Can AI Agents Destroy the Economics of Consumer Inertia? : BI Replay

Join Bloomberg Intelligence analysts for a two part series as they explore this timely, cross-sector theme: Could AI agents transform consumer behavior, erode the economics of customer inertia, reshape customer ownership and create a new generation of winners and losers? Personal AI agents such as Meta’s Muse and Instinct could fundamentally reshape consumer economics by removing the friction that allows businesses to benefit from customer inertia — while potentially shifting traffic and customer ownership away from established platforms. Insurance, banking and deposits, telecom and cable, subscriptions, online travel, ridesharing and delivery look particularly interesting, given high switching costs, complex pricing, automatic renewals and low consumer engagement. With major ridesharing, delivery and travel platforms processing about $1 trillion in annual transaction value, even a modest shift toward AI agents could have meaningful implications. Distribution could prove critical. Meta can potentially push agents through its standalone apps, WhatsApp and Instagram, while Apple and Google could gain leverage if agents embedded directly into mobile operating systems increasingly control consumer discovery and transactions. Part 1 — Tuesday, Sept. 29 | 12:00 PM ET Sectors covered: Cable & Telecom; Marketplaces Part 2 — Tuesday, Oct. 6 | 12:00 PM ET Sectors covered: Amazon, E-Commerce & Ad Tech; Insurance; Banking & Payments