Cognizant’s Center for the Future of Work (CFoW) has released its Algorithms Over Brands: How to Reach Today’s and Tomorrow’s AI-Augmented Customer whitepaper. With algorithms being the new interface between brands and consumers, machine intelligence is expanding consumers’ intelligence quotient by giving them more ways to access information and explore more choices, making them more powerful and more difficult to predict than ever before.

To explore the new expectations and perceptions of the AI-savvy consumer–especially the changes wrought by new dynamics such as voice-based autonomous buying – the CFoW surveyed 6,500 consumers globally.

Based on the research, the Center believes traditional companies will need to overhaul their digital infrastructure for voice interfaces, restructure their go-to-consumer strategies, redefine the customer experience and recreate content to win customers in the future. Great products and services alone won’t cut it – companies have to go the extra mile.

Key findings from the research include:

• Algorithms are usurping brand names in terms of consumer trust.
• Voice interfaces are emerging as the new gatekeepers.
• Companies are paying a huge penalty for offering a poor payment experience.
• Personalized experiences are falling way short.
• A lack of engaging content = disengaged customers.

“You know what your customer is looking for today, but what if you could predict what the customer is looking for tomorrow, and deliver value that they haven’t yet realized they needed?” writes Manish Bahl, Associate Vice President, CFoW, APAC. “Brands that reimagine their brand, rebuild reputation, and rethink their relevance to form deeper relationships with consumers and resonate with consumer behavior, are most likely to emerge as category leaders tomorrow.”

Click here to read the full report and find out how your brand can overcome these challenges and earn the trust of both customers and machines.