Beyond Mere Efficiency: Where AI Users Stand On Advertising, Agentic Commerce

The increased use of genAI tools is undeniable, even if the acceptance of advertising within those tools isn’t as universal.

“Ad-supported models have become the standard in social media and video streaming, but the personal assistant nature of generative AI creates a higher bar for intrusion,” says Mod7’s Beyond AI Adoption report. “Mod7 data supports this assumption, with 61% of current genAI assistant users who find advertising an intrusive or unacceptable model for these tools.”

Nearly half (46%) are resistant to both advertising as well as agentic commerce features such as AI purchasing on behalf of the user. Those open to just agentic commerce (36%) represent “the strategic target group for generative AI platforms seeking to monetize usage through online purchases.”

(Photo Source: Mod7)

“Primarily composed of Millennials (the 30-44 age cohort), these users are willing to pay for efficiency,” the report says. “They are open to AI making purchases and managing transactions, but they are opposed to advertising, something they view not just as [a] nuisance but as an active and intrusive distraction.”

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FAST FAQ

How can publishers prepare their content and commerce strategy for the agentic commerce shift?

Publishers should begin tagging products and services with structured data so that AI agents can read, interpret, and act on transactional content without human navigation. Optimizing for AI-readable product data is the publishing equivalent of optimizing for Google Shopping … except the “shopper” is an autonomous AI agent.