roadblock; it’s the next great challenge for brands to solve. This report illustrates that the future of customer experience isn’t about replacing human insights but empowering them. Our focus is to help brands simplify complex martech ecosystems and optimize AI to orchestrate experiences that are not just automated, but are also personal, trusted, and deeply human. That’s how you put data to work.”
The report identifies several key tensions shaping CX strategies. In what Acxiom calls “The Control Paradox,” consumers prioritize maintaining control when AI guides decisions, while brands place more value on transparency. Similarly, “The Effort Disconnect” reveals that 73% of consumers prefer experiences requiring minimal effort, while 74% of brands fear that frictionless journeys may feel generic. Another challenge, “The Empathy Gap,” shows that while 61% of brands see emotionally intelligent AI as transformative, only 27% of consumers are comfortable with AI interpreting their emotions.
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Graham Wilkinson, Head of Innovation and AI at Acxiom, added, “The brands that win in the age of AI-curated experiences won’t be those who adopt AI the fastest, but those who do it with the clearest intention. Success requires a privacy-first approach and a unified data strategy that allows you to listen to customer signals in real time. The goal is to use AI to make interactions more meaningful, not more mechanical. It’s about delivering empowerment and value at every touchpoint, which is only possible when your data and technology are seamlessly connected.”
The report outlines five emerging CX trends defining the next phase of AI adoption — Conversational Interfaces, An Instructional World, Effortless Access, Platform Unification, and Empathetic Interactions. Together, these insights form a roadmap for brands to align innovation with empathy, ensuring that as AI becomes more embedded in daily life, it enhances human experience rather than overshadowing it.
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