According to Gartner, mobile app usage is expected to decrease by 25% by 2027, driven by the rise of AI assistants such as Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Meta AI. Smartphone users increasingly rely on these intelligent agents to perform tasks that previously required separate apps.
This shift is set to streamline mobile experiences, consolidating apps across different brands and companies.
“CMOs should begin scenario planning for the impacts of decreased mobile app usage. Brands may be severely impacted by the disintermediation of users turning to AI assistants for services. The loss of app users will also result in the loss of first-party data collection and the ability to reach fewer users via mobile push notifications,” said Emily Weiss, senior principal for the Gartner marketing practice.
Web content creation and consumption
In addition to transforming mobile app landscapes, AI is expected to redefine how web content is created and consumed. By 2026, over a third of web content will be generated for AI-powered search engines.
As search engines evolve, the algorithms powering them are increasingly tailored to AI-generated content. This move could impact the traffic businesses receive from search engines, needing a strategic pivot to ensure continued visibility and engagement.
Digital marketing changes
Moreover, digital marketers will adjust their spending to keep pace with changing consumer habits. By 2028, 30% of paid social budgets will be redirected to support advertising and partnerships on subscription-based channels. As consumers move from traditional social media to subscription platforms, CMOs explore new avenues to maintain reach and engagement.
Data collection
In addition, the collection of customer data is also set to evolve. By 2027, 85% of customer data will originate from automated interactions or AI-led engagements. The development of more advanced AI agents capable of autonomously executing tasks will enable brands to gather richer, more actionable insights from customer interactions.